Beginner needs help, please, please

Hi everyone,

I wanted to crochet some shoes and bought a pattern for it. Now it says, for example: *3 x 2hlbSt*—why doesn’t it just say 6 half double crochet stitches? I don’t quite understand that.
Also, I don’t understand this: “Everything between * * is repeated as many times as indicated.”
I’m overwhelmed. Please don’t get mad at me. You’ve got to start somewhere

@Mama von Laura
welcome to our forum and the platform.
We’re not going to scold you—that’s what the forum is for, to get information.
I don’t know right now why it doesn’t just say “6 half double crochets,” but I can explain the part about the asterisks.
What’s between the asterisks is basically one repeated unit. If you’re supposed to repeat this unit 4 times, for example, then you do everything in that unit four times in a row.
For example:
half double crochet, two chain stitches = one unit.
If the pattern tells you to do this four times, it looks like this:
half double crochet, two chain stitches + half double crochet, two chain stitches + half double crochet, two chain stitches + half double crochet, two chain stitches
—so you repeat what’s between the asterisks as many times as specified.

I’m sure the designers will chime in with tips here in this thread.
Another thing you can do is contact the designer from whom you purchased the pattern directly.
(Click on the image to enlarge it.)


Go directly to the product page for the patterns you purchased. My image is just an example to show how this works.
Then you have two options for getting in touch:
either directly via PM (=private message) or through the comments section, where you can ask questions and get answers.

Good luck, and you can use the forum anytime if you have questions.
Best regards, Mod Josefa

Thank you so, so much. You’ve really helped me. Now I also know why my shoe didn’t turn out right. I just ignored the “3 times * *” and did it the way I thought. I ignored the *.

Of course :-) Glad I could help you.
I think a lot of beginners have this problem—they first have to get used to crochet charts with their abbreviations and repeats.
But yarn is very forgiving, and the “crochet, rip it out, and start over” method isn’t unusual for beginners.
Everyone here started crocheting from scratch at some point and probably had questions and problems at first. Don’t stress—the more practice you get, the easier it’ll become.

Hi and welcome

So, *3 x 2hlbSt* could also mean that you’re supposed to increase the stitches—in other words, crochet 2 half double crochets into each of the next 3 stitches.

It’s hard to explain something like this without context, so my first tip is to write to the designer and ask directly. That’s actually the best way to help everyone :)

Best regards, Nicole