Any crochet-ers about? I'm stuck :(

[sooperdooper]

Is anyone who does crochet about who could help me with this pattern, I don't really understand the bit in bold about -10 dc for front?

I get it up to there, but after I dc in the next 8 I don't understand what that bit means?

Row 1: Beginning in fourth ch from hook (counts as dc), dc in fourth ch and in next 8 ch?10 dc for Front; work 5 dc in next ch, placing a marker in center st, if desired; dc in next 7 ch for sleeve; work 5 dc in next ch, pm in center st; dc in next 21 ch for Back; work 5 dc in next ch, pm in center st; dc in next 7 ch for sleeve; work 5 dc in next ch, pm in center st; dc in last 10 ch; turn?75 dc

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Oh buggeration I can't even put things in bold properly

where I've put * * hoping it would be bold!!

Help??

I tried ignoring it and the pattern works to the end but doesn't work on the next row so I must be doing it wrong! Well, clearly just ignoring buts wasn't the best way forward, but it seemed worth a shot, haha

doesn't it just mean that you do the first 2 dcs, then 8 more dcs, so there are 10 dcs in total for the front? (can't actually crochet so feel free to ignore, I knit!)

It reads to me as if the 3 chain at the beginning counts as your first stitch. Then you make a stitch in the 4th chain from hook. (you now have 2 stitches) then a stitch in each of the next 8 chains making 10 stitches in total.

Is it written in American terminology ie in American crochet a DC is a British treble crochet? (This would make sense with the 3 stitch turning chain as that is what I use for a British treble crochet - I'd use 2 chain for a British double crochet).

the four chains as first dc is just to give you the height to carry on the rest of the row and you pretend that it is a dc (or treble....i think they are US instructions)

so you have a big long chain, do your first dc into the fourth chain space and then do eight more into the next eight chain spaces and your will have a row of 9 dc (trebles) and the three chain loop pretending to be a dc (treble)

and remember that on the next row you have to use the top chain of that loop as a stitch.

...does that make any sense at all??

As others have said - the "-10dc for front " is simply summing up how many stitches you've done for that row. In this case the chain of 3 and the first DC and 8 more DC, making 10.

It's in American terminology, so it's as Angel says in her first paragraph. The 3 chains you ignore to get to the 4th chain become the first 'stitch': one American DC or and UK treble.

As it's all worked in one piece, the 'front' refers to the front of the top. Later on it refers to the 'sleeve', etc. It's just telling you which part of the top you've just been crocheting.

Thanks folks :) it's coming along nicely now