Have you been practicing your chain since my last video? I hope so, because my latest video, introducing the Single Crochet stitch, is here! In this video, I discuss what can be done with a chain, how to count chain stitches, and how a crochet work is structured.
When crocheting a project, stitches are worked in rows, from right to left. After each row is completed, the work is turned 180 degrees, so the left side is now the right side and vice versa. Since the previous row ends with the hook on the left side, turning the work brings the hook back to the right side where you started!
Each row of stitches, except the first row, is worked in the top of the previous row. Why is the first row not worked into the previous row? Because the chain is your first row! It can stand alone.
Since my next two videos cover the Single Crochet (abbreviated “sc”) stitch, let’s imagine the second row of a project calls for 10 Single Crochet stitches. First, you would make row one, the chain. You would need to crochet 10 chain (abbreviated “ch”) stitches; on your second row, these ten will provide a place to work a Single Crochet stitch.
Then, you would crochet one extra Chain, an 11th stitch, to be the turning chain. I explain in my next two videos that the turning chain is like the side wall from a lower row to a higher row. Think of it like a ladder, getting you from one row to the next.
You might be wondering why this “ladder” is called a turning chain. The simple–perhaps obvious?–answer is because the turning chain signals it’s time to turn the work. Today’s video, Part 1, briefly mentions how to turn the work, but Part 2, which will be posted soon, explains in greater depth how to turn the work.
After completing the turning chain and turning the work, you would have a loop on the hook and eleven chain stitches. Not sure what parts are chain stitches? As I remind in the video below, count stitches by looking for a “V” or heart shaped pattern in the yarn. Skip the first chain from the hook, and crochet a Single Crochet stitch into the following chain. Crochet 9 Single Crochet stitch in the next 9 chain, and you will have completed a row of Single Crochet!
Want to start learning about the Single Crochet stitch? Confused by what I just said? Watch the video below, then comment your thoughts!
Keep an eye out for Part 2! Thanks for reading!
-Amanda