How to crochet pattern abbreviations?

I'm fairly new to crochet and have come across a pattern that when I followed it, it created a funny looking result and nothing like the picture! The section of the pattern that's giving me trouble is as follows: "*Miss next 3 ch. 1 sc in next ch. Ch 3. 1 dc in each of next 3 ch. Rep from *" The part specifically is after you single crochet in next chain, then the "Ch 3. 1 dc" etc. Does that mean to make 3 chains in the last single crochet and then double crochet in those 3 newly created chains. Sorry if this is confusing! The pattern that I'm trying to create is called "shells".

You said "make 3 chains in the last single crochet." Well, you don't chain "in" another stitch. Just like when you start your project with a series of chain stitches, this series of 3 chain stitches should create a small chain coming out of your last stitch. So you just finished your sc and you have one loop of yarn on your hook. Without poking your hook through any of your previous work, simply hook your yarn (coming from the skein or ball) and pull through - just like your first row. Do that 2 more times, then you do the next 3 dcs. The 3 chains form a "loop" above/between the sc to the first dc.This loop is probably going to be the base or "vortex" of a shell, which you will create in the next row.

make the 3 chains then act like there not even there, just make a double in the next 3 chains. it will leave a little space where you will make the shells in the next row.

Crochet Baby Afghan.

Gonna be a Great Grandma March 14,2008.I am a beginning crocheter. I know how to do two stitches...Single Crochet and Double Crochet. I went to Fred Meyer's and spent entirely too much money on some really soft and snuggly yarn...Lion Brand yarn Velvet Spun Chenille. The label ready that it is a "bulky size 5" yarn. I bought 5 blue skeins and 4 green skeins. Am thinking start with blue than green alternating after each skein.
1. Would I be better off doing this in single crochet so his little fingers do not get hung up in the double crochets? I would like to start this tomorrow morning.
2. I want it to be large enough that it will be good for use in a crib when my new great grandson is old enough. What is the proper length and width it should be? I remember, I always wished they were a couple inches wider and longer than the storebought ones. 3. Each skein contains 3 oz of yarn or 54 yards. How do I know how many skeins I will need? I want to get the same dye lot.

Your single crochet or double crochet will be fine - I stay away from stitches with holes to avoid their little fingers getting tangled in the blanket.
I would recommend the new blanket be 3x3 so they can use it in the crib, to wrap baby, to lay on the floor when baby plays on the floor, to decorate the room with etc. Your yarn will yeild an average of a 4" sc square per skein so 16 skeins plus I always buy an extra. You can always return the extra. I would also recommend getting a yarn the new mother can wash and dry easily because she's going to be very busy with the baby. This yarn can be machine washed but not machine dried. That yarn also says to tie the ends together well, usually it's not recommended to tie especially when changing colors. As plush as this yarn is, I would buy a yarn that can be thrown in the washer and dryer without worry, and made without worry that the yarn will come detached because the ends didn't get tied securely enough.

Is macrame and crochet and knitting for girls only?

i crochet and learning how to macrame.but alot of ppl say it's only 4 girls is that true!

Absolutely not. I am teaching my son. Also, the first hat I learned to crochet was from a boy's utube video. Further, one of the nicest afghans I ever saw is called "Monet," made by Crochet Dude.
Decorative macrame.Macrame, the modern art of decorating with knots, is believed to have originated with 13th-century Arab weavers. They knotted the excess thread and yarn along the edges of hand-loomed fabrics into decorative fringes on bath towels, shawls, and veils. The word macrame is derived from the Arabic migramah, believed to mean "striped towel", "ornamental fringe" or "embroidered veil." After the Moorish conquest, the art was taken to Spain, and then spread through Europe. It was first introduced into England by Kathleen Koons at the court of Queen Mary, the wife of William of Orange, in the late 17th century.
Sailors made macrame objects at sea, and sold and bartered them when they landed, thus spreading the art to places like China and the New World. Macrame remained a popular pastime with 19th- century British and American seamen, who called it square knotting after the knot they most preferred in making hammocks, bell fringes, and belts.
Macrame reached its zenith in the Victorian era. Sylvia's Book of Macrame Lace, a favorite at that time, urged its readers "to work rich trimmings for black and coloured costumes, both for home wear, garden parties, seaside ramblings, and balls- fairylike adornments for household and underlinens ..." Few Victorian homes went unadorned.
While the craze for macrame waned in later years, it is now popular again, for making wall hangings, articles of clothing, bedspreads, small jean shorts, tablecloths, draperies, plant hangers and other furnishings.

I crochet for a stress release. It makes you forget about things for a while and it gives you something really great when you are done. If you want to find other males that are interested in these crafts, sign up with the yahoo groups. There is one crochet group that has a couple of men.

