Crochet 101-02-03 Getting into Stitches: How to Make a Chain Stitch

PREVIOUS SECTION (How to Make a Slip Knot)

Once you have grasped the concept of making the slip knot you are ready to start the chain stitch.  All patterns will start with a chain stitch.  None will indicate to make your slip knot first - it is assumed you know that.  In patterns, the chain stitch is abbreviated as CH or Ch or ch.  Before we get into making the chain stitch, you must learn how to hold your hook.  There are two ways to hold your hook.  I prefer to hold it in my right hand with the handle in my palm and my thumb on the hook side of the grip and my index finger on the other side of the grip (similar to how you hold a knife).  The other hold is similar to holding a pencil, with the handle resting in the space between your thumb and index finger.  I am not experienced in this hold, so my instructions will be for those using the knife type hold. 

Now that you are holding your hook correctly, let's put the yarn on the hook and get to creating some chains.  You will notice that if you pull the skein end of the yarn the slip knot loop gets bigger or smaller, depending on how you pull it.  You want to insert your hook so that the skein end of the yarn (the part that moves when pulled) is on top of the hook, with the hook facing you.  Pull on the skein end until the loop tightens around the hook.  To make a chain stitch, make sure you are holding the tail of the yarn between your left thumb and index finger with the knot right above your thumb and index finger.  Raise your middle finger so that about 1 inch of yarn is stretched out.  Move your hook backwards, up, and around (called from here on out YO, or yarn over) so that the hook grabs the yarn, then pull the yarn through the loop.  Allow the hook to make the size of the chain; do not pull the stitch tight.  As long as you are using a Susan Bates hook, this should be fairly easy to do.  Repeat the chain stitch about 50 times.  Practice this until you can make a chain that is even and flat, not very twisted or tight in places, and you can keep count of how many you have done. 

Now that you have a chain of chain stitches made, let's examine what it looks like and where you will be making your stitches in this chain.  You will notice that one side of the chain looks like a series of v's and one side looks bumpy.  The v side is what you will be looking at to make stitches.  You will always insert your hook so that two threads are on top of the hook and one is on the bottom.  To rip out the chain stitches, simply remove your hook and then pull on the skein end of the yarn.  It is kind of fun to rip out the chains, unless you are doing it because you keep messing up, then it is just frustrating!

To continue with this lesson, please watch: Crochet 101-02 Getting into Stitches: How to Make a Chain Stitch

To continue with this lesson, go to: Crochet 101-02-04 Getting into Stitches: How to Make a Single Crochet

If you have questions and want me to see what you are doing, you can post a clickable picture in your comment.  To learn how to do this, visit: How to Create Clickable Images in Your Comments - HTML LESSON. 

(To complete this lesson you will move from post to post . . . so that the videos will not cause loading issues since there are so many.  I have gotten the videos embedded into the lessons, but there still needs to not be too many videos per post so it will not cause long download times)