Whoa, that just happened to me with a quilt in one of the magazines. It looked fairly simple but the directions were cryptic. I had no clue how they got from bits to blocks so I put it away for when I get better at this... and can read between the lines.
Once I felt like I was missing instructions I checked the website to be sure there were no errors in the instructions (nope) so I cut the pattern in graph paper, folding it up and taping it together. Then I could follow it. The way I look at it is, whatever helps me visualize it.
:thumbup: