I haven't crocheted in years.... but I do remember doing a lot of ripping out and starting over.

Hang in there!

Jas, I have been crocheting since I was a young girl and even I find alternating stitches to be hard to keep track of. I get frustrated with it and will ultimately go a different direction. The easiest fix especially with your first attempt is to just go with one stitch. The HDC stitch is a good stitch to use for slippers just until you get the hang of it.

While the counts may be off, what I see in the top row of your work are stitches that are even in height and aren’t too loose or tight. A good tension like that can be hard to accomplish for a lot of people, even experienced crocheters.

The edges can be easily corrected if after you’ve made your turn you mark the turn chain with a safety pin or some kind of marker. Then you will always know where to end with your last stitch. It’s still helpful to count, in case you miss a stitch though. Note: some patterns want 2 chains for the turn, others just 1. If your pattern wants 2 always mark the top chain.

Keep going! You are actually doing really good!

Lukki, I think that's probably my biggest problem. I don't know *where* to start my next stitch in the new row. I'm not sure which stitch to start in, again. It's 2 chains for the turn and I think I might be starting in the wrong stitch. I didn't think I skipped any stitches while working, so I was surprised to see the obvious angle of my work. :-)

Most who are learning make mistakes when it comes to working the turning chains. That is very likely what is happening here. A good understanding of turning chains and being able to identify them out from the seemingly tangled strands of yarn is essential.

One suggestion, if this is your problem, is to mark the turning chain with a yarn marker slipped into the chain. You will have to remove and reposition it each time, but it will be a good way to keep track of it until you have trained your eye to recognize it.

You'll get there. You might benefit from practicing with a pattern that has a well done accompanying video where you see exactly where placement is shown.

Don't give up. I've been knitting and crocheting for more than 50 years and I still make mistakes.

If you make one red slipper and one green slipper you can wear them christmas morning.

My mom was a crocheter and knitter for decades and I remember the safety pin and she wrote down her stitches as well and heaven helped any of us kids if we interrupted her while she was counting. It was all Greek to me but I remember sitting at her feet holding the skeins of wool while she was rolling them into balls.

I feel your pain! On the positive side, it will give you something to do twice as long. :-))))

Jasdip, you will get better! I only know a bit of crochet, but can knit. I largel taught myself, when younger and after a motherly neighbor help me get started with the basics. I learned a lot by ripping out stitches and starting again and from book illustrations.

For anyone learning, I suggest practicing a lot with light colored inexpensive yarn and with a medium large needle set or hook.

You're getting there. Those sorts of SLIPpers can be very slick on smooth flooring.

I learned from our maid when we lived in the Philippines. She taught me the basics with fine crochet string since she mostly made elaborate doilies for extra money. She could do this stuff in her sleep. She walked around chatting with us or friends and made these amazing complicated things. It turns out that the stitches are not called the same thing everywhere. You might run into that with patterns on the internet. It really doesn't matter so long as you stick to doing the same thing. It is like your turn. Just do the same thing every time. As long as your measurements are good you just need it to look the same. Pick a loop and stick to it. Of course it is better if you can tell what the directions want you to do but with a simple project like this it is going to be just fine. I think you are doing great.

That’s a pretty common mistake Jas but it’s also easily fixed.

While there are sometimes exceptions to the rule, that 2 chain is just utilitarian and is not considered to be a stitch. That means in order for you to get your stitch count even, you will need to start your row in the same stitch the chain is in. I tend to be visual so I’ve thrown a swatch together to show you.

(If the pattern should call for that 2 chain to be counted as a stitch, then you would place the 2nd stitch in the 2nd stitch) I hope that makes sense and helps.

I usually have the same problem after decades of crocheting. It is the main reason I prefer knitting. Knit stitches are right there on top of the needle in a neat, straight row. I dislike having to dig around on the edge looking for the last stitch that is slumped down. Or not seeing it at all and the fabric gets narrower. Or the reverse....I pull up a strand on the end because it kind of looks like a stitch.

Many have mastered this. Beautifully. I do admire that.

I was taught the basics by my Grandmother when I was 10 years old or so. When it came to yarn work she did it all and her work was really beautiful. I still have some of her doilies which I learned to make as well but I find the thread to be annoying to work with though. I can knit too but not very well. I’m thinking of picking it back up again this winter. I‘ve always found it to be extremely boring but Ralvery has so many cute patterns available, it’s tempting me.

Elizabeth, if your stitches get buried, your tension might be a little tight. If they’re not, a stitch marker or safety pin marking the right stitch is an easy fix.

Just a suggestion, Jas.....lots of tutorials on YouTube that explain what stitch to begin your second row. Spend some time going through a number of them. There's always one that explains it in a way that makes sense to the individual watcher. Everyone learns differently

@Jasdip wrote: "The pattern calls for alternating rows (and stitches) of slip and hdc. Easy enough, but I forget which one I even started the row with."

