How to Chain (ch)

What is chain in crochet?

The chain is the starting point for almost every crochet project. A row of chains, called a foundation chain, is the base you work your first row of stitches into.

In US patterns it is abbreviated ch. The chain is called a chain (ch) in both US and UK patterns, so this one never trips you up.

How do you work chain step by step?

Here is the full sequence in US terms. Take it slowly the first few times, then it becomes muscle memory.

1. Make a slip knot and place it on your hook.
2. Yarn over by wrapping the working yarn over your hook from back to front.
3. Pull that yarn through the loop on your hook. You have made one chain.
4. Repeat until your chain is as long as the pattern calls for. Do not count the slip knot or the loop still on your hook.

When do you use chain?

Chain turns up in a lot of patterns. Here is where it earns its place:

1. The foundation row of a flat piece like a scarf or blanket.
2. Turning chains that give each new row its height.
3. Chain spaces in lace, mesh, and granny squares.
4. A base ring for working in the round.

What are the most common chain mistakes?

A few snags catch almost everyone at first. Watch for these:

1. Counting the loop on the hook as a chain. It is never counted.
2. Chaining too tightly, which makes the first row hard to work into. Keep your chains loose and even.
3. Twisting the chain before joining it into a ring, which leaves a kink you cannot fix later.

How do you keep count while you work chain?

Counting is where clean crochet is won or lost. Patterns tell you how many stitches per row and how many rows or rounds to work, and a miscount is the usual reason a piece ends up crooked. Mark the first stitch of each round, and count your stitches at the end of every row.

Some crocheters keep a paper tally, and some use an app like Worsted to count rows, hold their place in a pattern PDF, and note the yarn they used, so a project is easy to pick back up after a break. However you track it, staying on count is what turns a good pattern into a finished piece.