Pattern Help

[ekfj15]

Hello! I’m new to this site but not to crocheting although this pattern is making me feel otherwise! I bought the pattern “A Child is Born” from Mary Maxim. I have never done this type of “filet” pattern but with it just being DC and ch I figured that it was probably straight forward enough. 
 

The pattern starts with Ch 174.

Row 1: Dc in 4th ch from hook (skipped ch counts Ed first dc), and in each ch to end, turn. (172 dc)

Row 2: Ch 3 (counts as first dc throughout), dc in next four sts, ch 1, skip next st, dc in each remaining st across to last 6 sts, dc in next st, ch 1, skip next st, dc in last 4 sts, turn. (172 sts) **my confusion starts here with the beginning of this row having 5 dc (the ch 3 plus the 4 dc) and ends with just 4 dc. 
 

Row 3: Ch 3, dc in next st, *ch 1, skip next st, dc in next st; rep from * across to last two sts, dc in each of last 2 sts, turn. (172 sts) **my issue with this row is lining up the empty spaces to make the border shown in the pattern. With the ch 3 and dc, after my ch 1 and skipping a stitch, my dc post ends up in the middle of the box that I created in the last row. I’ve recounted my stitches so many times my eyes are crossing! 

[Granny Square]

Welcome to the 'ville!

Holy (bleep).  Did the pattern not also have a chart, a grid of open and filled-in squares?  I make a lot of doilies now that I'm retired (they're pretty, and thread is cheap) and I have seen (very vintage, 100 year-old +) written-out filet patterns but have only ever worked from a diagram of filled and open grids--and even the old patterns would say something like "3o, 4f' (or similar 'code' meaning '3 open meshes, 4 filled meshes' for example.

Does your pattern not also have a diagram?  I strongly suggest if it does, that you ignore the written pattern (except the initial # of chains) and follow the diagram.  If I bought this kit, and it didn't have a chart, I'd consider sending it back, (unless it explicitly said written not charted and I'd missed that in the catalog)

This site has an excellent explanation of the basic stitches and their diagram (there's also another page of more advanced stitches). Most patterns are just open and filled meshes.

The number of stitches across a row is typically* a multiple of 3, plus 1 (note, this is STITCHES, not initial chains).  Reason: you can't start a row with an open mesh, because an open mesh starts with 2 chains, and you can't start a row with a chain.  So even a row that starts with a solid mesh, will have an extra DC at the beginning, to keep everything square.  Note that your pattern starts  with 174 chains, which makes 57 'grids' plus 1 extra DC made up of the skipped chains. 

One word of advice - make sure your grids line up as you go, if you have large solid areas it's easy to 'drift'.  And as with other 'grid' type patterns if it does have a chart - cover up the portion above the row you are on, it is a lot easier if the chart is only showing what you have already made, plus the current row, to keep you oriented.

edited to add - sorry, I sort of forgot the your original question, the "+1" in the multiple of 3 +1 is why the DC count doesn't match on each end, your pattern is following the 'rule' of that extra stitch 'in case' a row starts with an open mesh.

 

 

Edited October 4, 2021 by Granny Square

[ekfj15]

The pattern is in the form of a graph, sorry I didn’t specify! I have used graphs before for c2c projects (still a bit of a novice at it but working on it)! 
 

I understand what you’re saying about that extra dc to keep things square; I wasn’t thinking that one through!
 

I included a picture of the bottom of the graph as well as a picture of the first three lines that are written. I have also included a picture of where my confusion comes in. On the second row I have my opened space but on my third row, the dc isn’t lining up where it should following the instructions the way that I read them.  I can’t see what I am doing wrong to not get this to line up. In order for me to get the border looking correct I have to ch 3, dc in same stitch and then continue on but in doing so I add that stitch and it will throw everything off. 

[Granny Square]

This pattern graph has open meshes all the way around.  Having an open mesh at the edge of a filet doily is not a bad thing--in fact I tend to add open meshes if there aren't any, and go around the edge at the end in SC, it finishes it off nicely--especially if it is a shaped doily and not a rectangle like this one.  It's not necessary, but don't assume that the open meshes on this graph are not supposed to be there--they really have to be to get the 'lines crossed' look in the corner.

Refresher: an open mesh is 2 chains across, DC.  If an open mesh is at the beginning, the 'extra' DC will fill stand in for the right side that is normally the left edge of a prior stitch.

The written pattern is wrong, I would ignore it completely (and so is what you have done so far, sorry).

If the first 'block' of the very first row is an open mesh, you make your first DC in the 8th chain from the hook--so there are 7 skipped chains.  The real DC is the SECOND DC of the row (the one that closes the mesh) and that leaves 7 chains - 2 are the 'floor' of the open mesh, 3 are the right side of the mesh (which is the 'extra DC'), and 2 are the 2 chains across the top of the open mesh.

If this were me, I'd ignore the written instructions and go with the Haas crochet instructions for how to work without the written instructions.

