Mayflower Lace Graph with Tutorial

  Get ready for the graph of the Mayflower Lace Scarf pattern! No, seriously, I mean prepare yourself... You're about to be subjected to my drawings, and they're probably not as good as you're hoping! Even though I often create tutorials along with my patterns, there will always be someone out there that wants a graph or chart instead. And it's perfectly okay to want a graph, but I have trouble making them. I still haven't found any affordable* software that will actually work for crochet patterns, so I practice the ancient ritual of drawing mine out on graph paper. And they usually look like hieroglyphs combined with geometry with some squiggly lines mixed in.

  So, anyway... I may be worse at drawing than sewing! Seriously, how hard is it to draw a straight line on graph paper? Um... Apparently it's really hard for me! To make things worse, I'll scribble stuff like numbers, circles, arrows and notes all over it. So, lately I've been making an effort to translate my alien-squiggle-math into something actually readable by others. I think I did an okay job this time! I wouldn't call it great, so let's call this post an experiment, okay? Instead of just providing the graph, I'll be explaining the pattern step by step. Hopefully you graph lovers will find what you need, and less experienced crocheters can understand the pattern. Hope you like it!


  Click here for the free pattern. You'll find the information you'll need like gauge, yarn, and hook size.

Psst... I eventually found a free program to create a real chart! Although this post contains helpful information for how to work the stitches, if you just want a real graph, click here.

Don't get too disappointed yet: This is just my rough draft of the design. The small lines you see are the marks that break up the sections of "flowers", but don't let it confuse you! There is only one multiple here - which is the whole width of the scarf. To add multiples, you would do so after the third Love Knot.

To explain my scribbles: Each circle represents either the single crochet of the Love Knot, or the top of a modified long single crochet. (You can probably figure out that the long line represents the long loop of the stitch.) You'll see the long single crochet later. (It pretty much looks the same.)

The beginning chain consists of five Love Knots. This only forms the base of the first row! There's still more Love Knots to make...

One more Love Knot creates the first half of the first "V" in the row. If needed, you can mark the single crochet before this knot as the first stitch you will work into.

The seventh Love Knot creates the horizontal bar of the "V" - But your project won't take this shape yet! You'll still have one long beginning chain.

Number eight represents a modified long single crochet. You will make this stitch in the second Love Knot from the hook.

To begin the next "V", make a modified long single crochet in the next Love Knot.

Number ten forms the horizontal bar of the second "V".

Number eleven closes the "V" with a modified long single crochet in the same stitch as the last.

  You guys can probably figure it out from here! Just keep making "V's" to the end of the row... So until then, you can follow the graph while I provide you with a few tips that I used to keep track of my stitches. I'll give you some technical mumbo-jumbo about multiples, too! I noticed in the next photo that I forgot to draw the symbols of the single crochet stitches. As you'll read in my tips, I'm not perfect. Do me a favor and pretend you see them there for now - I filled them in later:

Even as the designer of this pattern, I kept losing track of where I was! I wanted to make a Love Knot after every long single crochet, and had to keep pulling out my stitches between "V's".

A "V" will be a modified long single crochet followed by a Love Knot, and closed with a modified long single crochet in the same stitch.

While working the pattern I started to think "V" - then - "point"... "V" - then "point"... ("Point" being the triangle that forms between the long single crochet stitches.)

This beginning row threw me off, too! Yes, the row will increase, which will give the first row a horseshoe shape. I almost had a heart attack when my pattern looked out of shape, before I reminded myself that it will look like this.

The more you work this row, the worse it will begin to curve. Don't let it get to you! We'll decrease in the next row and it will straighten out. 

Number seventeen completes the fourth "V", which is the end of the multiple. You will need the last two chains to close the multiple. (So... If you're altering the pattern, here's where you would add more multiples!)

Remember the three sections of geometrical flowers from the first photo? Number eighteen begins the last one. Each multiple consists of two flower sections, plus one (section) to close the pattern. (The one section needs two more Love Knots, so that's why the multiple is written as 3 + 2.

If you are a master of multiples, then you can probably see that the multiple of this pattern could be changed to just "3" or even "1"... But if it was only "1", then I guess it wouldn't be a multiple, would it? Have fun with that.

Getting back to the pattern: Number twenty-one is a modified long single crochet in the beginning single crochet. But it's not the end of the row!

Make one more Love Knot to form the horizontal bar of the last "V". Every time I got distracted, I would forget to make the increase at the end of this row.

End the row with a modified long single crochet in the same stitch as the last. There will be a total of six "V's" in the row.

Here's the big picture of the whole row, if it helps!

Odd numbered rows begin with a decrease (or a "point"), so the row begins with just one Love Knot.

Turn and make a modified long single crochet (MLsc) in the next MLsc. This will be the center stitch at the top of the "point".

To make the horizontal bar of the first "V" in the row, make a Love Knot.

Make a modified long single crochet in the same stitch as the last. 

Make a modified long single crochet in the next MLsc to begin the next "V". This completes one flower section.

(Again, I forgot the symbol for the single crochet here.) Number six forms the horizontal bar of this "V".

Number seven completes the second "V".

  Can we speed it up here? I'll quit yapping and just label the stitches for you:

Number eight is a modified long single crochet in the next stitch.

Number nine is a Love Knot...

Number ten is a modified long single crochet in the same stitch as the last.

Number eleven is a modified long single crochet in the next stitch.

Number twelve is a Love Knot...

Number thirteen is a modified long single crochet in the same stitch as the last.

Number fourteen begins the last "V" of the row with a modified long single crochet in the next stitch.

Number fifteen is the last Love Knot of the row.

Number sixteen closes the "V" with a modified long single crochet in the same stitch as the last.

Number eighteen should be number seventeen... Anyways... Make a long single crochet in the last Love Knot of the row. There will only be five "V's" in this row.

And here's the big picture for you again! To continue working, just repeat the first and second rows. Remember that the pattern increases on odd numbered rows and decreases on even numbered rows. Can ya'll take it from here? 

  Whew! I know that was more informative than advanced crocheters needed it to be; I wanted to make this pattern as easy as possible to understand. I also know it's not perfect, but what do you think? (Other than too many pictures!) Did it help, or did I confuse you? I have a beginner that's attempting this scarf after just learning the stitch from the photo tutorial (tutorial no longer available), but she got lost in the pattern until I shared this graph with her. She's now working through the pattern while learning to adjust tension. Ha! I love to hear that! I'm anxiously waiting for some shared photos over on the Crochet is the Way Facebook page. You can head over there and share yours, too!

Happy Crocheting!