Jas, look at the photo you posted in your original post -- see the thread hanging down at the lower left corner? That's the "left over" tail of the end of the yarn that you started with. I don't crochet (I only knit), so I don't know what stitch is what on a crocheted item, but I do know this -- if you're working back and forth, one side is considered the "right side" and the other is the "wrong side" (or "inside") of the item. So, all you need to do when you start is remember where that tail is (lower left corner or lower right corner) and what stitch you're doing on that row. Then, when you turn the item over to stitch the next row, the tail will be on the opposite lower corner.

So... if in your original photo you are starting a row of hdc and the tail is on the lower left, then every time you start a row with the tail on the lower left you will know that you should be doing hdc stitches.

Is that clear as mud?

^^^ Lindsey, brilliant!! (face palm, I'm so embarrassed)

Lukki, that's the stitch to be starting in, where your finger is? (lovely fingernail, btw)

GM, I'll definitely be looking at more videos, that's a great idea.

The video that I do watch and I start and stop it all the time, trying to really see what stitch she is going in, etc. And it turns out my little green swatch that I did last week is all wrong. I was crocheting in the front loop all along, and only when I watched the video over and over, started and stopped it, did I see her insert it in both loops. She doesn't say to do that, darn it. And it only shows it once, if I'm correct in my assumption.

Anyway, thank you thank you for all of your wordly advice.

I'll be ripping it out and starting over.

Maybe this will help you...

Then watch this one...

In one, you don't work the first stitch, but you work the turning chain at the end.

In the other, you work the first stitch, but not the turning chain at the end.

Either is fine, but decide which and then be consistent. I think beginners run into issues when they mix them up and then end up with more or fewer stitches in each row.

(Thank you for the compliment!) Yes! Exactly. Sorry, I probably should have elaborated a bit. My finger is pointing to the first stitch which is where you want to insert your hook.

In regards to the front loop, yes, for standard stitching, you want to slide your hook all the way under the two loops. (Some patterns might call for only one loop to be used because it creates a ribbing texture.)

I think I actually misunderstood the way you said you’re alternating your stitches. I thought you were doing hdc, ss, hdc, ss, hdc but is seems like what you’re really doing is alternating rows, so one row of hdc and the next of ss?

Can you post a link to the video you’re following? Before you start over, lets do a test swatch of what she’s doiing so you can correct anything else that may be off.

I came back to this discussion to look at the videos, and I see Lukki's comment.

Lukki, it is alternating stitches, not rows. One row start with a ss, the next is a hdc, then ss etc. The next row, start with a hdc, then ss, hdc etc.

Oh, ok. So, if you go to Mooglyblog.com, Tamara has some really great videos for every stitch under the sun and easy patterns too. But you know, I always find that the written instructions are easier to follow. Especially if now and then there is a picture for something that needs clarification.

Why don’t you post the link for your pattern?

Jas., I have a project for you. Since you love to bake, google Best Crocheted Potholder. I've made a bunch for friends. It's an easy, quick thing to do and maybe help to keep things square. :-)))

Hey, that sounds like fun! I'll do that, GM!!

For some patterns you will go under just one loop and not two. But, the normal crochet stitch is to go under the two loops. Using only one loop will produce a different stitch and is valid but not what you are aiming for here.

If you so choose to crochet potholders you have to make small tight stitches or they won't be effective to hold hot handles with. You will be surprised to find your fingers getting hot through the spaces in the crochet stitches if you dont' have a tight enough fabric. And do remember to use cotton yarn for pot holders. Synthetic fibers will melt.

For example think of the dishcloths that are popular. You would not want to do much hot pot lifting with one of those unless you stacked a couple of them together for bulk.

I tell you this because in a recent search for pot holder patterns I came across a lot that were more for decoration than for real purpose. Or, they were more like hot pads and not pot holders. A hot pad does not have to be as tightly constructed as a pot holder. A pot holder should be a double thickness.

There is a popular pattern for a diagonal pot holder that works up nicely with kitchen cotton. Just google it. It is popular and not hard to find.

I use regular yarn........haven't had any problem with it. The stitch on this potholder I believe is the waffle stitch and it makes a very tight thick potholder. The potholder does lose it's thickness after many washings so I double the yarn for some. I like the single yarn for potholders that I use with the microwave.

Look for Best crocheted potholder....Mama's Stitchery.

Lukki, I'm glad I'm not the only one who had trouble seeing where she's inserting her hook. I like your idea of doing a swatch. I'm going to do that, even though I tried my hand at my slipper again last night. I started anew with green yarn, and so far it looks better than the red above.

GM, I tried making that potholder pattern last night, and I couldn't figure it out! LOL

My DH’s friend made me these a couple years ago. I love them...best slippers ever.

While I think starting with a new and different project, one that might not be so daunting is a good idea, it’s still a square and your stitches will still need to line up for it to turn out well. Whether you count as you go, or you go back to count, you need to know that you’re making your turn in the right spot. If counting is not what you want to do, then try marking that first stitch with a marker of some sort like a safety pin. Once you get the hang of it, that might not be necessary anymore, but in the beginning it can save you so much frustration.

I hope you don’t give up. This one issue is where literally each one of us has struggled and sometimes still do!