Owl Bag by Natalie Hette. kf-wolle.de

I’d love to crochet the owl bag, but I’m having trouble with the shell stitches.
Do I have to crochet a slip stitch on every round, and what does it mean when it says to crochet 3 of these 18 shells into the fourth stitch from the hook? How do I continue with the single crochet? Should that also be crocheted into the fourth stitch, or into the second stitch from the hook? I don’t understand that.
 

Hello, I didn’t understand your question. Which round are you on now?

I’ve now finished the bottom section with the single crochets. So I’ve completed Round 11. I’ve also finished the basic pattern for Rounds 1 and 2. Then come Rounds 2 through 13, where Rounds 2 and 1 of the basic pattern are worked. I’m stuck here because I don’t know how to work Round 1 with the 18 shells. The pattern says that in this round, I should crochet 3 of the 18 shells into the fourth stitch from the hook. But how do I continue from there?

You simply work each single crochet into the center of the corresponding shell from the previous round; that is the fourth double crochet of that shell.

So, I’m crocheting the shell into the fourth double crochet, the single crochet into the second stitch from the hook, the next shell into the third double crochet, then the single crochet again into the third stitch from the hook, until I crochet the shell into the fourth double crochet again, and so on until the end. Did I understand that correctly?

Crochet the shells themselves between the shells of the previous round, and work the single crochets into the center of each shell of the previous round.

I understand that now. It’s just that the shell stitches are staggered on this bag. So, in one row, you crochet a single crochet into the third stitch from the hook, and in the next row, you start with 3 chain stitches, 2 double crochets in the same stitch, and a single crochet in the middle (third) double crochet. Once this round is finished, you start again with a single crochet and then the shell stitch. And in this round, you crochet 3 shell stitches, each into the fourth stitch from the hook. Do I then continue with a single crochet into the second stitch from the hook and then the shell stitch again into the third stitch from the hook?
You’re probably thinking, “She doesn’t get it.” But I only started crocheting about 6 months ago, and so far I’ve only ever crocheted stuffed animals in spiral rounds. I wanted to try something different. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll give up on the bag and go back to crocheting my figures.
Thanks anyway for the answers.

Yes, rounds 1 and 2 of the basic pattern are repeated over and over. In round 2, the first shell is split; that means at the beginning of the round you crochet 3 chain stitches and 2 double crochets into the first single crochet of the previous round, and at the end of the round you crochet 2 double crochets into the same stitch as the double crochets you worked at the beginning of the round. Then you begin the next round with a single crochet, inserting the hook into the third of the first three chain stitches of the previous round, and then continue with a shell in the single crochet between the first two shells of the previous round, and so on. The first three chain stitches in round 2 replace the first double crochet, are treated as one double crochet, and are counted as such. Kind regards, Natalie

I think I’ve got it all figured out. I’ll get to work on it. I’ll let you know when I’m done.
Thanks again for the help.