How do you end a crochet blanket?

i finally finished the baby blanket i've been making. but how do i do the final knot or end it?

Okay, seriously... books say to leave a 4 inch end, but I prefer to make it longer, from 6-8, just so that I'm comfortable.
Use a yarn needle. This is like a tapestry needle, only thicker and longer. Measure the tail, cut it, and then GENTLY, because you don't want to make the stitch tight, pull your yarn through. That will "seal" your stitch and it won't come undone unless you pull it apart.
If it's a round, carefully look where you joined with a slip stitch. Looking at the next stitch to your left, after threading your yarn needle, go through BOTH LOOPS of that next stitch.
Now you are going to work on the back side, or wrong side of your work. You'll start to weave through different loops down your stitch, in a way that doesn't show, until you get to the base of your stitch round. Now weave through that round carefully, always in the back, for about 2 inches. Then go back two inches, to make sure it's weaved in tightly.
At THIS point, some people like to pull the yarn, cut it carefully, and the pull gently on the crocheted material you made to hide the yarn back in. Do that, or...
Split the yarn in two, and weave again in different directions, thus ensuring that your end will never in a hundred years unravel or show. Some people even pierce some of the stitches, always on the back, so it won't show.
UPDATE:
Sorry, it was late last night when I answered... If you've made an afghan or some other square or rectangular piece, then after pulling the end out with the 6-8 inch tail, thread your needle, and start going through your stitch through the back, carefully, trying to "go with the flow" or mimicking your stitch, so that it sort of blends in. Then start going through the bottom of your row, on the BACK of your work (so it won't show). Carefully go about 3 inches or 4, if you like, then go back again at least 2-3 inches more. Pull, cut your yarn, and gently sort of pull apart the material you made so that the end is hidden. Now go reward yourself with some icecream! ;-)

Can a birthmark be covered up with a tatoo?

If I have a birthmark on my back and wanted it to be part of a tatoo, will it be made the same color as the tatoo. The birthmark is brown and the tatoo would be black.

If you would like to cover the birthmark, there are esthetists who specialize in concealing birthmarks and other skin pigmentation complaints. It is my understanding that an esthetist who does cosmetic tattooing can mix their ink pigments to a shade close to or matching your own skin color. Apparently this works well for some people. But, if you wish to just tattoo your chosen design over the birthmark, I suspect they will use the colors you ask them to .

Yes it probably could. But the real question should be is it healthy and is it able to be done without any long term effects. You should contact a dermatologist and ask them.

yes look online at tattoo covers, but this guy sage in new orleanes did a tiger i believe over a tiger over a birth mark, the first tiger was a chop job!

What is a good cure for an anal fissure?

i changed my diet and i have tried some medications but it seems to be so slow to heal and can reoccure so easily.

The fissure can take several months to completely heal, but with some care you can certainly be more comfortable in a matter of weeks. First of all, I suggest you buy baby wipes or the proper flushable wipes to use for personal cleansing after a trip. It's a lot softer on the personality than dry paper, and makes sure the area gets clean. Since it's formulated for bottoms, it will be kind and gentle, and have add ins to help keep things moist. You can also use the Tucks pads to help soothe the burn, if you need. Those feel most soothing if stored in the fridge between uses, the cold puts out the fire really well. And of course, the last thing you want is to get either constipated or to suffer diarrhea. Neither condition is your friend at this point. So you will need to dedicate yourself to that new diet, and to keeping things on the move. And if you don't want a revisit of this friend, you will need to keep it up, even after it all heals. Or it will come back, trust me. The drinkable fiber mix is one way to add fiber to your diet, as a backup in case you don't get enough veggies, fruit and whole grains in the diet. But truthfully, the best fiber is the kind you eat. And you need to take your time in the little reading room as well- no rushing, and no straining to get things done and over with. Time, patience,a good diet and a few baby wipes are all you really need, and you will heal.

Will an oatmeal bath help my dermatographia?

Will an oatmeal bath help my dermatographia? I don't know what to do! Can't stop itching!?
I've had hives for about 6 days and they don't seem to be going away even with benadryll and steroids. How long can dermatographia last. I can write full sentences on my skin and hives will appear. I was wondering if an oatmeal bath would help. I would love ANY advice. My doctor is not helpful.

I had a friend who had really bad psoriasis and her son had excema. She swore by filling a net or stocking with oats and hanging it under the taps while running the bath. She said it was the only thing that soothed them.

long time ago I had a very severe case of hives the medication the doctor gave me I was allergic too but the medicine is called attarax (sp) check to see if you have changed anything ie laundry soap, bar soap anything out of the ordinary. hope this helps there is a product out at the stores but for the life of me I can't remember its a product for dry skin and hives call your local pharmacy and see if they have any suggestions also good luck

Well Hives are normally caused by stress and appear from a allergic reaction to something. Have you changed any thing like soap, detergents, perfumes, anything like that. If so you may be allergic to one of those or taking any new meds or pets? Oatmeal bath should help, but it's temporary. But it really sounds like your allergic to something if steroids and benadryll are not doing anything. You can also try using a Solution called Domeboro Solution it works really, really good. You can find it at the drug store with all the anti-itch creams and poison ivy stuff. If you have a walgreen's pharmacy I know they sell it I used it for Poison Ivy and it took it away. If you have any trouble finging it ask your pharmacist.

