Baby sweater

[Halaina]

Hello everyone,

i’m new here and so happy to have found this forum. I’ve been crocheting for quite a while now making blankets. I know most of the basic stitches and a few extras but I’ve never done anything else. I decided to try to make a sweater for my niece and I’m stuck on a couple of stitches that keep throwing me off on my count. I am completely self taught in normally look online when I get caught up in some thing.  The pattern states “ in next ch -2 sp, 1 dc in next 17 sts. When I try to create those spaces the next 17 stitches run into my cluster stitches which have been in the pattern for the last couple of rows. Now I haven’t done spaces only once or twice before so I’m wondering if I’m doing them wrong. Could somebody please explain this to me to be or if I am doing them correctly? The other thing I don’t understand that is throwing me off is when the pattern states at the beginning of my row “ch 3, does not count as a dc here and in the rest of the yolk rows, 1 dc in the same st as ch 3”. 1dc in next 6 sts. Does it want me to put a double chain at the end of those three stitches at the beginning of the road or the base of the three stitches? I’m confused because I’ve never seen it written that way. I hope this all makes sense and I greatly appreciate anyone who can offer some advice. Thank you in advance!

[Granny Square]

Hi, and welcome to the 'ville.  Is your pattern on the internet somewhere , or a photo of the end item, so we can see what it looks like?  I think I have a fair idea since you mentioned 'yoke' (a lot of children's dresses and other items start with a raglan yoke), but sometimes it helps interpret the pattern line by looking at 'that spot' on the photo.

" in next ch -2 sp, 1 dc in next 17 sts. " appears to be 2 different instructions, with part of the first instruction not shown.  By 2 different instructions, I mean "do this thing, then after that is done do some other thing'. 

First instruction : "(do something) in (the) next ch -2 sp  

Second instruction: "1 dc in next 17 sts. "

I am guessing that the first thing is probably an increase, typically a raglan yoke has 4 increase spots, 1 on either side of the armhole.  The increase could be (I'm guessing, but something on the order of) 'dc, chain 2, dc' in the chain space of the row below.  You shouldn't be guessing at what making a space means, it is not a finite thing like a dc or sc...meaning that a chain space could be 'dc, chain 1, skip 1 stitch, dc' or 'chain 10, skip 5 stitches' or dozens of other variations - it also doesn't have to involve skipping a stitch or stitches.  I hope that makes sense?

 

 

[Granny Square]

A while back I created a diagram of a typical (rectangular) yoke, the ones I've encountered start at the neckline and work outward, and at a certain spot you stop working in a rectangle and fold it in half, and start working only around the areas that become the front and back only, creating armhole openings.  The very first time I ran across this at the 'fold' area I was all   for a moment and then   'got it', it magically looked like the top of a garment all of a sudden.  Sometimes the pattern has you making chains at the underarm area, then the rows or rounds after that are just either back and forth (for an open front or back that will probably button) or around and around if it is a pullover.