Help With Pattern

[jaebird98]

Hello! 
 

I am following a free online pattern to make a drawstring barn to hold farm animal finger puppets, and when I finished the bag, I realized… My one edge wasn’t straight! I followed the pattern to a T, but something obviously went wrong when I followed rounds 2-17, which read: Round 2-17: ch 1, sc in each stitch around, join to first sc with sl st (42 sc)

The pattern I followed can be found here (near the bottom): https://www.5littlemonsters.com/2018/12/farm-animal-finger-puppet-playset.html?m=1

I would really appreciate someone’s help with understanding this part of the pattern. My other edge is perfect, but the one where I slip stitched and chained veers outwards, like I had increased (maybe I did an increase by accident at the start of the each round?)

Thank you so much! 

[Granny Square]

Welcome to the 'ville--and what an adorable pattern!

This barn pattern has you working in an oval, starting by working at the bottom along 1 side of the chain, and then with the same side facing you, turn the chain so the part you just stitched into is pointing down, and then you work back to the beginning end using the loop or loops of the chain that you didn't work into the first time.  I do NOT recommend using the back bump only on one of those passes (it pulls the fabric tight); I suggest making the first pass into the top loop of the chain as the chain faces you, and the second pass around the 2 remaining loops.

Did you achieve 42 stitches after round 1 thru 17 like the pattern said you should?  This would answer your question about possibly whether you accidently increased.

It might not be a bad idea to use a stitch marker (I use bobby pins) to mark the first stitch-top of the round, then move the marker up to the next round's first stitch and so on.  Also, I'm going to throw out the photo below - this is obviously a flat circle in DC not the tube shape in SC you are doing, but the slst join appearance is similar.  See the loop that looks like a stitch,  that says 'skip'?  That is the slip stitch join from the prior round, it is the base of your first stitch of this round, and you do NOT want to stick your hook there unless you want to intentionally increase.

Edited July 24, 2022 by Granny Square