Mastering the Foundation: Slip Knot, Yarn Over & Chain Stitch

Why These Three Things Come First

Before you can work a single "real" stitch, you need to attach your yarn to the hook and create a starting row to work into. That is exactly what the slip knot, yarn over, and foundation chain accomplish. These three moves are the gateway to every crochet project in existence — from a simple dishcloth to the most complex shawl.

Step 1: The Slip Knot

The slip knot creates your first loop on the hook. Here's how to make one:

1. 1.Make a circle with your yarn, letting the tail end hang behind the circle.
2. 2.Reach through the circle and pull a loop of the working yarn (the yarn connected to your ball) through.
3. 3.Insert your hook into that loop.
4. 4.Pull gently and evenly on both ends of the yarn to tighten the knot up to the hook — snug but not tight. The loop should slide freely.

The slip knot does not count as a stitch in your pattern. It is simply the anchor point that attaches your yarn to the hook.

Step 2: Yarn Over (yo)

The yarn over is the single most repeated motion in all of crochet. It simply means: wrap the yarn from back to front over the hook. You can do this by moving the yarn over the hook, or by keeping the yarn still and rotating the hook under and around the yarn — whichever feels more natural to you.

You will see "yo" appear in virtually every stitch instruction. Once this motion becomes automatic in your hands, crochet starts to feel much more fluid.

Step 3: The Foundation Chain (ch)

Almost all crochet projects begin with a foundation chain — a series of chain stitches that forms the base row you will work into. Here's how to make a chain stitch:

1. 1.Start with the slip knot on your hook.
2. 2.Yarn over (wrap the yarn from back to front over the hook).
3. 3.Pull the yarn through the loop already on the hook. You now have one chain stitch.
4. 4.Repeat: yarn over, pull through. Each repeat adds one chain.

Do not count the slip knot or the loop currently on the hook as stitches — only count the completed V shapes. When a pattern says "Chain 20," you make 20 chain stitches after your slip knot.

The Turning Chain

At the end of every row, before you turn your work to start the next row, you work a "turning chain" — a set number of chain stitches that bring your hook up to the height of the next row's stitches. The number of turning chains depends on which stitch you are working:

• •Single crochet: 1 turning chain
• •Half double crochet: 2 turning chains
• •Double crochet: 3 turning chains (these count as the first double crochet of the row)
• •Treble crochet: 4 turning chains

Your pattern will always tell you how many chains to make when turning. If you forget this step, your edges will start to pull in and your work will get narrower with every row.