Crochet 101: Slip Knots and Foundation ChainsThe most important part of every piece you crochet is your foundation. If the foundation chain is wonky, the entire piece won’t come out right. In this guide, you’ll learn the skills to make the pieces that make up your foundation: the slip knot and the chain.

Making a Slip Knot

With the crochet hook comfortably in your hand, you’re ready to begin working with the yarn. First, make a slip knot to attach the yarn to your hook.

Follow these figures for a simple way to make a slip knot:

Loop the yarn around your left index finger.

Slip the yarn from your finger, and hold the loop between your thumb and index finger.

Use the crochet hook, held in your right hand, to draw the loop up and around the hook.

Finally, gently pull each of the ends in opposite directions. This tightens the knot and makes it smaller. Making a slip knot is that simple!

Feeding the Yarn

Now that you’ve made a slip knot and secured the yarn to the hook, you’ll want to practice holding the yarn. It’s important that you control how the yarn is fed into your work to keep an even tension in your stitches.

How you hold the yarn is an individual choice. However, it’s important that you’re not only comfortable, but that you also have control over it. Hold the yarn taut enough to be able to hook (catch) the yarn with the barb of the crochet hook, but not so tight that you can’t get the hook through your stitches. With practice, you’ll get a feel for tension.

For practice, select wool yarn that crochets to 4 or 4.5 stitches to the inch (commonly called worsted weight) and a size I-9 (5mm) hook. Wool is very elastic and forgiving; you will find it much easier to work with than a yarn such as cotton, which is not elastic at all. Choose a smooth yarn, not a novelty yarn full of loops or eyelashes. Those look pretty and you can crochet with them soon enough, but using them as you begin will only confuse you.

Take the yarn with your left hand. With the palm of your left hand facing up, thread the yarn through your fingers; it should be able to flow through your fingers. Moving your index finger up and down lets you increase or decrease the tautness of the yarn. You’ll begin to find a rhythm as you work, and soon the movement will feel very natural.

Grasp the yarn between your ring and little fingers, 4 inches or so from the hook.

Draw the yarn toward you—from your little and ring fingers—threaded over your middle finger and leading under your index finger.

Adjust the yarn so it lies firmly but not tightly around your fingers.

If you’re having trouble wrapping the yarn around all your fingers, let it flow behind your index finger, in front of your middle and ring fingers, and back behind your little finger.

You’ve now attached the yarn to the hook, and you’re holding the yarn in your left hand. It’s time to crochet.

The Foundation Chain

If you were constructing a building, you’d need to start with a solid foundation. Crocheting is no different. You start with a foundation chain, which is a row of chains that serves as the base of your crocheting—the foundation from which a piece is built. It is this base that holds your stitches and all succeeding rows.

Making the Foundation Chain

The following illustrations walk you through the process for making a foundation chain. To make a chain, bring the yarn over the hook and pull it through the slip loop on your hook. Catching your yarn with the hook is called a yarn over. Initially, it might feel awkward, but with practice it’ll become natural.

To start a chain, grasp the short end of the yarn, right below the slip knot.

Pass the hook under and over the yarn from back to front. This is called a yarn over.

With your crochet hook, catch the yarn. Then pull the hook and yarn through the slip loop on your hook to the shank. The shank determines the size of each chain stitch. You just made your first chain stitch!

Making a row of chain stitches.

Now make another chain stitch, and then another, and another. As you work, keep moving your thumb up and hold the yarn right below your hook. This will become second nature as you practice.

Try to make your chains the same size. The chain should be the same size as the shank of your hook. If you make them too tight, you won’t be able to insert the hook into the chains to make stitches later. If you have problems with this, use a larger hook to make your foundation chain.

Crochet patterns begin by telling you how many chains to make. It’s important to understand how to count the number of chains you’re making. Let’s say the pattern tells you to chain 20. Begin with a slip knot, yarn over, and pull the yarn through 20 times to make 20 chains. You will have 1 extra loop left on your hook at the end, but that’s not a chain. You’ll use that loop to make the first stitch of the next row.

Heads or Tails?

It’s important to distinguish the chain’s front from its back. Always count your chain stitches on the front. You will work into the front of the chain stitches as you build on this foundation in the next row.

Count chains from the front of the chain. Begin counting with the first complete stitch above the slip knot.

