Not understanding crochet abbreviation

[Lynn Chambers]

Hi I'm crocheting a Wednesday Addams doll and I'm doing the legs at the moment.  The pattern says in the next row do 7sc 1dec 1sc 1m 1sc 1dec 6sc which is reducing the stitches from 22 in the previous row to 18 but what does 1m mean I'm totally stuck. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[Granny Square]

I can't think of what 'm' could be stitch-wise, the only thing that comes to mind is 'marker', but you usually see pm (place marker) or mm (move marker).

Is there a special stitches section in the pattern?  If this pattern is in a book, there may be a separate chapter of stitch and abbreviation definitions.

If I were doing this, I would do whatever reasonably needs to happen to get 18 stitches, and maybe just in case put a marker in the SC right before the 'm'.  Also if you can tell 'where you are' in the leg look at that spot in the photo - this works better if you are questioning more than 1 stitch, but it can't hurt--this has helped me solve an odd instruction more than once.

[Lacycrochet]

I agree with Granny Square, the only time I have seen "m" in a pattern is where they want you to mark it with a stitch marker.  With that said, like Granny Square indicated it could be an individual designers own lingo which should be indicated in the stitch description written on the pattern.

One way to check is to look forward into the rest of the rows and see if any of them indicate to put any stitch into the marked stitched.

[Tampa Doll]

I think you are doing the same pattern I did.  I contacted the designer and this is the answer I got.

Leg information:

1w: add 3 sc in one loop
1m: Decrease 3 stitches at once

Is  your designer L. Hobby?  Done the pattern have the thing with it?  I have made several notes on this pattern, if you need help.

She is from Turkey and there seems to be a problem with our terms and hers.  Once you have these terms down and get moving, it moves pretty fast.

I did not use the same material for the hair that she used.

 

Edited March 2, 2023 by Tampa Doll

[bgs]

I told Tampa Doll we would be getting this question.  She bought this pattern.  Its a translated pattern and English is not the designers native language.  Mary Jo contacted the designer and did get the following response.

1w: add 3 sc in one loop
1m: Decrease 3 stitches at once

 

 

[Granny Square]

Ahh, that makes sense (in a not-conventional way).  If W and M are not the first letter of the Turkish words for increases and decreases involving 3 stitches, those letters sort of resemble (with some imagination) what the stitches look like in those transactions.

 

 

[blanketmakingwoahman5]

Hi there! It sounds like you're doing a great job crocheting your Wednesday Addams doll! It can be confusing when a pattern uses abbreviations, so I'm glad you asked for help. 

The abbreviation "1m" stands for "make 1". This is a technique used to increase the number of stitches in a row. To make 1, you will insert your hook into the space between the two stitches from the previous row, then yarn over and pull up a loop. You will then yarn over and pull through both loops on your hook. This will create an extra stitch in the row. 

So, for your pattern, you will start with 7 single crochets (sc), then decrease (dec) one stitch, then single crochet (sc) one stitch, make one (m1), single crochet (sc) one stitch, decrease (dec) one stitch, and finish with 6 single crochets (sc). This will reduce the number of stitches from 22 in the previous row to 18. 

I hope this helps! Good luck with your project!

[bgs]

2 hours ago, blanketmakingwoahman5 said:

Hi there! It sounds like you're doing a great job crocheting your Wednesday Addams doll! It can be confusing when a pattern uses abbreviations, so I'm glad you asked for help. 

The abbreviation "1m" stands for "make 1". This is a technique used to increase the number of stitches in a row. To make 1, you will insert your hook into the space between the two stitches from the previous row, then yarn over and pull up a loop. You will then yarn over and pull through both loops on your hook. This will create an extra stitch in the row. 

So, for your pattern, you will start with 7 single crochets (sc), then decrease (dec) one stitch, then single crochet (sc) one stitch, make one (m1), single crochet (sc) one stitch, decrease (dec) one stitch, and finish with 6 single crochets (sc). This will reduce the number of stitches from 22 in the previous row to 18. 

I hope this helps! Good luck with your project!

If this is the same pattern the designer was contacted and said  the abbreviations in question were as follows:

1w: add 3 sc in one loop
1m: Decrease 3 stitches at once

 

Edited March 3, 2023 by bgs