Chain Stitch

The chain stitch is the base for all crochetting projects. A circular project may be done with a Magic Cirlce.

SLIP KNOT: Pin the short end of your yarn pointed down between your thumb and index finger of your left hand, wrapping the long end once around your index and middle fingers, hanging over the nail side of the finger and to the right of the small tail. Next make a fold in the long tail, and push the fold over the top of the knuckle side strand, pulling it between your two fingers. Pull the loop and the tail to form the slip knot.

CHAIN: The chain stitch is as simple as it gets. Fix the yarn so it runs from the source up through the curled pinky and ring fingers of the left hand, passing under the middle finger, but up and over the top knuckle of the extended index finger, running to the piece held between the thumb and middle finger, a few stitches down from the stitch you're working in, and inching up as you progress. Hold the hook in your right hand as if you were holding it outstretched, pointed at a person (possibly your husband). You place the hook through the loop of the slip knot, manuver the hook in a circular motion (counter clockwise from the right hand), wrapping the yarn around the hook, hooking it, and pull it back through, it will take time to get used to this movement, but manuvering your left index finger will help. If you look at the slip knot/current loop in the piece, you'll see that it has a tear-drop shape. I find it easiest, once the yarn is hooked, to rotate my wrist so that the opening of the hook points to the V of the teardrop, so you don't get caught on the loop you're pulling the new loop through. Once a new loop is around the hook, you can adjust it's size by extending your left index finger away from the project to draw it tighter, or pulling with the hook to make it larger. The loops should rest loosely on the hook, although the hook should always be touching the yarn. You have to work into each of these stitches later, so it's important to keep them loose.