Chain and single crochet

Two stitches are the base of nearly everything in crochet: the chain and the single crochet. This guide uses US terms. In the UK, single crochet is called double crochet, and the next guide explains the difference.

The chain stitch

You start with a slip knot on the hook.

1. Hold the slip knot with your left hand (or the opposite hand if you are left-handed).
2. Wrap the yarn over the hook, from back to front. This is called a yarn over.
3. Pull the hook, with the yarn on it, through the loop on the hook.

You have made one chain. Repeat to make a longer row. Keep the chains loose enough to put the hook through later, and even in size. Hold the base of the chain near the hook with your thumb and finger, so that the work does not twist.

The foundation chain

A foundation chain is the first row of chains that you will work stitches into. To make a piece of a given width, make the number of chains the pattern asks for. For practice, make 21 chains.

Count them as you go. Do not count the slip knot on the hook, and do not count the loop that is on the hook. Count the V shapes along the front of the chain. Each one is a stitch.

Single crochet into the chain

For the first row, you work into the chain from the second chain from the hook.

1. Skip the first chain next to the hook. This chain acts as the turning chain.
2. Put the hook through the second chain, under the top V and the bump behind it, or under just the top V. Both ways are common. Pick one and stay with it.
3. Yarn over and pull up a loop. There are now two loops on the hook.
4. Yarn over again and pull through both loops.

You have made one single crochet. Repeat in each chain across the row. With 21 chains you will have 20 single crochet stitches.

Gordon’s tip: Put a stitch marker in the first chain from the hook or in the last stitch of each row. It helps you find the edge, and Gordon thinks every good tracker needs a flag.

Turning at the end of the row

When you reach the end of the row:

1. Chain 1. This is the turning chain, which lifts the hook to the height of the next row.
2. Turn your work so that the other side faces you.
3. Work the first single crochet in the first stitch, not in the turning chain.
4. Continue along the row, putting the hook under both loops of each V.
5. Work the last stitch of the row into the last stitch of the previous row, not into the turning chain from that row.

Most patterns do not count the turning chain of one as a stitch. Your stitch count should stay at 20 on each row.

Counting your stitches

A good habit is to count at the end of every row until you are confident.

• Look at the top edge of your work. Each V is one stitch.
• If you have 20 at the start and 19 at the end, you missed a stitch.
• If you have 21, you may have worked into the turning chain.

A missing stitch is most often at the beginning or end of the row. Look there first.

Common problems

• Edges that bulge in or out. Check your count. If it is right, your tension may be uneven. Hold the work firmly near the hook.
• A tight foundation chain. Use a hook one size larger for the chain.
• Splitting the yarn. Slow down and look at where the hook goes. Light colours help.

Practice

Chain 21, then work 10 rows of single crochet, turning with chain 1 each time. Count your stitches at the end of each row. When you are done, fasten off by cutting the yarn, pulling the tail through the last loop and tightening it.