Chevron sts

[gemlovesjasper]

When I follow a chevron pattern I get the chain numbers correct. I count, count, count. Before I start my 1st row am I supposed to at the end of my chaining turn and work the ws row? At the end of my chaining I always start with the chain I first made. Yet somehow when that first row ends and I ch1 and turn that second row doesn't start off right. In the sc ripple, second row says to sc2 in first ch then sc4. By that time you should be able to skip 2 right above previous row sk2. Yet when I did the sc2, sc4 and sk2 the sk2 was one stitch past the previous sk2. It didn't match up. What the heck? Why is that? Why is the second row not matching up. It should. Specially if you ended 1st row right. No extra sts or short a stitch or two. 

[Granny Square]

In SC, if you want a 'thing' to be 100 stitches across, you make a 101 chains, turn, skip the first chain and make your first SC in the second chain from the hook.

At the end of a row, you chain 1, turn, do not use the chain 1, and SC into the top of the end SC of the prior row.  So if you want your blanket to be 100 SC across, chain 101. 

In SC, the turning chain 1 never counts as a stitch unless there is an unusual reason spelled out to do so in a pattern. 

 

 

[bgs]

Usually the first row of stitches not the foundation chain is the right side unless the pattern says otherwise.  You might find this helpful.

[Granny Square]

Apologies, I overlooked that part of the question (right or wrong side)--I agree with Bgs--if it matters the pattern should tell you.  If it is an all-SC chevron blanket or item worked in turned rows with the same stitch (all SC for example) and not seamed, it's typically reversible.  

I also re-read your post just now, and I think I mis-read this:  "At the end of my chaining I always start with the chain I first made."  I read it as "the first chain I encountered after turning at the end of the last chain made, to start the SC row".  If you make a chain 100 chains long, and then made your first stitch in chain #1 in the order your made the chains, you are joining chain #100 to chain #1 and making a circle.  Which is do-able of course, but is that what you meant?

 

[Granny Square]

Sorry for being nosy, I just looked at your earlier posts over the last few months, and they are all about chevron blankets.

I have made exactly 2 chevron blankets in my crochet career of (yikes) 5 decades.  One was 5 decades ago, the other was a just a few years ago for a new baby-in-law.  The reason for the great time span was because the first one was such a pain in the posterior to keep the count correct (after much ripping) and I just avoided them after that.  Newer blanket was more of an 'old shale/feather and fan' (lacy ripple); I did goof a couple of times on that one and I had to rip a few rows but not as bad as the first.  It was this pattern.  I think part of the reason was, I had a lot more crochet experience under my belt, and also the nature of the pattern, I think the lace 'holes' versus solid fabric helped me to spot counting mistakes sooner.

After that, I thought that if I had the urge to make another ripple, I'd choose one that was even easier to catch counting mistakes, and something lacy or 'holey' was probably a good idea--on the order of these patterns

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/big-bold-chevron-blanket

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/chevron-baby-blanket-36  mostly solid, but the holes would help in the counting

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/chevron-scarf-16 could be made wider, make a chain maybe a few chains longer than the length of one of the other patterns and pick out the excess chains later, they won't unravel

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/granny-ripple-afghan-2 granny ripple - I think this would be the easiest, after the initial set-up, it would be almost impossible to mis-count.  There are several versions of this with shallower ripples, if you look at the top left of the linked page and click patterns>, it will take you to the search page, I searched on granny ripple in the search box, then crochet and free in the choices at the left side.

 

 

 

 

[gemlovesjasper]

Thanks for the advice. After making a chain, the tail is on the left side. I get what that means. But the why is when the first row end evenly does the 2nd row cause problems? 

For example the pattern is 11 + 2. I do the first row and turn. The second row starts off with a ch1. I do that. Then sc in next 4 stitches. I do that and then it says skip 2. It should land in same place as last skip 2 in first row. It does not. Its off center. If I dont do the chain 1 in the first st then I have all 4 chains to sc in each one. Then the center or the skip 2s match up. In her video she does the ch1 in each row. Maybe I should watch the video again. Ugh. 

[bgs]

First of all I HATE trying to use a video alone for a pattern.  I want it written out and then a video is nice if I have a problem.  

Why does the 2nd row cause problems?  Quite often if I have a problem with a row I made a mistake in the previous round.  Did the number of stitches work out correctly for the first row? Stitch placement for the beginning and end of rows can be tricky.  This might help.  Here is a photo tutorial for a chevron and this one has a video.  Numbers of stitches can differ but concept is same.  Maybe you can study these and see where the problem is with the pattern you are using.

Edited April 26, 2021 by bgs

[Granny Square]

You are going to hate what I am going to say. 

After row 1, did you go back and count all your stitches, and check to make sure they were in the right spot?  Not just the total number of stitches should be x, but: uphill 4, hilltop adds 2, downhill 4, valley decreases by 2, ...etc.  I am dead serious.  And this counting/double check  needs to happen every row, for every uphill, hill top, downhill, and valley.  Your description of "the spot I think I'm at in the current row does not line up with that spot in the row below" is exactly describing what happens when you have messed up counting somewhere.