Crochet help

[Sparkley84]

I'm attempting to learn how to crochet and I'm a little bit confused. I've literally only just started so I can mane my foundation chain and I'm trying double crochet (I think that's right, my book is American and calls it single crochet). I'm practicing making small squares and the book said that when you crochet into the foundation chain, you miss the first stitch and do the second one from the hook.

I've been doing this on every subsequent row but my crochet was getting smaller, so now I crochet into every stitch and that seems to have helped. Do you only skip the first stitch on the first row?

Also, I've been counting my stitches to try and make sure it doesn't get smaller. When I start, I make my slip knot and then count 15 chains. But then when I do my first row and crochet into the foundation chain, I only end up with 14 stitches because I've missed the first stitch. Is that correct? I have tried to crochet into that first stitch but I can't seem to.

Hope this makes sense, any help would be much appreciated please!

You don't miss a stitch on the subsequent rows - the "missed" one of the foundation chain simply creates the first stitch of your first row. With subsequent rows, you finish with a "turning chain" which does the same job.
For a UK DC, you need 1 chain, for a UK treble crochet you need 3 etc as this is pretty much how high the stitch is - when you try treble crochet it's more obvious what the purpose of this chain is.

When you've made your foundation chain 15 long, this is really 14 long plus the one turning chain so having 14 on subsequent rows is right. When you are making a foundation chain, you make it the number of chains long you want plus a number of chains for the turn at the end.

DOes this make sense? I'm crap at explaining stuff!

On the first row (working into the foundation chain) you miss the first chain.

When you get to the end of the row you make one chain (called a turning chain) and turn the work around. You then work into the second stitch from the hook - your turning chain counts as the first stitch.

If you have 15 chain and work as above you will have 14 worked stitches and a turning chain = 15 stitches. Just keep counting every row until you feel confident.

Soupy types faster than me

And I had pesky kids wanting food.

That makes complete sense! Thank you SO much! I've been reading so many tutorials and watching videos but I just didn't get it. That's great, thank you

Once I'm confident do you recommend I try treble crochet?

Yes, with treble crochet you'll skip the last 3 chains of your foundation chain (i.e. work in the 4th chain from the hook). On subsequent rows you'll make 3 turning chains but will then skip the first stitch - this is because the 3 turning chains are very tall so more noticeable than the single one. It's very important when you work back along each row that you work into the top of that chain 3 as well as the other stitches.

So, say you make a chain of 15 to start, you'll skip 3 and so end up with 12 normal trebles plus the original chain 3 (so 13 stitches). On the way back you'll make a chain 3, skip the top of the first stitch, make 11 trebles into the top of the trebles below and then make a treble into the top of the chain 3 (thus you still have 13 stitches)

Hope that makes sense!

Treble is just as easy as DC really :) When I taught myself 18 months ago or so I stopped at Treble Crochet and used it to practice by making DD a giant granny square blanket. Just doing the same thing over and over helped cement into my brain how to handle the hook and yarn. After that, everything was pretty easy.

Thanks that's really helpful :-) I think I'll try and make something after I've mastered treble so I can practice.

Thank you so much for all your help, you've made much more sense than the books!

granny stripe blanket is a great project for practicing as pp said. A person can waste a lot of time looking at the projects on attic 24

Thanks for asking question OP and thanks everyone for answers!
I too have just taught myself to crochet and was getting in a muddle counting stitches etc so a big thanks!