Need help

[SusansSoulShines]

I do not know how to read crochet graph. I have been looking at you tube, that has been a help, but the pattern I want to do makes no sense.
Here is the link to the pattern. MyPicot | Free crochet patterns
Diagram of tunic: what do all those numbers mean?
How do you make that little swatch into that beautiful tunic.
If you can please help me. I would greatly appreciate it.
Thanking you all in advance for reading my plea for help.
joyceaw4

Hi! The numbers on this one mean 2 different things. The green ones are a list of various sizes, as a written pattern made in small but giving instructions for others sizes would have numbers instead of these words but would basically mean sm (med,lg, xl, xxl) . When reading charts, they expect that you need very little help, such as when/where/how to do increasing and decreasing.

The black numbers are the number of stitches per row in each area, and the reason they show you only the swatch is because the entire piece is simply that swatch pattern repeated over & over. In most countries people are raised using only these charts and think they're so simple that they can't believe we don't get them! They expect that you know how to do the neckline by looking at the picture, which looks basic enough but we're used to written instructions and they're really not!

I've got crochet friends all over the world who send me these patterns since I had the blog site and they can't fathom that I can't very easily understand something so simple as this pattern of yours, but to most of us it's like reading a foreign language! Notice how almost all of the comments on that page are foreign, Hispanic/Latino mostly? They can do this pattern with their eyes closed, lol!

MyPicot also on most patterns give UK and US on the same row beside each other and they don't tell people that, I've just read enough comments on their sites to know that. Many people are blown away by her site, and she used to have you download all of her patterns thru a service that I hated because it put a toolbar on your computer that would override the one you were using, but she didn't realize it. Thankfully she recently stopped doing that and just put the pattern right on the screen with no need for a download!

I just forget these patterns no matter how much I like them. I saw where you asked her questions, she won't give you that info you asked her tho. I took a class on charts and now I understand the basics of them, and can do flowers, shawls, even my top has a chart for the body which is helping me tremendously, i understand it well. But for some that show a tiny chart that has repeats like in the round with no other guidance, forget them - give me a written pattern or video any day! I can design and write patterns, but charts a re new to me and I hope to learn more about them to where I can make any pattern with them. We'll see!

Keep looking and find another tunic to save your sanity for now, lol, some patterns and types of crochet need researching and you can't just sit down and make them, for most people anyway. You might be able to handle your pattern based on the info I have you about the green and the black numbers, so good luck!

Check this link, you have to have a free account and log in for opening the pdf's, but she has some really good clothing of many categories: cardigan, tops (incl a top 10 list of cute summer tops), tunics, shrugs, wraps, jackets, etc, plus other crochet that isn't clothing.

https://www.free-crochet.com/list.ht...d=A&cat_id=337

Also, I like this site, she's retired her site but kept all of her good clothing patterns online! She's got some nice garments.

https://wolfcrochet.wordpress.com/fr...hing-patterns/

[joyceaw4]

Thanks, I just gave up on that one, moved on to one from DropDesigns.com 157-18. It has written instructions that go with the graph, but this one is just as hard. The written instructions does not match the swatch of the diagram at all. I spent all day yesterday trying to do the 1-4 row. Then when I read the instruction, it looks totally different from the diagram. I give up. They do make some beautiful clothes.

[Ms.Dale]

Hi joyceaw4, hope I can help. The numbers at the bottom 34/36 - 38/40 etc is for sizes. The 46 - 49 - 53 etc is number of chain to start. The 10 by the armhole means to decrease over 10 rows. The 74, 75, 76, etc on the right is the number of rows to match with sizes. The 26, 27, 28, etc on the left is number of rows to match with sizes for armhole to shoulder. The 82 - 99 at top is the total number of stitches across top for the back. The 25 in the middle is for number of stitches to decrease from center of v o top of shoulder. You will have to make a swatch since you don't have needle size ( on pattern where it has "R" should equal 2 1/4" to make pattern equal to sizes).
Hope this helps. If you need more help, just ask. I will be hsppy to do what I can. I may try this, it is very pretty.

[SusansSoulShines]

Thanks, I just gave up on that one, moved on to one from DropDesigns.com 157-18. It has written instructions that go with the graph, but this one is just as hard. The written instructions does not match the swatch of the diagram at all. I spent all day yesterday trying to do the 1-4 row. Then when I read the instruction, it looks totally different from the diagram. I give up. They do make some beautiful clothes.

That's why I took the Craftsy curvy Crochet class, it's plus size upper garments, and I will be making a top or 2-3, I just need the yarn, I am armed with the know how after countless hours of study, very time consuming. You have to really want to do it! It's still often frustrating, but I accept the challenge! Have you considered following a video of a summer top, or the CAL I posted that they're doing of the Lion Brand tunic? That's the one I needed the 2 ply yarn for, it comes in 1.75 oz balls so I need around 11 of them, and I couldn't afford the LB yarn so I'm going to collect the yarn at my wholesale warehouse hopefully and then make the tunic closer to fall and do a couple of summer tops for now.

I'm going with a non-metallic threaded yarn for my main body tho, and the stripes at the top I might use metallic, I just don't care for that for clothing. Here are links for the CAL if you'd (or anyone else) like to look at it, they have support thru the website and a group they opened on Ravelry for it, so everyone can chatter there and compare notes. It's a really pretty top. the only part I didn't like was that she didn't do a video of it, but it's an easy pattern. The idea of a CAL is to give guidance as an instructor, not just show what you got done and hope others caught up with you each week. A video of each section would be the best way to go, it's a free Lion Brand pattern. Anyone can take a pattern and try to make the piece without being in a CAL. Yes, maybe you have more support thru a CAL but not as much as you might need. You have to join the group to get the emails and messages, do it thru her fb page. (Beatrice Ryan Designs. Elena Hunt is doing the CAL. Oh well, it's her CAL to do as she pleases, just not the ay I'd do it or like any I've done in the past.

Let

http://www.lionbrand.com/printablePatterns/L40771.pdf

https://www.ravelry.com/account/login (log in and it ill take you to the place to pick group, then Sabrina tunic LB group)

Learn to Knit : Making a Gauge Swatch : Frequently-Asked Questions (FAQ) about Knitting and Crochet : Lion Brand Yarn (gauge swatching)

Sabrina Tunic Crochet-Along: Yarn, Sizing, Gauge and Getting Started | Lion Brand Notebook

[SusansSoulShines]

Thank you, will try that. I want so badly to learn, so I can make this sweater.

Craftsy has a good class on reading charted diagram patterns, I"m taking it right now in fact. If the diagram is done with colors for diff rows and uses arrows and other good visuals, they can be easy, but some blow my mind!I can do simple ones but I have a long way to go.

[Ms.Dale]

I like working from graphs. I have some books from the 1930s where all of the patterns are graphs, no words.

[Jean Marie]

Hi Joyce,
the 1st picture of the diagrams - the numbers are the rows. You crochet right to left so I'm pretty sure you read the pattern diagram from right to left.
Jean Marie

The 1st row is read right to left but the 2nd row is read left to right.

[bristol2002]

Hi joyceaw4, you had asked for help on reading a crochet graph for MyPicot/Free crochet patterns. When I went to this link on the top of the page there is a Patterns & tutorials with an arrow, click on the arrow and there is a drop down box with many choices. On the very last one it says "How to follow a crochet gragh/diagram. click on that and hopefully this will help you with your pattern.

[joyceaw4]

Thank you so very much.

[Jean Marie]

The 1st row is read right to left but the 2nd row is read left to right.

It looks like I was wrong on this. I'm pretty sure I read that both rows are read right to left or was both rows read left to right