Crochet Help

babelfish

Im teaching myself to crochet using a couple of books and by looking on the internet. I have a snowman pattern that I want to make and will start once Im confident with my crocheting.

I was looking at the pattern though and it starts off:

Make 5ch join with ss
1st Row - 2 ch *12htr into centre

2nd Row - 2ch. 1htr in same place, *2htr in each sp around join with ss

Does this mean I make 5 chain stitches and then making a circle using the slip stitch, followed by 2 chain stitches and 12 half trebles around this circle?

The second row confuses me though. I take it that I make 2 chain stitches and crochet 1 half treble where the chain stitch starts? I really don't understand the bit Ive put in bold though.

knithryn

OK, so on the second row, the 2ch gives the height of one htr. And there is another one done at that point to 'lock' the start of the second row into place. Then I would just do the other pairs of htrs around the ring made by the first row, working them into the previous row.
This will give you 13 pairs of htrs (but the first one is a fake pair - it's actually two chain stitchs and one htr).
As the previous row didn't have chain stitches between the htrs I can see the confusion. If there WERE chain stitches then these would make the spaces for the second row to sit on... (can you just check the pattern and be SURE that you shouldn't be repeating the chains between each htr?).

jennyjelly

You are right for the first row.

The second row means you do 2 chains after the slip stich which joined up the first row (this will count as one half treble). Then you make two half trebles into each space between the half trebles of the first round, then do a slip stitch into the top of the 2 chains which counted as the first half treble which will join it up.

Hope this makes sense, feel free to query if not!

babelfish

Thanks for your replies. Im only just getting used to the terminology (its like learning another language!). I think I get it now. I think its the lack of punctuation that confused me. I thought it read as 2hrt in each space around the join and then do a slip stitch, which doesn't make sense. Its actually 2hrt in each space round and then join with a slip stitch!

Knithryn, I have typed the pattern exactly so I think you are right about what it means.

Thanks Knithryn and Jennyjelly

jennyjelly

It wouldn't be so hard if UK and US terminology was the same - it throws me every time!
Good luck with the project.

babelfish

jennyjelly wrote: »

It wouldn't be so hard if UK and US terminology was the same - it throws me every time!
Good luck with the project.

I have been looking at knitwitch on youtube and she is american. She does things slightly different to what it tells me to do in my books!

My snowman pattern is by Wendy and it has Great Britain on it so Im assuming it is a GB pattern.

angeltreats

It very probably does use UK terminology, but have a look and see if anywhere in the pattern they refer to single crochet (sc). If so, it'll be in US terms. What is called double crochet in the UK is called single crochet in the US (and in the UK they don't use the term single crochet at all).

I wish it was standardised, I think in US terms even though I'm from the UK because most patterns on the internet tend to be American, so when I try to use a UK pattern it throws me a bit and I have to read through it before I start.

babelfish

As Im a beginner it has been confusing me a bit until I realised that the UK was different from the USA (I assumed it would all be the same). It has been handy being able to see actual video of crocheting but as all the youtube videos seem to be American I was getting confused. They seemed to be using a different amount of turning chains to us Brits and I realise that its because they are calling the different stitches by a different name.

I have two books and they both confused me about making a circle until I watched someone actually do it on youtube. It is so much clearer when you see it in action!

angeltreats

There are some good videos on Nexstitch too.

http://www.nexstitch.com/Tutorials.html

I would suggest trying to learn using US terms, purely because there are more patterns and resources that use them and you're less likely to confuse yourself!