I love starting a new crochet project. But when a pattern starts with a foundation chain, I deeply dislike crocheting the first row into it. One of my favourite things about crochet is the soothing rhythm you can get into working away row after row. But getting your hook to play with that first set of stitches? That is not my jam.
There is an actually magic way of crocheting your foundation chain and first row AT THE SAME TIME. I’ll talk about that in another post. However there are times that you must use a foundation chain, or crochet into it in different ways for decorative or construction reasons. So let’s take a closer look…
the foundation chain
So the first photo shows the chain from above. I started with a slip knot on the left then completed 15 chain stitches. The active loop is on my hook. Each stitch looks like a little v and is made of a top loop and bottom loop.
If we flip the chain over you can see that under each little stitch, or v, is another little loop. These are called the back bumps, or ridges or back loops.
So now we know what the chain is, how exactly do we crochet into it? If you are new, and this all seems very confusing, it’s okay to stick your hook wherever makes sense to you and go with that! There are lots of ways to do this, they’re not right or wrong, they’re different.
It is important to keep your stitch count right so make sure you are crocheting into every stitch, and your work will look neat if you can keep it consistent. Whatever you ‘see’ as the stitch, aim for that every time. As you get more familiar with crocheting it will start to make sense. So when you’re ready to get more precise…
crocheting into both loops
This is the way I learned to crochet into a chain. Your hook goes under both loops that make up the v, and the back bump should be under your hook. It can be a little tricky to make sure you get your hook in the right place. I think of coming up and under the bottom loop, over the back bump, then down and under the second part of the ‘v’. If you’re struggling with this have a look on YouTube and there will be loads of videos demonstrating this.
I have worked some (UK) double / (US) single crochet stitches in these examples. I like the neatness of working under both loops like this. It is a bit trickier but the finished work has fewer gaps and you can hopefully see it leaves the neat little row of bumps on the underside.
crocheting into the top loop only
This is a lot easier because you only have to aim your hook under one loop. It can look a bit gappy but that might not bother you and it might even work well with what you’re making.
crocheting into the top loop AND back bump
I did a bit of research before writing this post (to make sure I wasn’t giving you rubbish information) and everyday is indeed a learning day. This is a new one I hadn’t actually tried before. You can work your hook under the top loop and under the back bump. This is easier if you twist the chain to the side a little. In the picture below left, I’ve moved the chain so I can see the top loop and the back bump more easily.
I quite like this method actually. It is slightly easier than crocheting under both loops of the v, it’s snug so there aren’t holes, and you can see in the second picture, that loop that’s left looks quite decorative. I will use this next time I’m working on something that I won’t be going back round with a border row.
crocheting into the back bumps – my favourite
Last but not least, this is my preferred way of crocheting into a chain. Flipping it over, and working into the back bumps. I find they are easier to see, and there’s only one loop to aim for. It still gives a neat, snug finish, without pulling anything too loose or leaving holes as you go.
The main reason for this is something we haven’t talked about yet, and that is if you need to crochet into the bottom of the stitch as well as the top. That may sound complicated but imagine you’ve got past this foundation chain and first row, finished your blanket or piece. Now you want to go back round the edge of the whole thing and do a border.
The little bumps left by crocheting under both loops of the v in the first method leave a clear, snug loop to crochet under, my precise brain likes that. The other methods are not quite as clear or obvious to me but they may work well for you. However this method of crocheting into the bottom bumps of the foundation chain is my favourite because it leave a beautiful row of v crochet stitches that look the same as the top…
Isn’t that neat! So it looks great, it will match your opposite finished end if you decide not to do a border row, there are clear stitches to crochet into if you DO decide to do a border, and finally, it makes my brain happy.
There we go! I hope that was useful. Check out my how to section for more tips and tutorials.
Comment below to let me know how you get on or if you have any questions.
