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How to Crochet Without Making a Chain First
Do you ever wish you didn’t need to make a chain before you start crocheting the main stitch?
Most crochet projects start with a foundation chain. Sometimes, it would be better to not make a chain first. For example, the length of a chain is often different from the final item once you add the main stitch, so it can be difficult to predict how long the chain should be. And sometimes there just is no chain there to stitch into, and you need to stitch into thin air.
The Foundation Double Crochet (Foundation dc, or Fdc) stitch creates the chain as you go, so you don’t have to make the chain first. To do the Fdc, first yarn over (YO), then insert the hook into the chain from the previous stitch. Next, YO and pull through only one loop. This creates the chain for the stitch you are about to make. Then, complete the stitch by doing a yarn over (YO) and pull through two loops, twice.
As a result, the dc stitches are joined with a chain along the bottom as you go. While a Foundation Double Crochet is probably most common, you can make any stitch into a Foundation stitch by adding the extra loop at the beginning of the stitch and using that as the chain as you go across.
Watch this video to learn how to crochet the Foundation Double Crochet stitch:
Put this stitch into practice with these patterns:
