I’ve been crocheting for years–however most of it has been family patterns that were never written down. and just shown to me as a young girl. I’m now starting to be brave and branch out into the “let’s try to follow a pattern and make something I might actually wear in public” domain. You know–clothes instead of afghans.
Silly question is thus: My grandmother always taught me to make your stitch in the back loop of the previous row, resulting in the really pretty ridges. I can attest that this makes for beautiful afghans. However, what I’m seeing on the internet is that, unless otherwise specified, I should make my stitch by inserting the hook through both loops.
Am I understanding this correctly? Or am I just not understanding the diagrams?
(There has to be a special place in hell for people who write patterns and assume I just know what they’re talking about. I’m just sayin’-- Sewing pattern instruction writers, I’m looking at you.)
Yes, you go through both loops unless otherwise noted.
Thank you! I can quit tearing my hair out now. Thankfully, the dog is the recipient of the first experiment (with the cheap yarn).
That’s the convention, yes. However, if you feel more comfortable going only through the back loop, or only through the front loop for that matter, have at it. You will probably want to make up a couple of swatches to see which one you like better. Crocheting should be fun.
And I’m with you about people who write instructions and assume that the reader knows how to do things already. I don’t know how many hours I’ve spent trying to figure out what I need to do to install some software…especially before Windows.
Wow, it definitely works a lot faster this way. It is turning out very pretty, even if I do have a sneaking suspicion that I messed up the “increase row.” That’s okay; the dog won’t care, and the stitch pattern is running true.
I really do appreciate the help. My mom passed away two years ago and she was always the one to calm me down when I’d come blazing out of the sewing room asking, “What the HELL does THIS mean??” I never really appreciated that line in “Beetlejuice” about the Handbook for the Dead reading like stereo instructions until I started to try to read patterns. Or install software. 