Cluster Questions, Cluster Questions!

[Mintlipgloss]

Hi everyone! HELP!

 

I am working on (rather, TRYING to work on) "Carrie's Cap" from the "Lion Brand Just Hats" book and I'm having some problems. Here's the portion of the pattern that is troubling me:

 

Chain 4. Join with slip stitch to form a ring.

Round 1: (Cluster, chain 1) 8 times into the ring. Join round with a slip stitch in the top of the first cluster.

 

OK, here are my problems/questions:

 

1. With a "K" hook and chunky yarn (I am using Lion Brand Suede, which the pattern calls for), it's impossible to put EIGHT (yowza!!!!) clusters into this tiny little ch 4 ring. Can I ch more than 4 to have more room? (Also, the pattern calls for a "K" hook).

 

2. What is the "top of the first cluster"? Given that a cluster is the following:

 

Cluster: <YO, insert hook in space, YO, bring up a loop 3 times>-7 loops on hook-YO, draw thru all loops on hook

 

Where does the "top" of this cluster fall? I am so confused!

 

Thanks in advance for helping me, everyone.

 

Jennifer

[donnalynn2]

Hi everyone! HELP!

 

I am working on (rather, TRYING to work on) "Carrie's Cap" from the "Lion Brand Just Hats" book and I'm having some problems. Here's the portion of the pattern that is troubling me:

 

Chain 4. Join with slip stitch to form a ring.

Round 1: (Cluster, chain 1) 8 times into the ring. Join round with a slip stitch in the top of the first cluster.

 

OK, here are my problems/questions:

 

1. With a "K" hook and chunky yarn (I am using Lion Brand Suede, which the pattern calls for), it's impossible to put EIGHT (yowza!!!!) clusters into this tiny little ch 4 ring. Can I ch more than 4 to have more room? (Also, the pattern calls for a "K" hook).

 

2. What is the "top of the first cluster"? Given that a cluster is the following:

 

Cluster: <YO, insert hook in space, YO, bring up a loop 3 times>-7 loops on hook-YO, draw thru all loops on hook

 

Where does the "top" of this cluster fall? I am so confused!

 

Thanks in advance for helping me, everyone.

 

Jennifer

 

Ok, here's what I make of this. The top of the cluster is the stitch where you draw all the loops off the hook. Basically just look above all of the stitches that make up a cluster and you should see a little stitch that holds all those stitches together, that's the "top of the cluster".

 

As far as Chaining more, I would say no because then that will throw off how the item will look when finished. Sometimes it's hard to work the foundation into what the pattern calls for, but in the end, there usually is a method to the madness. I would Chain the beginning 4 loosely, but personally I wouldn't increase the amount. Sometimes you have to push your worked stitches over and cram them so that there is enough space in which to work the remaining stitches.

 

Hope this helps! It's so hard to explain things like this in words! Happy Hooking!

[Aggie May]

If you crochet 6 Ch instead of 4 Ch, you will have more room for you first row. Just leave a nice long tail at the start of the Ch and then when you do the first row, work over the tail, which can then be pulled tight and fastened and will close up any hole created.

This will make it much easier to fit all the Clusters into the loop.

I would use whatever part of the top of the cluster is easiest to work into or whatever looks best.

Remember when you are doing rounds, the top of each stitch is to the left of the actual stitch not like with rows where the top of the stitch is to the right, simply because you have turned at the end of each row.

Take a good look at the Cluster as you do it and you will see which is the last bit you do.

Have fun.

Colleen.

PS, Remember that the pattern is only a guide and can be adapted to suit your needs, as long as you keep the formula the same.

[Mintlipgloss]

Ladies,

 

You're the greatest. Thank you so much!

 

Jennifer