Incomplete row

[Katie2021]

I'm crocheting a puppy and on row 9 it says to crochet 3 stitches and in brackets it says incomplete row. The row before I had 21 stitches so what do I do with the 3 stitches on row 9?  Do I slip stitch and then start on row 10? I'm so confused. 

Any help would be greatly appreciated 

[Granny Square]

Welcome to the 'ville! 

Read ahead - the pattern is going to tell you what to do.  Unless you are making a flat rectangle (like a potholder, blanket, scarf), you may have rows or sometimes rounds that you don't work all the way across immediately.  For something like a toy, unused stitches will get used, if not crocheted into at a later point for gradual shaping (one form of shaping is actually called 'short rows' where you go back and forth in a spot, but not go all the way around or across the item--like sock heels), or they could end up being 1 side of a seam that will be sewn together at the end, or maybe it will form an opening that you'll reattach the yarn to later to 'sprout' a leg.  

It's always a good idea to read thru a pattern before starting, especially if you have never made a similar item before, to see if you understand where a pattern is 'going'.  It's sometimes hard to orient yourself to what piece you are working on, or what is about to come up next on a toy or garment--BUT it's also very important to make sure that you ARE oriented.  Example, if you were making a sock cuff down, if you are oriented to 'where you are' you'd expect something to happen to cause you  to stop working all the way around for a little while, to form the heel.

Can you tell what point you are at in the puppy?  Look at the pattern photo, what is happening shape-wise in the point you are at right now?

[Katie2021]

25 minutes ago, Granny Square said:

Welcome to the 'ville! 

Read ahead - the pattern is going to tell you what to do.  Unless you are making a flat rectangle (like a potholder, blanket, scarf), you may have rows or sometimes rounds that you don't work all the way across immediately.  For something like a toy, unused stitches will get used, if not crocheted into at a later point for gradual shaping (one form of shaping is actually called 'short rows' where you go back and forth in a spot, but not go all the way around or across the item--like sock heels), or they could end up being 1 side of a seam that will be sewn together at the end, or maybe it will form an opening that you'll reattach the yarn to later to 'sprout' a leg.  

It's always a good idea to read thru a pattern before starting, especially if you have never made a similar item before, to see if you understand where a pattern is 'going'.  It's sometimes hard to orient yourself to what piece you are working on, or what is about to come up next on a toy or garment--BUT it's also very important to make sure that you ARE oriented.  Example, if you were making a sock cuff down, if you are oriented to 'where you are' you'd expect something to happen to cause you  to stop working all the way around for a little while, to form the heel.

Can you tell what point you are at in the puppy?  Look at the pattern photo, what is happening shape-wise in the point you are at right now?

Thank you for your reply. I am currently making the head of the puppy. It says on row 10 to hdc 21 stitches. So just confused as to what to do with the 3 stitches on row 9. Do I simply turn the work and carry on hdc the 21 stitches the other way so it leaves a gap? 

[Granny Square]

I just came back to this and saw your reply, but need to run off in a few minutes, so probably won't get back to see your next reply until tomorrow.

Row 8 had 21 stitches

Row 9 says make 3 stitches and leave 18 alone right now.  I presume it doesn't say to turn, or you wouldn't have asked - also the stitches would look different if you did.

Row 10 says work 21 sts. So this will put you 3 stitches ahead of the starting point of row 9.  (I hope you are using stitch markers).  It could just be a way to move the start of the rounds over by 3 stiches, but I'm just guessing--I have seen patterns do that sort of thing.

I've learned to follow a pattern until it either works the way I expected it to, or leads me off a cliff (I started before the internet and didn't have anyone handy to ask).   Usually the pattern was right and I was just having a failure of imagination, or after following it and it was obviously buggy, I could usually tell what it meant - that trick of 'looking at the pattern photo' got me out of a lot of jams.