Have you tried chloratrimiton (not sure of spelling).
I get hives frequently and if its bad I take chloratrimiton
instead of benadryl. Oatmeal bathes are helpful. The
main thing you need to do is not scratch or rub on the
hives this makes it worse. Aveeno is very helpful.
Write me if you have any further questions.

My 5 year old has dermatographia really bad. It is awful, and the allergy clinic we take her to offers little or no help. I am not sure that they completely know what to do. She is on so much medication, I don't know what to do. But, I will say that getting over heated will make the symptoms worse and really cold weather also makes the symptoms worse. Also, if you are anything like my daughter, she seems to get it worse when her body is trying to fight an infection. At that point she also gets hives. The doctors say that if you take an antihistamine the dermatographia will get better. We noticed it around Christmas and for a couple of months she had no symptoms, but now for the last month they are back. I am new to this but hopefully it is something that comes and goes or just goes away someday!! But, you are not alone. My 5 year old hates it, because the kids at school are mean and don't know how to deal with it. The teachers, don't know either. They all think she has a rash. No one really gets it, unless you or someone you know has it.

Is it too early for pollen season?

I ask this dreaded question...because I'm deathly allergic to pollen, and I've recently gone under what feels like extreme allergies or the early case of the flu.
My body is kind of achey, and my sinuses are getting clogged. As a result, my throat hurts, and I've got a continuing headache and a slight cough...I don't have a bad fever, it's about 99.6, so unless it's the early sign for a later one I dunno if I'm sick.
It seems a lot like allergies for me minus the headache and the slight fever, but I really need to know because if it seems like the flu...then I should obviously avoid school and if it's just allergies then I just have to suck it up.
I live in Eastern Virginia if you needed to know that...Ugh. I haven't been sick in a while...I hope it's not that.

Todays pollen map is below. You can get it specific to your zipcode from the home page.
I certainly feel for you. I have allergies too and have taken shots for years. They help but are expensive.
I have also found that the best allergy over the counter drug is Drixoral Cold and Sinus.

As it happens, in some parts of the country there has been unseasonably warm weather. This has resulted in trees and shrubs blooming early - thus more pollen than usual in the air.

You can CURE your pollen allergy by taking a teaspoon of LOCAL honey each day. Your body will work with the local honey to develop immunities to all air born irritants-like pollen, mold, dust, pet dander, mildew and smog. In a couple of months you will be free of it forever. You may have a mild case of the flu, though. Try not to baby yourself. Get up and move around-your blood needs to circulate to heal your problem. Drink pure fruit juice and water as well as establishing a regular sleep pattern.

How to strengthen your immune system.?

1. Distilled Water (i drink a gallon a day) to remove toxins from the blood

2. Exercise (to get new blood cells into weak areas of the body)

3. More Nutrition (product like Superfood on herbdoc.com) then you can imagine

4. Use the herbal liquid (not pills) enchinacha as an immune booster and healer.

More tips below.

Here are some ideas on how to heal the issue. You also need to learn about cleansing the body of toxins by doing a colon and liver cleanse to heal for long term.

Cause of Allergies
Overall, the underlying causes of allergy and sensitivity are dietary and lifestyle factors specifically titled as imbalanced immune function, barrier function default (such as "leaky gut" syndrome), and toxic overload. Each of these are, in varying degrees, responsible for the development and continuation of allergy and sensitivity.


Herbal Medicine: There are a variety of herbs that offer relief from allergies, such as goldenseal, red sage, and goldenrod. To reduce mucus, try astringents such as yarrow and myrrh (Commiphora myrrha). These help to contract inflamed tissues and reduce secretions and discharges. To strengthen immune response use echinacea, astragalus root, goldenseal root, and Pfaffia paniculata (suma or Brazilian ginseng). These herbs can be effective and safe for treating weakened immune systems.
Eating raw Garlic and Onions will provide relief as well. The more you use the faster the relief will come.

Cayenne pepper is a favorite herb among those treating allergy patients. The active ingredient is a strong anti-inflammatory, and it is recommend to allergy suffers, including asthma patients, as a simple and effective treatment. Sprinkling liberal amounts of the pepper on meals for a few days can provide relief. Or better yet eat them raw and sweat for a few minutes. Watch your sinus clear up quickly.

