Help! Jan Eaton square no. 47

[Jux]

Hers is all nice and flat and mine is coming out like in the picture.

It's the 4th time I've tried, and I can't see that this can be made flat no matter what goes on the next rounds. It all goes fine until round 4.

What on earth am I doing wrong?

Can anyone help me?

[Okkitokkiunga]

Would you be able to take a photo close up of a section of the rounds. Round 4 looks tricky on the pattern because of the way it splits at the top of the round. Or am I looking at the wrong bit?

[Jux]

Hi Okki! Tthanks - it's called Queen Anne's Lace, if that hElps. I'll just take some pics.... :-)

[Jux]

This is my attempt up round 4.

[Jux]

This is round 4 instructions.

[bookbook]

oh, was going to have a go at that one Jux . I did do one that was not flat, but the next round pulled it into shape. Any chance its that?

[Jux]

Oh, and cl is 4 tr.

[Jux]

Well I did wonder if that might happen, and thought there was just too much undulation for it to be possible. I'll give it a go now though, as you had one which did!

[bookbook]

Just looked at the pattern on my phone - are they not clusters in round 4 ? , so shouldn't they be a bit more bunched up?

[Okkitokkiunga]

I think it looks like you've put each treble into its own space instead of sharing a space and creating a cluster. So too much outer ring has been created making it wavy. Not sure if I've explained that very well.

[bookbook]

I thought it looked as if the cluster hadn't been worked - just separate trebles -
(we are guessing here! )

[Jux]

Oh dear! No, they are clusters of 4 in the spaces, and one tr in the middle of the 3tr cluster of the round before.

[Jux]

I mean that I have done clusters of 4 as per the pattern. Phrased that soooo badly! The oh dear was referring to what it looks like!

[bookbook]

I am at home tomorrow - I will give it a go .....
I may be dense here ( its been a DGS day, so brain a bit frazzled) but the cluster doesn't look as if its been drawn up into one loop IYSWIM ?
Doesn't a 4 treble cluster mean having to draw the last yarn over through 5 loops, or have I got that wrong.....?

[Jux]

Ah, book you have just switched on a light in my brain! Thank you.

At the top of the pattern, it describes cl as made from 4tr, and I didn't twig that it was a cluster so I haven't clustered it. I think I probably thought that if she wanted the 4tr drawn up into a cluster thing at that point, then that last bit would have been in the description at the top.

I thought she might do something really clever on the next round (and was vaguely looking forward to finding out what it was).

I have been a bit stupid! Blame it on exhaustion. I'm probably in a similar brain-state as you atm, book. (I need a Homer Simpson "doh" symbol.)

You've both been really helpful, thank you!

[DropZoneOne]

They don't look like clusters op, just normal trebles, as there's no spacing at the top between those and your treble into the previous round 3 treble.

When you do your cluster, you only pull through the first part of the treble. So yarn over, put hook into stitch, yarn over, pull through. You have three loops on the hook
Yarn over, pull through to leave two loops. Normally you'd yarn over and pull through again to leave one loop bug for a cluster you skip to making another treble - so yarn over, hook through same space as before, yarn over and pull through. Instead of 3 loops, you've got 4 because you have an extra one from previous treble. Yarn over and pull through to leave 3 loops. Now create another treble and half complete, so 4 loops. And final treble and half complete to give 5 loops. Now yarn over and pull through all 5 loops and tighten. The stitch should draw together and almost puff up a bit. The top of the stitch should only be one loop wide now so when you work the 2 chains and next treble you've got some space.

Does that help? Page 118 has instructions and pictures of how to make these stitches.

[DropZoneOne]

Ha, that took me so long to type out on my phone that I've seen your update!!

[bookbook]

Thats the trouble with written patterns - it assumes first you know what they are talking about , and second you have read the pattern correctly ( I have frogged many a round due to the second one!)

[KnottyAndPistey]

Love Woolly Huggers xxx

[Jux]

So do I, K&P

♥️♥️♥️

[WitchDancer]

I've never been brave enough to do a cluster as I really couldn't get my head around it. These instructions make more sense, which may mean I need to do another square....🤓

[Jux]

Go for it Witch , what's the worst that can happen? I've done a few (and undone them!) before now, but I don't think I did any Candy Hugs with clusters as I wasn't too happy - they seemed v untidy; but practise makes perfect!

Anyway, I've got passed my problem with round 4 thanks to book and dropzone (are you a sky diver - my bro used to do that!) and Okki. A few rounds later it was transformed into a lovely 12 pointed star which is so pretty I have stopped there, and given it to dd for good luck in her A-levels (A1s?).

I'll do it again tomorrow and make a proper square.

[WitchDancer]

I've already got 2 projects on the go, but as soon as I've finished Juan's squares I will, thank you for the encouragement

[DropZoneOne]

Ha ha Jux, nothing so exciting! It's after the game show Tipping Point

I'm glad you've got it sorted. I managed to mess up the Tricolore pattern by completely ignoring the fact the pattern was telling me to do stitches into stitches from 2 rounds earlier, not just the previous round, and I couldn't work out why mine was so floppy and holey until I'd virtually finished it.