How to Crochet a Chain

We’re not just about knitting here at Lattes and Llamas. Along with our intense adoration of caffeine, we love crochet too. Last week, I introduced our new how-to series called the Summer of Crochet. We talked about yarn weights and how to create a slip knot. Building upon that today, I’m going to show you how to crochet a chain and the fun things you can use with them.

The chain stitch, which is abbreviated as “ch” in most patterns, is the foundation to which all other stitches are built upon… Unless you’re starting with something crazy like the Foundation Single Crochet (fsc) or a magic loop, but we’ll get into that another day. Anyway, the beginning of each pattern will require you to make a certain number of chain stitches. For instance, in the potholder pattern I’ll be sharing with you next week, it says “ch 36,” which means that you need to make 36 ch stitches.

The idea is to make the chain stitches uniform, but don’t worry if they’re not now. It will come with practice. You need to get used to holding the yarn and hook in your hands, and getting a feel for the movements.

If you want something to do a few of your chains you could make a wrap bracelet, use it as gift wrapping ribbon, or a hair tie. In order to try out some of those things, you’ll need to “finish off” your chain. You do this simply by snipping the yarn and pulling it through.

Everyone learns differently. If you need a more hands on experience and don’t know someone who crochets, I recommend going to your nearest independent yarn store. Many local yarn stores offer classes and one-on-one sessions. See you next Friday and I’ll show you how to make the singles crochet (sc) stitch.

~Jac
I’m eating apple pie right now. It’s delightful.

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