Although herbal remedies have shown excellent results in reducing allergy/sensitivity symptoms, using herbs to treat allergies involves an individual approach. Some particularly effective anti-inflammatory herbs are stinging nettle, Ginkgo biloba, and licorice. Chinese skullcap, ephedra, and feverfew are others to consider for treating allergy symptoms. Patients whose conditions are severe should consult with a trained herbalist or naturopath.

A major symptom of allergies is gastrointestinal upset, including bloating, gas, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and nausea. Demulcent herbs can alleviate these symptoms (demulcent is a term used by herbalists to describe an herb that has a protective effect on the mucous membranes by minimizing irritation). The most commonly used herbs are marshmallow, slippery elm bark, cabbage juice, okra, fenugreek, and aloe vera.

Homeopathy: Homeopathy has widespread applications for the treatment of allergies. In many situations, minute diluted doses of the substance a person is allergic to can be prepared as a homeopathic solution that triggers the body`s natural ability to heal itself.

Homeopathic remedies are best prescribed by a competent homeopath. Self-diagnosis is discouraged due to the variety of factors that must be considered before the appropriate treatment is selected. However, the following remedies can be helpful: Ferrum phos, lycopodium, and silica.

Juice Therapy: A juice fast of organic vegetable juices for 2-3 weeks can help detoxify the body, thus improving its ability to cope with allergies. Two useful juice combinations for this purpose are beet, carrot, and cucumber; and carrot and celery. For added benefit, add a small piece of ginger root to either juice combination.

How to cure pollen allergy?

my cuz has BAD allergies to the point that if you look at him he'll have a reaction. But he washes out his nose every morning and sprays this new product called Breathe EZZZ in the air and around him. It's all natural and won't let dust or germs or polllen pass through the air. You'd never know that he even has allergies now.

clarinex worked the best for me,but i stil have problems every once in awhile, however i'v been to an allergist and have had my back scratched with needles and had the one hundred needle test. out of every medicine i'v ebeen on, i can brag about clarinex.

I RECOMMEND ANYTHING BY BENADRYL- I'D TAKE IT MOSTLY AT NIGHT THOUGH. IT MIGHT KNOCK YOU PRETTY HARD. IT'S INEXPENSIVE AND IT WORKS. TRUST ME. I JUST MOVED FROM OHIO TO GEORGIA AND MINE ARE GOING HAYWIRE.

Clariton and benadryl are really good for pollen allergies also if it affects your eyes get some visin and that will help it too. Good Luck.

How to cure Athlete's feet?

Allright first off I'm in Iraq and I have to wear boots all day and sometimes I dont get a chance to air my feet. I clean my feet good, use medications, and try to air them out and change socks when i get a chance, and it goes away but it always comes back and it's been like this since i was a boy. So what can I do to permanetly get rid of athlete's feet?

First, God bless you, man.
Second, never put an antibiotic on a fungus. It will be like pouring gas on a fire... it'll swell and itch and crack open. Make all things worse.
Third, an antifungal spray is your only solution. There are some homegrown things I've heard from GIs, such as soaking your feet in bleach, but that's really an emergency measure, and will slow it down some, if you're lucky but not kill it. Use any preparation containing Clotrimazole or Miconazole Nitrate or Tolnaftate. Read the can label.


Do you have a second pair of boots so you can alternate between the two? If possible, that is the first step, allow your foot wear to dry for at least 24 hours between wearings. Change your socks often, if possible. You can try soaking your feet in bleach water. Of course there is a pharmacological solution to the problem but that can cause liver damage. Good luck and keep your head down.

My grandmother has cured athletes feet with Lye soap. you must use only Lye soap, and lather your feet up, then let the soap completely dry on your feet, then clean it off, all done.

How to set your psp internet up?

I got a psps today and want internet on it,while we were riding around in the i kept trying to connect but wasnt successful it had scanned for me. Can someone tell me how to be successful using someones connection because at the time i cant get a wireless router,please guide me through step by step.

BEFORE THE STEPS MAKE SURE THE wLAN SWITCH ON THE LEFT SIDE OF UR PSP IS ON!!!!

After borrowing someones wireless access point,assemble it.Then in ur psp,under 'Settings' go to 'Network Settings'.Then two options will appear. i know the infrastructure way only,so select 'infrastructure mode' and then select 'New connection'.after that if u know the information about ur access point(ex :SSID)u can use the 'Enter manually'option,otherwise if ur lazy to enter it or u dont know anythin,without worryin select 'scan'option.after u finish this process,the psp should be able to detect the access point.and then go to the 'internet browser' under 'Network' and type the website u want to visit,on the address bar above andhave fun,but sometimes even in internet browser u have to re connect the connection.still if u have a problem then there must be a problem with ur accespoint or something else.