I bought two Sirdar Hayfield Baby Blossom crochet patterns and I was not happy with them. On attempting to do the above pattern 5232, (it's a cute pattern right?), I found a couple of things wrong with it. For starters the crochet patterns are written as if they are knitting patterns. Now, for knitters who also crochet this isn't so much of a problem, but to crocheters it just reads wrong. I have spoken to knitters who don't crochet and they don't see it as a problem, but to me, I end up having to rewrite the pattern into crochet language. I feel like the Sirdar Crochet patterns are written by knitting designers who also crochet but don't know how to write a crochet pattern.
Also in this pattern, on the right front, just as you get to start the neck shaping, the pattern tells you to do 2 rows of the single crochet, which would just look wrong. I had to rewrite the pattern from that point on.
The second pattern is this rather cute girls jacket and hat. I made this in the same colour way as on the photo and using the recommended hook size.
I'll start with the hat. It is crocheted flat and then seamed together. I would actually do this in the round so there would be no seam at all and I suggest you go up a hook size for the green brim.
Now onto the jacket. It crocheted up quite well and although the pattern is written very much like a knitting pattern instead of a crochet pattern, I could follow it better than the other one. The only grumble I do have is that the arms, when sewn together are very very tight. I had made this with the intention to gift it, but the arms are so tight that a baby wouldn't fit it's arms through the arms.
When I buy a crochet pattern, I don't think I should have to rewrite it into crochet language or redesign part of the pattern, especially if it's from a well known company.
Sirdar, if you ever read this, please take my advice to employ crochet designers and testers. Don't use your ever so talented knitting designers (and they are talented knitting designers, I can follow their knitting patterns) to design and write crochet patterns. The skills are different, the language is different. Your crochet patterns above are filled with unnecessary words and instructions that just don't need to be in there. Look at vintage crochet patterns, look online for crochet patterns by crochet designers and see how their patterns are written and follow the same format.