By the way - and this is a  tip I learned to do with Filet doilies - if your pattern says chain a large number, like 174 - make 180 or so.  Reason: you can rip out the extra chains later.  It is a bit of a nuisance to rip, but much less so than realizing you miscounted and having to rip and -re-do the whole (very long) first row.

EDITED TO ADD - THIS ALL APPLIES IF THIS IS TRADITIONAL FILET.  AFTER HITTING 'POST', I'M NOT SURE...

 

Edited October 5, 2021 by Granny Square

[Granny Square]

What does the finished item look like?  I believe what you did follows the written pattern, but the written pattern is not following standard filet rules, and isn't going to look much like the graph if the open meshes are only 1 chain space wide, not 2.  I'm going to 'swatch' a tiny corner of your graph in traditional filet to show you what it would look like just following the graph that way.

Edit, here is the swatch, I did it in thread because I mostly use this technique for thread items, but also I thought the stitches would be more distinct.  The orientation of the pic is the same as the orientation of the bottom left corner of your scan of the graph above, and the bottom of the photo is my first row - you can see to the left I chained a few extra  

Edited October 5, 2021 by Granny Square

[ekfj15]

Here is the picture. It’s actually opposite of the sample block you posted. 

[Granny Square]

How strange - not the blanket, it's lovely, but that the graph is 'backwards', normally if a pattern square is filled with ink, you fill it with stitches!  It makes sense for that design to have the figures show up darker, tho.

The each big thicker-outlined square on the graph is 10 grids, there are 8 complete ones, so that's 80 grids, plus the grid at the top left is 6 little grids, so 86 grids.

The initial chain was 174 - so the squares are NOT traditional filet where each grid is 3 stitches.  86 x 2 is 172, so the chain is 2 more for the turning chain I guess, and this is not traditional filet of 3 stitches, it is 2 sts.  So to follow the chart, each solid mesh is 2 ch, the open one is 1 DC, chain 1--double check the pattern, it really should explain this in a 'special stitches' section, in case I have it backwards and the open grid is chain 1, DC (my logic (for the ch1 dc versus dc ch1) is row 2 has a chain which counts as that 'extra' DC, then 4 DC which would cover 2 grids, then a chain - which would be the first stitch in the 3rd grid).

[ekfj15]

In the picture I posted earlier of the graph, the key is on the bottom. Brown blocks are 2dc and the white blocks, depending on whether you’re working the right side or the wrong side, is ch 1, skip next st, dc in next stitch or dc in next st, ch 1, skip next stitch respectively. 
 

Above I posted the picture of the work that I had done following the pattern according to what I read. Above the open space you can see the post of my dc. Here I’ve posted a picture of how the open spaces on the third row should line up with the second row, however, in order to achieve this I had to dc in the first st with my ch 3 that counts as my first dc. In doing so I add a stitch and you can see that my side is bowing out from adding that stitch. 
 

I’m not super worried about how the sides and top look because the pattern has instructions for a border but I don’t want to add sts and throw off the whole design in the middle. 

Edited October 5, 2021 by ekfj15
Typo

[ekfj15]

I should clarify that you are correct in your assessment of 86 blocks on the graph and 172 sts so each block on the graph counts for two sts so my earlier comment about the brown blocks being 2dc should say dc in next 2 sts. 

[Granny Square]

 OOPS I totally missed that (stitch key).  Sorry I went off-subject on standard (more common?) filet.

Regarding fabric with DC edges- conventionally, when you turn for the next row of DC, you chain 3, skip the first DC and DC in the following DC.  The chain 'acts' like it is in that first stitch, so if you chain 3 and also DC in the first DC, you will be gaining a stitch.  This applies with counting stitches in conventional filet, as well.   

There is a way to get around this - a few ways, but the EASIEST is to replace the ch-3 turning chain with: chain 1, turn, SC in the first stitch, chain 1 or 2 depending on which more closely matches the height of your DCs.  At the end of the next row, DC in the topmost chain after the SC.

There is a 'no chain turning chain' that has you pulling up a loop, holding onto that loop with your finger, turning the hook around the loop and making a 'fake' DC. into the first DC.  

 

[selind]

It looks like you may have skipped the chain 1 in the last open mesh block of the second row (before the last 4 dc), so it looks like your dc stitch in the third row is in the wrong stitch. Maybe you didn't chain 1 and skipped the dc stitch that you normally would be crocheting into (when the pattern meant skip the chain 1), so everything was thrown off by one stitch. 

[ekfj15]

9 minutes ago, selind said:

It looks like you may have skipped the chain 1 in the last open mesh block of the second row (before the last 4 dc), so it looks like your dc stitch in the third row is in the wrong stitch. Maybe you didn't chain 1 and skipped the dc stitch that you normally would be crocheting into (when the pattern meant skip the chain 1), so everything was thrown off by one stitch. 

Oh my goodness I did! Thank you so much! I was going crazy!!

[selind]

7 hours ago, ekfj15 said:

Oh my goodness I did! Thank you so much! I was going crazy!!

You're welcome!