The chain’s back has small, bumpy loops.

From The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Knitting and Crocheting Illustrated, Third Edition, by Barbara Breiter and Gail Diven

Crochet 101: The Basic StitchesThe crochet stitches in this guide are the basis for almost every crochet technique, no matter how fancy. You will soon learn them by heart, and you won’t need to refer to instructions. They’re all similar—it’s just a matter of how many yarn overs you do and how many times you pull the yarn through the loops.

Where to Begin

The first thing you need to have is a foundation chain. If you don’t know how to make one, check out the Quick Guide, Crochet 101: Slip Knots and Foundation Chains.

Begin by working into the loops of a particular chain of the foundation chain, depending on the stitch. This is to accommodate the differing heights of the various kinds of crochet stitches. Always follow the pattern directions; they’ll tell you where to start your work on the foundation chain.

Whether you’re working into the foundation chain to begin or into actual stitches as you will after the first foundation row, all the stitches you are about to learn are worked exactly the same way.

Single Crochet

Single crochet (pattern abbreviation: sc) is the most basic of all the crochet stitches. It’s a short stitch that makes a dense fabric. Be sure the front side of the chain is facing you.

Count to the 2nd chain from the hook. Insert the hook, front to back, under the 2 top loops of the foundation chain.

Yarn over hook (from the back toward you as shown), and pull through those top loops to draw up a new loop.

You now have 2 loops on your hook.

Yarn over again and pull through both loops on your hook. You now have 1 loop left on your hook and have just made your first single crochet!

Half Double Crochet

Half double crochet (pattern abbreviation: hdc) is slightly taller than a single crochet. To accommodate the taller stitch, you’ll now work your first stitch into the 3rd chain. This stitch is the first of the basic stitches that requires a yarn over before you insert the hook. Again, be sure the front side of the foundation chain is facing you.

Yarn over and insert the hook, front to back, under the 2 top loops of the 3rd chain from the hook. Yarn over and pull the yarn through to draw up a loop.

There are now 3 loops on your hook. Yarn over and pull through all 3 loops.

Double Crochet

Double crochet (pattern abbreviation: dc) is another basic stitch. As with a half double crochet stitch, you start with a yarn over before you insert the hook. Because a double crochet has one more yarn over than a half double crochet, it’s taller and creates a somewhat open fabric. Because it’s taller, this time you’ll work your first stitch into the 4th chain from the hook.

Yarn over and insert the hook, front to back, under the top 2 loops of the 4th chain from the hook.

Pull through the loop. You now have 3 loops on your hook. Yarn over again.

Pull through the 2 loops closest to the hook’s point as shown. Two loops remain on the hook.

Yarn over once more and pull through the 2 remaining loops.

You now have a single loop remaining on the hook.

Triple Crochet

Triple crochet (pattern abbreviation: trc), the last of the basic stitches, is the tallest and creates an open fabric. This stitch starts with 2 yarn overs before you insert the hook. Working this stitch is similar to working double crochet; you just need to work one more yarn over. As the tallest stitch, you’ll now work into the 5th chain from the hook.

Yarn over and insert the hook, front to back, under the top 2 loops of the 5th chain from the hook. Pull through the loop. You now have 4 loops on the hook.

Yarn over and pull through the first 2 loops closest to the point of the hook (A). Then, yarn over again and pull through the next 2 loops closest to the point of the hook (B).

Two loops remain on the hook. Yarn over one last time and pull through both loops.

One loop remains on your hook.

Slip Stitch

A slip stitch (pattern abbreviation: sl st) doesn’t add stitches or height to your piece. It’s used mainly for joining (such as a ring or seams) and moving across existing stitches without adding stitches or height to them. It’s also an ideal stitch to use as a finishing touch because it makes a nice, firm edge.

You already know how to do a chain stitch, so you know how to make a slip stitch, too. The only difference is that with a slip stitch, you insert your hook into a foundation chain or stitch.

To make a slip stitch, insert your hook, front to back, under the 2 top loops of a chain or stitch. Yarn over, and in one motion, pull through the chain or stitch and the loop on your hook. One loop remains on the hook.

To use a slip stitch to join a ring, insert your hook under the 2 top loops of the first foundation chain and then yarn over.

Pull the hook through the chain and the loop on the hook. One loop remains on the hook. You have now completed a slip stitch and made a ring!