I’ve received a question regarding the meaning of the 6 sts + 6, 4 sts + 4, etc. found in Interlocking Crochet™ under each design. These numbers are for you to use when you are creating your own projects.

Subscribe to My Crochet Channel or go to: YouTube.com TanisGalik

This first number lets you know how many sts you’ll need in order to have a complete design. The second number is the additional sts needed to balance your design.

Say you are making a single-panel purse which you will just fold in half to create a pouch. You’ll choose the design you want to use.

To begin you’ll need to create a base or foundation chain. The pattern requires 6 sts (chains) for each complete design + 6 additional chains to balance the design. You determine the measurement you want your purse panel to be. Crochet a foundation chain to equal that measurement. To know if that foundation chain will give you a complete design, count the chains. For the design you have chosen, you need the chain to be divisible by 6 + add 6 more chains. If your chain currently has 50 sts, you’ll have to add 4 sts to make the design come out correctly. 6 X 8 = 48 + 6 = 54.

The purpose of these numbers is to help crocheters who wish to create their own projects easily figure out how many chains should be in their base or foundation chain from the start, avoiding wasted time and effort.

Of course, these numbers apply to the A foundation row only. Your B foundation row will always be 2 sts (or one box) shorter than the A foundation row.

I hope this explains these numbers.