I’m really new to crochet, and trying to teach myself from web pages and a small book. While I’m finding the individual stitches fine, I’m having real problems with understanding patterns, though I have found several useful web pages.
At the moment I am trying out a ‘Christmas Hearts’ pattern, which I love the look of. I think I have got to grips with line 1:
1 dc in 6 chain from hook, 5 dc, ch 4, 6 dc, ch 5, sl st in bottom of last dc.
Unfortunately I am scuppered at the 2nd line, which reads:
(begins by crocheting along the opposite side of the foundation chain) 4 dc [B](1 dc is replaced with ch 3)[/B], skip 4 , 4 dc, 9 dc in ch 5, 6 dc, [B]2 dc + ch 4 + 2 dc in ch 4[/B], 6 dc, 9
dc in ch 5, sl st in top of first dc.
The bits I’m having trouble understanding are marked in bold.
Also, when it says that it begins crocheting along the opposite side of the foundation chain, does this mean you are just inserting your hook under a single loop, not the double loops you’d normally insert the hook under?
Any way, any help would be very gratefully recieved!
Thanks,
Anna
PS. I’m presuming that the ‘9 dc in ch 5’ refers to doing 9dc in the 5 loops in the chain produced in the first row. Is that correct.
(Yoda’s voice) Understand I do. Akward, the wording is.
I would translate that as follows:
“Turn to work in the other side of foundation chain, [B]Chain 3[/B] (counts as first dc) and dc in next 3 stitches.” Skip 4, 4 dc in next 4 stitches (Note: you have made an inside corner in your L shaped chain), 9 dc in the ch 5 space (rounding out one end), 6 dc in next six stitches, [2 dc, ch 4, 2 dc] in the ch 4 space (this takes you around the outside corner of the L shaped work), 6 dc in next six sts., 9 dc in the ch 5 (rounding out the other end), and sl st to top of [B]chain 3[/B]."
I added the parenthetic comments to help describe where you are in the shape. I found I didn’t understand the pattern until I drew it out on paper and found it made an L shaped oval. It must be the center of the heart shape. That makes sense, doesn’t it?
Yes, you are working in the round ([SIZE=“2”]even though it is really more oval starting with a straight chain rather than a loop[/SIZE]).
Can you tell I wrote that sentence before I finished the long explanation for the previous question? I was working backwards to figure out the foundation chain had 17 stitches and what the shape the stitches made.
Not quite but you are close. You go under, not through, the stitches of the ch 5, that way you get all 9 dc evely spaced around the chain 5 spanning the end. Treat the whole chain as the top loops of one big open stitch. Both times or both end it is used to rounds out the end of the “bent” foundation chain.
[SIZE=“1”]P.S. Have you noticed the “thanks” icon/button in the bottom right had corner of others posts; it is beside the Quote and Quote+ buttons. That is how you can add a thank you note attached to a post that you find helpful. Those are the ones counted by the forum software for the tallies shown in your profile and elsewhere.
I know, it is sameful of me to point it out. [/SIZE]
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Woo hoo, finished my first heart last night, so thanks again Jack.
Only bit I didn’t like was the using of 3 chains to replace the DC, so I may fiddle with that a bit (it seemed very loose so there was a bit of a hole), so I may try changing that to just one or two chains).
[FONT=“Comic Sans MS”][COLOR="#300090"]Congratulations on finishing the first heart! You are welcome, Anna.
I am glad I could help.
–Jack :guyknitting:
[SIZE=“1”]P.S. Have you noticed the “thanks” icon/button in the bottom right had corner of others posts; it is beside the Quote and Quote+ buttons. That is how you can add a thank you note attached to a post that you find helpful. Those are the ones counted by the forum software for the tallies shown in your profile and elsewhere.
I know, it is sameful of me to point it out. [/SIZE][/COLOR][/FONT]
I’ve just realised that I’ve been having a different problem, without realising it, which may explain the 3 chains being too long!
I’ve been following the pattern as though it is in English notation, when it is actually in American. So I’ve been doing an English double crochet, when I should be doing an American Double, which would be an English treble. Now I’m following the pattern the correct way, the 3 chains make a lot more sense! It also explains why my heart seemed to be in different proportions to the pictures!
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