Picked up new "baby"

Picked up my new SK840 machine last night. Managed to read a bit of the first manual - looks v similar to my Brother really. I'm more interested in the electronic side of things, that will be a learning experience for me.

The cotton crochet tablemat I was making is in a heap in the living room. I got to a certain point, and can't follow the instructions anywhere. Think it might have to be frogged - have bought a crochet magazine, which has loads of lovely stuff in. BUT there's no explanation of the symbols used. It doesn't help that american terms mean different stitches, either.

The ribbon scarf is nearly finished - either I've misunderstood the directions, or my tension is too tight, but I don't think there'll be enough ribbon left over for a fringe, which is no big loss. Thin furry scarves made with fancy yarn are all the rage over here at the moment - well, in the shops, I've only seen one person wearing one, and that's the french girl at my saturday class - always very chic! Not even very sure when I'll wear it, but we'll see! It's more of a fashion scarf than a useful item of clothing, if you know what I mean!