Help needed creating a small hole in double crochet

[Guttersnipe]

Is it possible? I am making crochet figures. My pattern is very basic and the jacket consists of a kind of cape crocheted in one piece and sewn to the neck of the figure with arms done in the same colour as the jacket sewn on top. It doesn't look good as there is no shoulder so to speak to take the arm.

So what I want to do is attach the arms to the body and make the jacket separately and dress the doll in the jacket, thus covering the join of the arms and the body. So, I have made sleeves - they tubes of 12 stitches. And I know how to make the main part of the jacket, following the 'cape' pattern in the original figure. But what I do not know how to do is how to create armholes in the cape to which I can sew the sleeves.

I am not really a crocheter, more a knitter. If it was knitting, I would have no problem! Please, can anyone explain how I drop and then remake stitches in crochet and thus how I could create a hole to which I join the sleeves?

Hope this makes sense!

TIA.

[TheWoollybacksWife]

I would crochet as normal up to where you want your hole to start. Then chain one (or two) and miss one (or two) stitches then carry on as normal. When you do your next row just work into the chain as if it was a normal stitch (or two).

[Guttersnipe]

Thank you TheWoollybacksWife, that's something I can try (there is a lot of hit and miss crocheting going on here!) And thanks for reading my garbled post and making some sense of it. I have just read my OP back and it makes less sense than I supposed when I was writing it!

So is that the standard way of making a hole in crochet? Is there anything else I could try in case it doesn't work?

[TheWoollybacksWife]

Yes it is the standard way to make a hole. I'm not sure what else you could try. It should work though.

[SoupDragon]

I can see a more fiddly way in my head but would need to actually try it.

Below are the row numbers, where is the existing crochet, full width of the jacket...
row 1, turn and row 2, put in stitch marker.
Leave a gap, Row 3, turn row 4, finish off
Leave a gap, Row 5, turn row 6, finish off
Row 7 all the way across with chains to bridge the gaps


7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7
2 2 2 2 2 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 6 6 6 6 6
1 1 1 1 1 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 5 5 5 5 5
***

This all makes perfect sense in my head but I can't be certain it would work!

[SoupDragon]

Sadly my multiple spaces vanished from that... hang on

7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7
2 2 2 2 2 ooo 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 ooo 6 6 6 6 6
1 1 1 1 1 ooo 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 ooo 5 5 5 5 5
*

where ooo are the gaps.

[Guttersnipe]

I am about to go and try your idea TheWoollybacksWife. I think the problem is (I was lying awake thinking about this last night!) I want the hole to be there for more than one line of crocheting. So how do I keep 'jumping over the hole' so to speak to complete the row on either side?

Soupy, I am sorry, I have no idea what you are suggesting! I am sorry if that sounds rude - not intended! I understand your difficulty though as I found my OP hard to express too. I have a new-found respect for pattern writers now.

Anyway, will have a go and report back.

[Guttersnipe]

Oh there really should be an edit button on MN. Sorry Soupy, I understand what you are saying now, I think. Do you mean you do sections around the gap, and break off the yarn between sections?

[SoupDragon]

LOL - I think that's what I'm suggesting but even I'm not sure :o My brain works in strange ways with crochet and I can visualise stuff but not write it down.

In my head, you make, say, the right hand side of the jacket up to the arm hole and back to the front edge. Put in a stitch holder as you can start off again here when the holes are done.
Then you make the centre back, starting 3 stitches or so from where you stopped the front, up to where you want the second armhole to begin. Do the same no of rows as you did for the front and finish off
Then do the other side of the front, starting 3 or so stitches from where the back section ended.
Then you can pick up from the stitch holder and go across the top, with chains over the gaps.

I think it depends how big a hole you want TBH. "my" method would enable you to have taller holes I think.

[Guttersnipe]

OK well you will both be pleased to know I used a combination of your methods! I built up the side of one armhole, then chained in a loop over to the middle, continued the row to the next armhole, chained over it and built up the far side edge (never once breaking the yarn). You might think I then had a dip in the middle, but actually, as the pattern starts at the neck and works down the coat, flaring out as it goes, it actually doesn't seem to matter. I haven't attached the sleeves yet, but I am hopeful of success.

So thank you both of you. I am sure someone will tell me a better way now (and I would still be interested to know one) but for now, I feel rather pleased with what I have done. Crochet is a lot less rigid than knitting I am finding. It's rather more fun!

[SoupDragon]

Yay!