Chain stitch (ch)
ch in US and UK patterns. German: Luftmasche.
A chain is the first stitch in crochet. With a loop on your hook, wrap the yarn over the hook and pull it through that loop. The new loop on the hook is the next chain. Repeat until you have the number of chains your pattern asks for.
Step by step
Scroll through the steps and the model follows. Tap a step to jump to it.
- Start with a slip knot on the hook (the first chains are already made).
- Yarn over: wrap the yarn over the hook from back to front.
- Pull the yarn through the loop on the hook. That is 1 chain.
- Yarn over.
- Yarn over and pull through again: 2 chains.
- Yarn over.
- Three chains made. Keep going the same way until the chain is as long as your pattern says.
Names and turning chain
- US
- chain (ch)
- UK
- chain (ch)
- German
- Luftmasche (Lm)
- Turning chain
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When you use it
Almost every project starts with a row of chains, called the foundation chain. It is also how you add height at the start of a row (a turning chain) and how you make gaps and loops in lace.
A good chain is even: every link the same size, and loose enough that you can push the hook into it again later. Most beginners chain too tightly. If the hook sticks when you come back to work into the chain, go up one hook size for the foundation chain only.
How to count it
Count the V-shaped links on the front of the chain. Do not count the loop on your hook, and do not count the slip knot.
Practice piece
Chains are only easy once your tension is even, and that takes a few minutes of plain practice before any pattern.
- Make a slip knot, put it on the hook and pull the tail until the loop sits snugly around the shaft, not tight.
- Chain 20. After each chain, move your yarn-holding hand up so you are always pinching the fabric just below the hook.
- Lay the chain flat and look along it. Pull it out and chain 20 again until the V's are all about the same size.
A good practice chain lies flat, every V is about as wide as the hook's shaft, and you can push the hook into any of them without forcing it. That is the chain you will need for the single crochet swatch next.
No yarn yet? For your first stitches, use a smooth, light-colored worsted-weight yarn and a 5.5 mm (I-9) hook. What yarn and hook to buy.
How it looks in a pattern
Ch 16.
Make 16 chains, not counting the loop on the hook. A number after "ch" is always how many chains to make; "ch-sp" later in a pattern means the space under a chain you made earlier, and you work into that gap, not into the chain itself.
Common mistakes
- Chaining too tightlyThe loop should slide along the hook's shaft, not bite into the throat. Pull the new loop up to the full width of the shaft before you start the next one.
- Counting the loop on the hookThe loop on the hook is not a chain yet. Count only the finished links below it.
- A twisted foundation chainWhen you join a chain into a ring, check that the V's all face you. A twist carries into every round after it.
Questions
- How many chains do I need?
- Your pattern gives the number. For a practice swatch, 16 chains is a good size: work 15 single crochets back along it.
- Which side of the chain do I work into?
- Most patterns want you to go under the top loop only, or under the top loop and the back bump. The back bump gives a neater bottom edge.
- Why does my chain curl?
- It is too tight compared with the stitches you work into it. Use a hook one size bigger for the chain.