CROCHETING - The basic stitches

The foundation chain (or base chain)

Almost all crochet starts with a foundation (or base) chain. This is the
equivalent of ‘casting on’ in knitting. The base chain is a series of chain
stitches, which normally begin with a loop secured by a slipknot.

Chain stitch (ch)

1. Wrap the yarn over the hook in an anticlockwise direction (or hold the
yarn still and manoeuvre the hook) (Fig.83).

2. Draw the yarn through to form a new loop without tightening up the previous
one (Fig.84).

Note: Unless otherwise specified, always wrap the yarn this way round. To make a
length of base chain, make as many chains as required. Keep shifting your left
hand position up close to the hook every couple of stitches or so; this is easy,
if you use a right hand finger tip to hold down the loop on the hook, while you
do so. To count chains correctly as you make them, do not count the initial slip
loop as a chain. To count them afterwards, first make sure that they are not
twisted and that you are looking at the ‘front’ (see Figs 85 and 86), then count
back, but ignore the loop still on the hook.

Slip stitch (sl st)

1. Insert the hook into 2nd chain from hook, wrap the yarn over the hook,
draw the yarn through the chain and the loop on the hook in one movement - 1 sl
st made (Fig.87).

2. Repeat this last step (Fig.88).

Double crochet (dc)

1. Insert the hook into 2nd chain from hook, wrap the yarn over the hook and
draw the yarn through the chain only (Fig.89).

2. Wrap the yarn again and draw the yarn through both loops on hook (Fig.90) - 1
dc made (Fig.91).

Half treble (htr)

1. Wrap the yarn over the hook and insert the hook into 3rd chain from the
hook (Fig.92).

2. Wrap the yarn over the hook, draw through the chain only and wrap the yarn
again (Fig.93).

3. Draw through all 3 loops on hook - 1 htr made (Fig.94).

Treble (tr)

1. Wrap the yarn over hook and insert hook into 4th chain from hook
(Fig.95).

2. Wrap the yarn over the hook, draw through the chain only and wrap the yarn
again (Fig.96).

3. Draw through the first 2 loops only and wrap the yarn again (Fig.97).

4. Draw through the last 2 loops on the hook - 1 tr made (Fig.98).

Double treble (dtr)

1. Wrap the yarn over the hook twice and insert hook into 5th chain from
hook (Fig.99).

2. Wrap the yarn over the hook, draw through the chain only and wrap the yarn
again (Fig.100).

3. Draw through the first 2 loops only and wrap the yarn again (Fig.101).

4. Draw through the next 2 loops only and wrap the yarn again (Fig.102).

5. Draw through the last 2 loops on hook - 1 dtr made (Fig.103).

Triple treble (ttr)

1. Wrap the yarn over hook 3 times and insert the hook into 6th chain from
hook (Fig.104).

2. Wrap the yarn over the hook, draw through the chain only and wrap the yarn
again (Fig.105).

3. Draw through the first 2 loops only and wrap the yarn again (Fig.106), then
repeat this last step twice more (Fig.107).

4. Draw through the last 2 loops on hook - 1 ttr made (Fig.108).

Longer Basic Stitches

Longer basic stitches - usually called Quadruple Treble (quad tr), Quintuple
Treble (quin tr), Sextuple Treble (sext tr), etc - are made by wrapping the yarn
4, 5, 6, etc, times over the hook at the beginning and by wrapping and drawing
through 2 loops more times to complete the stitch.

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