BASIC TECHNIQUES
O
ne of the most important
techniques you need to learn in
crochet is making chain stitches.
No matter what crochet project you’re
working on, you will always need to make
chains. Fortunately, they’re also the easiest
stitch to work in crochet.Follow our guide (below and right) to
make chain stitches, which are also called
chains or a chain length. Practise the
technique by making a length of about 20
chains (don’t count the slipknot as a stitch).
Hold the stitches firmly, just below the hook,
moving your fingers up the chain as you go.Keep making short chains like this until
you can make chain stitches that are even in
size and shape, and the whole process feels
quite natural. Don’t worry if your chains look
a bit uneven when you first give it a try.
Practice makes perfect, so just pull all the
yarn off the hook and have another go!CHAIN STITCH
Create a foundation chain to work stitches into
If you’re right-handed, follow these instructions and photos...
1
With a slipknot on your hook, catch the ball
end of yarn with the hook, so the yarn wraps
around it anticlockwise. This action is called
‘yarn round hook’ or ‘yrh’.3
Pull the hook and yarn through the first
loop, to make a new loop on the hook.
Congratulations, this is your first chain stitch.RIGHT-HAND
2
Gently pull the hook, and the yarn wrapped
around it, back towards the loop on the
hook.4
Tighten up the slipknot (to make sure you
don’t count it as a stitch). Repeat steps 1-3
until you’re happy with the technique.