Crochet help please - chain doesn’t count as stitch

[YesItsMeYesItsMe]

Only been doing crochet about a month so naturally I am making mistakes. I have googled and googled and I just cannot figure this out!

Trying to crochet a newborn hat. Sounds very simple. Chain 2 between rows doesnt count as a stitch. Please have a look at these pics and tell me wtf I’m doing wrong? Please feel free to annotate my photos!

I’m following this pattern which I figure is very simple baby hat

It just seems wrong!

It looks like you've missed the stitch at the very start of the round.
So at the end of the previous round you did a slip stitch and chain 2. Then the next hdc goes into the stitch you slip stitched into.

Also I'd get some stitch markers (or a safety pin) and mark either the first or last stitch on each round. Count each round before you join and then move the stitcj marker up.

Ahhh ok. So I do my first hdc into the stitch I slip stitched into. I have been putting a stitch marker into my second chain but then what… doesn’t help if you don’t know what that means 😄 so I think I’ll try and make sure I stitch back into that slip stitch stitch and see what happens. Thank you!!!

Yes. If the chain 2 "counts as a stitch" then you'd mark it, do the ss into it at the end and count it in the final stitch count.

If the chain "doesn't count as a stitch" then you basically ignore it. It's just to get the height needed for the stitches.

I think you're making things really difficult for yourself using such a highly variegated yarn!

As it's a small project I'd suggest practising it with some pale yarn which will have much more defined stitches and be easier to keep track.

Ok. So then the chain just pushes to the back like in my photo? Is that right? You basically skip over it to get to the first hdc?

I’m sure you’re right! My son wanted a rainbow hat so I made him one and it turned out ok, and this is the remnants. All the other yarn I have is DK and all the patterns are Aran and I don’t want teeny weeny unusable hats. Can you tell I’m new here 😄

I can't really see what you've done to make the gap to be honest, or why your chain is sticking out at the back?
When you finish a round, you slip stitch into the first stitch of the round. Then chain 2, ignore it as it's not counting as stitch, do your first stitch of the round into the base of the chain. There shouldn't be any gap.
Are you counting your stitches after each round? I always count as I go round.
The seam you have is normal, you will always have a visible join line unless you're working in continuous rounds without a slip stitch.

Oh and make sure you're slip stitching into the 'V' on top of the first stitch, and use these to count too.
Half trebles are one of the trickier stitches to count too as they're not as clear as other stitches.

Honestly get on YouTube and watch videos.
Until I did that the language used might as well been some ancient alien language 😆

@Blossomandbee ’When you finish a round, you slip stitch into the first stitch of the round.’ First stitch being the first hdc, so you skip over the chain? I am counting my stitches and getting the right number 😵‍💫 oh maybe I’ll just give up and stick to YouTube 😭

Yes ignore the chain altogether, it's literally a building block to get your yarn up to the height of the stitch.
Don't give up, you're doing great. YouTube is great as you can visually see instructions, I find written instructions so hard to understand.
Be mindful a lot of YouTube videos are American and (you might already know) they use different stitch terminology.
Bella Coco does very good videos for beginners and she is Uk based

Was just coming on to say I find you tube very helpful as I'm a visual learner but I see someone has beat me to it. Keep going with it though op. It's such a relaxing hobby.

Yes I do find it relaxing - except for this hat 😄

So but the problem is if you ignore the chain, where does it go? It just bulges out the back it seems.

I started off with YouTube but fancied being able to follow a pattern. Got BellaCoco’s book! Also last week bought all the yarn for a stitch-along sampler blanket so this will all keep me busy 😁 some such gorgeous stuff on Pinterest and I want to do woolly hugs too.

Thanks for all the advice so far wise ones!

You can just ignore the chain , it doesn't really go anywhere. It just squeezes between the first and last stitches of the round, and if it bulges at the back then it's inside the hat and can't be seen.

The chain shouldn't bulge out, it should just squash flat between the first and last stitches. It could just be the seam you can see which is normal and shouldn't be too noticeable on the underside once it's made

When working with hdc's, I only chain one at the start. Then you don't have to worry about where it's going because it just blends into the next stitch and doesn't get in the way.

Ok I think I’ve got it! Thanks so much for all the help. Feels like I’m skipping too many stitches but it worked out well and I’ve got the hang I think. (This pic is the back)

That looks great @YesItsMeYesItsMe well done!