The Chain Stitch

Almost every project will begin by asking you to make a foundation by making some number of chain stitches. This will be the base that every other row of your project builds on. It is exactly what it sounds like, you are making a series of interconnected loops that your hook will go back into for the next row. A chain stitch is also typically used at the end of a row as a transition into the next row. Since a crochet project is always worked left to right, for most patterns, you are going to flip your work after each row. That chain on the end helps make sure you start your next row off in the correct place.

In a written pattern, the chain stitch will be abbreviated (ch).

In a pattern diagram it will be represented by an oval shape.

It is called a china stitch because when you have chained the number of stitches the pattern asked for it will look like a simple chain necklace.

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