Reading Patterns: How long before you started?

[Zaraliz]

I crocheted for quite a few years before I could follow patterns successfully. I think the secret is to do everything they tell you, literally. Zaraliz

[futuredancer]

I have used the magic crochet magazines for practically all of my crocheting until this past Christmas when I made a bunch of stuff for my nephews, so then I had to learn to read patterns. It wasn't tooo hard, though there were a few places where I had to think about it a bit...I still like diagrams better though.

[crazycrochet]

My mom taught me how to read a pattern as she taught me the stitches. sc was a single crochet and this is how you do it, dc is a double crochet and so on. I still to this day teach my students the same way. I can not follow the charts at all, I find them too confusing and they make no sense at all to me. JMHO.

[CrochetSpot]

When I first started I never really read patterns. I just made whatever I wanted to how I wanted to lol. Only recently have I started reading patterns, only so that I know how to write them. Strange, but I was never a big fan of reading weird pattern language and prefered to test my creativity my making something up LOL

[crochetellie]

I took crochet classes at the local community college. My teacher said that you can not say you can crochet unless you know how wo tead a pattern. I learned to read patterns at the 2nd class

[CLLinda]

I learned the basics from Grandma, no patterns. And then when I got serious about crochet, I took lessons at LeeWards and I learned how to read patterns.

 

[Lubba_my_kiddos]

I had a hard time with easy patterns to begin with but I went and got a stitch dictionary and I would look up the stitches and in some cases I would try the stitches out. After that patterns clicked.

[faedragon]

part of learning to crochet , for me at least, was reading the patterns. I learned to read and follow the patterns at the same time as I was learning the stitches. Bought a pamphlet by Coats and Clark, about a zillion years ago, and taught myself. To me, it makes no sense to "learn" to do something if you cannot follow the directions. Makes it very hard to expand your knowledge base.

[stronak]

I learned by reading the patterns. If you take it slow and picture in your mind what you need to do, it makes it easier. The only thing I have a problem with is the charts. It's painful to count the little circles to see how many you need to do:think

[The Zany Bishojo Evalana]

From the very start, I was working from a pattern, since I taught myself. I haven't really gotten to the point where I can improvise well, and trying to figure out those diagrams makes my eyes spin @_@.

[darski]

I am completely addicted to new pattern stitches and always have been. As a kid, I would get stitch collection books from the library and just try a whole bunch of them. So learning to read stitch patterns made it easier to read full patterns because I knew the lingo.

 

I used to subscribe to Magic Crochet as well and the diagrams just always looked like a picture of the pattern and I loved working with them. To this day,I find the diagrams easier for my little pea brain but the words were more prevelent.

 

I should mention that I started crocheting at 6 making Irish crochet roses. some of you here will remember the pink, green and white potholders that were all the rage at the time. I insisted that my grandmother had to teach me to make those. There was a time when I could make a thread project

 

[Yarnluver]

The first time around I'm pretty sure I must've learned from books since that's how I learned to crochet but I didn't get to make much out of patterns. At first I worked with thread making doilies and most of them I copied from others and even changed them around. When I restarted crocheting last year I found I was having trouble understanding written patterns, I'd even forgotten many of the abbreviations so I had to learn again and with the help of a search I found several websites that offer help reading patterns, here's some good ones: http://www.crochetnmore.com/123readapattern.htm, http://www.nexstitch.com/a_read_crochet_patterns.html, and http://www.anniesattic.com/crochet/learntoread.html.

 

I started out with very simple ones, I would read them first and see if I could picture the steps in my head; then each time I chose something a little more challenging and now I've already written a few of my own patterns. However, I agree that there are some poorly written patterns out there that not everyone can interpret correctly as we don't all think the same way.

[moonfest]

another pit fall reading especially online patterns is the one that is to be worked in UK terms and it is not stated..as their sc is our double etc. I have this instance to be far and few between so don't panic just be aware. I admire all of you who can read those huge doilly chart/patterns it's greek to me..although I am trying one out a small simple one for a simple mind we shall see

 

For learning to read written patterns I always recommend getting one of those like 50 different crochet blocks pattern books nice small projects but each one will challenge you and not a lot of frustration if you have to let it rip lol ,try to make them all if you can get though even half way you will have pattern reading down pat and a nice sampler ghan to boot started..

[kazily]

It was years before I attempted to learn patterns. Mostly due to not ever seeing a crochet magazine or book LOL! I was taught by a nice lady to do granny squares, single crochet & double crochet & I used those in everything I made. I just crocheted my heart out but my projects were limited to those 2 stitches & sewing granny's together.

 

Years later once I opened my eyes to pattern magazines & books & got the internet, then I learned more stitches, attempted easy patterns & my knowledge of pattern reading grew..I can't really give a time frame---because for me it was a lengthy learning process, not a daily or weekly plan to learn pattern reading. I just worked easy ones for quite a while that had basic stitches & repeats.