OK, I have been trying to learn this and it's supposed to be 'easy' HA! I'm getting bogged down on the simplest, stupidest stuff...ok, aside from trying to figure out that stupid start to the chain...but when I chain at the end of the first row and t urn I can figure out which is the first dc I'm supposed to skip and which is the 2nd..and every time Iget to the end of the row I feel like the stitch is more on the side than up on top with the others...anyone else been this frustrated???

so now I printed off a bunch of free crocheted dishcloths..figure I can practice on those and not be so irritated when I get to the end of 30 or 40 stitches like I would be at the end of a 60 inch afghan..sigh...plus they're awesome to use and my sink doesn't care what they look like...

Sorry that you are having such a hard time!  I remember when I began to crochet and how irritated I could get.

When you start your chain you can use a simple slip knot (I use a "dunk bag" knot that I learned in Girl Scouts in like the second grade).  Just make sure that the long end of the yarn is the one that you can pull tight.

When you go to make your fist stitch after turinng (to make you DC) you skip the very first DC.  Do a few DCs after it and lay your work down, it should look straight on the sides.  When you get to the end of your row remember to DC in the top of the TURNING CH!  It may look weird until you get used to it, but that is where most stitches are dropped.  When you put a border on your work it will look nice and even (that is when I cover my little mishaps).

Dish cloths are a great project to learn all of the stitches and become comfortable with them. 

thanks Kathryn! I ended up doing a couple of dishcloths! I'll probably do more of those..it's a lot less frustrating to do 30 stitches than 300 and find out something's wrong! one was sc and the otheer was a neat dc..staggered 'gap'...like 3 dc chain 1 then on the next row the 3 dc were in the last dc, ch, and 1st dc of next trio. don't know why it looks 'differen't on these than when I'm trying to do an afghan..sigh...

All that I can say is the more that you crochet the more even everything will get.  I have been crocheting for 6 years now, and every once in awhile I'll scratch my head and think 'now how did I do THAT?!'  It really is a practice makes perfect kinda thing.

A simple dishcloth pattern is to make a granny square and just add rounds until it is the size that you like.  These make excellent stocking stuffer gifts for Christmas.  A money saving hint......buy a cone of plain old postal or butcher string which is just an off white color. A friend once gave me a cone of this string, and I made dozens of dish cloths with it.

Harlean from Arkansas