How to Make a Slip Knot and Your First Foundation Chain

Every crochet project – every single one – begins the same way: a slip knot on the hook, followed by a row of chain stitches called the foundation chain. Get comfortable with these two things and you’ve cleared the first real hurdle. They take about five minutes to learn and a little practice to make neat.

Making the slip knot

The slip knot is just an adjustable loop that anchors your yarn to the hook.

1. Leave a tail about six inches long, and make a loop with the yarn so the tail crosses behind the working yarn (the strand still attached to the ball).
2. Reach through the loop and pull the working yarn through to form a new loop.
3. Slide that loop onto your hook and gently pull the working yarn to snug it up – not tight, just secure.

The chain stitch (ch)

With the slip knot on your hook, you’re ready to chain:

1. Hold the base of the slip knot with your yarn hand to keep it steady.
2. Wrap the working yarn over the hook from back to front. This is called a “yarn over,” and you’ll do it constantly – it’s worth naming now.
3. Catch the yarn in the hook’s throat and draw it back through the loop already on the hook.

That’s one chain. You now have a fresh loop on the hook, ready for the next one. Repeat: yarn over, pull through. Each repeat makes one more chain, and together they form a little braid.

How to count your chains

Look at the front of the chain and you’ll see a row of “V” shapes, each one a single chain. So to make a foundation chain of 10, you make 10 V’s after the slip knot, ignoring the loop on the hook.

Counting matters because patterns tell you exactly how many to start with, and being off by one or two throws off the whole first row. When in doubt, lay the chain flat and count the V’s twice.

The two most common beginner problems

Chains that twist. A little curl is normal and relaxes once you work into it. Just make sure the chain isn’t physically twisted like a spiral before you start your first row, or the edge will be wonky.

What comes next

Once your foundation chain is neat and counted, you’re ready to work your first real stitch into it. The single crochet is the usual next step, and it’s the stitch most beginner projects lean on. From a slip knot to a chain to a first row – that’s the whole on-ramp, and you’ve just done most of it.

Frequently asked questions

Do I count the loop on the hook as a chain? No. The loop on the hook is always a work-in-progress loop, never counted. Count only the finished V’s.

Why does my pattern say to chain extra at the start of a row? Those extra chains, called a turning chain, give your stitch enough height to reach the top of the row. Each stitch type needs a different number, and your pattern will tell you.

My foundation chain keeps coming out too tight. Help? Try holding the yarn a little looser, or make your foundation chain with a hook one size larger than the pattern calls for, then switch back for the rest.