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I am new to this site and love it! I have been looking at bracelets galore for some ideas for Christmas for my family and friends. I am having an issue reading the patterns, though. I understand them when they are straight (as shown in the Alpha Tutorial), but most of the pictures or patterns only show how the knots should be made or they are shown in a diagonal. How do I make it so that they are straight like in the Alpha Tutorial so that I can understand it better? Please help and thank you for those who answer my question.

If I understand your question correctly, you should try taking the knots row by row. Instead of tying one string over all of the strings in that row, you'll be tying one string over its neighbor string, however the pattern tells you to. Did I answer your question?

That sort of answered it. What I am saying is...if you look at the pattern for Alpha it is in this form:
-BBBB---
----B--B-
----B--B-
-BBBB---
The other patterns are shown sort of like this:
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
Do you notice how they are shown diagonally? The patterns are show on their sides and at a \ instead of up and down and at a |. I hope I made myself more clear on this. Thanks again.

Yes, and thats just because you make them a totally different way. It is possibl to convert them though, usually, if there's someone willing and skilled enough to do it.

Yes you make them in a different way. Each diagonal knot means either a forward, backward, backward forward, or a forward backward knot. Once you know what each of them means, then you're set to go.

Okay, Thank you both very much! I now understand how to do both the Alpha and the other forms of bracelets. However new I am to this site, I am not new to friendship bracelets but I have only had books that showed exactly how to do it and not just gone off a pattern! I really love this site and thank you for all your help!

The problem seem to be solved here, but I just wanted to say how I think when doing alphas.

When tying them, tilt the pattern 45 degrees. Clockwise if your tying direction is right, counterclockwise otherwise. You will find the instructions equal to them in the normal patterns.

Thank you very much, Stefan! I will have to give that a try!