This is a topic I've discussed on this blog before, but the quality of that one was not as high as I'd like it to be, so I'm trying again. If you found the video at the top of that post helpful, you can find it here, but as I don't have the ability to edit videos currently, I won't be updating that aspect just yet.
What is the Chain Stitch?
The chain stitch is the fundamental stitch in crochet. Like casting on in knitting, this is how all crochet starts, either as a foundation chain, as a slip stitch ring for working in the round, or as the first "standing stitch" at the beginning of a foundation stitch of another type (such as foundation single crochet, foundation double crochet, etc., a topic I will be discussing in another post) or as the first standing stitch in magic loop. It's also used as the first stitch of each row, the first stitch of each discontinuous round, and to create lacy openings in the work. The crochet chain is simply indispensable in crochet.
So how do you do it?
This tutorial is going to look silly in it's shortness, but because it's such a foundational stitch, it's really quite quick and easy to do. Parents who crochet have been known to plunk down their kindergartners with a crochet hook and a skein of yarn, which then produces miles and miles of chain. Kids truly find the process fascinating and enjoyable; I would know, I was one of them! Kids find all kind of uses for their chain creations, too. I remember using mine as friendship bracelets, shoelaces, Barbie scarves, string for all sorts of other things I wanted to tie or weave or otherwise create. Of course, once you are past that point, you then have your foot in the door for crochet generally, and can move on to other projects.
To start, you will need some yarn and a suitable hook. Most people start with worsted weight or aran size yarn, also called size 4 or 10 ply; the hook to use with this yarn will depend on individual factors like personal tension, but in general a hook somewhere in the range of G-J (4 mm - 5.5 mm) will work. In my photo, you will see that I've left the yarn in the skein and just wound off a yard or so. That's because I'm just using this yarn for the tutorial and putting it right back. Were I to be using this for an actual project, I would wind it into a ball first, and recommend you do, too.
To start, you'll need to make a slip knot. There are, to my knowledge, at least 4 different ways of doing this, and each person feels that their way is the most obvious and easy to accomplish, so I won't provide a tutorial on that, but there are many tutorials both, video and photo, which explain how to do it if you don't know how. It's likely you do, but perhaps not by that name; I first learned it as "the knot parents use to tie balloons to a kid's wrist so it won't fly away," and it has many other everyday uses as well, so it's a good knot to know how to tie in any event. When using it as a start for crochet, you will want to leave enough tail behind the slip knot that you can easily weave in the tail to hide it on your finished object. Generally, the advise is to leave a tail 6 inches long, but certain situations will require more or less. When in doubt, 6 inches will definitely do.
Once you have your slip knot, you'll arrange it on the needle, and pull it tight to the shaft, which you will be using to help you get consistent tension. Place the hook in your dominant hand, and use your non-dominant hand to guide and tension the yarn. Each crocheter tensions the yarn in their own way, but wrapping the yarn around or between one or more fingers is common, as is wrapping the yarn around your wrist, using a tool like a yarn guide ring or tension pin in your shirt, and some even tension the yarn by draping it around the back of their neck. People have multiple ways of holding the hook as well; the most common two are holding the hook like either a knife or a pencil, but any method that works for you is fine. Because of the way I learned to crochet, the following photos will show me holding the hook in the "knife" hold and with the yarn tensioned around just my left index finger; if you hold your hook and/or yarn differently, the positions of your hands at each step will likely look different, but as long as you can translate the motions into ones that work for your setup, the stitch will come out the same.
With the knot on the hook and the open part of the hook facing you, wrap the yarn around the hook from back to front. Using a combination of the hook and tension from your non-dominant hand to hold the yarn in place, pull it back and pull it through the slip knot. At least at first, you may find it helpful to use the fingers of your dominant hand to push the knot forward and/or manipulate the yarn through the loop. Below is 4 images showing the path the yarn will take through the loop towards becoming a new stitch:
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| Yarn nearly through loop; note the rotation of the hook to maintain the grip on the yarn. The degree to which each crocheter does this is personal, and you may rotate your hook more or less than me. Any amount is fine as long as you're controlling the yarn comfortably. |
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| Stitch completed, but hook not yet back to starting position. After this, the hook moves back to the position in image one and the process begins again. |
Once you have pulled the yarn through the slipknot, you will have a new loop on the hook and the slip knot will now be below the hook. This is the first chain stitch. Repeat this process until you have the number of chain stitches required. Then move on to the next step in your pattern.
Take a look at those Vs. When you are instructed to work into the chain, you are being instructed to hold the chain with these Vs facing you, and place your hook into the center of it, barring other, more specific instructions. Whether or not to involve the bump on the back of the chain is more or less a personal choice. Some people like the look of involving just the top loop of the chain, others like the look better if you go under the chain and the bump in the back, too. Try both and see which you like better.
If you are aiming to create a stand-alone string of chains, you will repeat these steps until the length of chain required is reached. Then, cut the yarn 6 inches away from the last stitch, and pull the cut end through the last loop. This will remain stable and not unravel, so if you are okay with the loose ends for your purpose, then you are done! However, if you would like, you can also use a yarn needle and sew the loose ends in and out of the chains in order to hide it.
I hope that was able to help someone. Happy crafting!
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