Pattern Directions

[Guest NCAugeriFan]

I'm just beginning to understand how to read patterns - the very simple ones. One of my co-workers has been crocheting for a long time (which I just found out this past week). We spent over 30 minutes one day talking about crochet, techniques, patterns, etc. She showed me photos of what she has been working on. Fantastic! I showed her a pattern that I would love to do one day...but it didn't make any sense. She looked over the pattern and said it wasn't written very well...that's when we started talking about good patterns vs. not so good patterns i.e. - very good directions vs poor directions. I'm not that proficient in reading patterns yet..

 

I was wondering (for the experienced crocheter) if you can recognized a good pattern directions vs a not so good pattern directions. And if the pattern directions aren't written that well (or has mistakes) do you skip it or try to modify it?

 

~cadie :w-snow

[CraftyChristine]

<span style="font-family:comic sans ms; color:purple;">I've only been reading patterns for about six months now, but I can definitely tell when a pattern is written well. If I run in to one that's inconsistant or is written poorly I'll only attempt it if I'm feeling adventurous or if the pattern isn't too strange. I've been known to skip a pattern if I can't figure it out though lol</span>

[Stacey]

Even after a few years, I still have to start crocheting something before the directions make much sense to me--when I just read them, I can't always picture what's supposed to be happening, but once I start making it it clicks.

 

So I can't always tell if a pattern is well-written or not until I start doing it. Then, if I start and find out the pattern is a bit screwy, I'll try to work around it if it's something I just *have* to make. Or I'll search around to try to find something similar with an easier-to-understand pattern...

[Ambersafghans]

I have definetly found some patterns that were not written well. It depends on the mood I'm in, but sometimes I'll try to figure it out anyway.

Amber

[Guest Yarnentangled]

When I first started crocheting, the pattern directions looked like Chinese to me. In fact the first time I put away crochet was when I got so frustrated deciphering pattern directions that I just quit.

 

A few months later, I found some different easy to read patts and tried again. When a patt got to difficult I stopped and looked for something else I could comprehend.

 

Now I have several years experience and consider myself an intermediate level crocheter, those old patterns that confused me in the early attempts STILL confuse me. So this leads me to believe it is a poorly written pattern.

 

In the Susan Bates " Learn To Crochet" there is a pattern for edging that I can't make heads nor tails out of yet I can follow other edging patterns w/ no prob.

 

Oh well. I'll try again another day.