Do you know what it means when a crochet pattern tells you to “chain a multiple of _____”? It can be hard to follow instructions when you don’t have all the required knowledge! You need to understand the crochet starting chain formula as well as the crochet turning chain.
If you want to learn to crochet, I believe you need to be taught more than just crochet stitch instructions. That is why I aim to teach you beyond basic crochet instructions for beginners, not just the stitch. There is no sense in learning various crochet stitches if you can only crochet something by following a YouTube video. You need to understand how things work, not just how to do them, so you can crochet ON YOUR OWN!
This is a great way to learn to crochet for absolute beginner because it is sometimes easier to learn when you are just starting out. As an absolute beginner, you can start a better foundation to build on by learning some of these OTHER basics. The type of stuff I am going to teach you is not taught in a how-to video. A how-to video is simply crochet stitch instructions, but there is more to crocheting than simply crocheting the stitches.
Learning the real basics of crochet will also help you figure out your mistakes. If you understand what you are doing, you will understand why your edges aren’t even or why your circles aren’t flat or perfectly round. These are common questions that are asked all the time!
Chain a multiple of ____
The chain stitch is literally the foundation stitch of crochet, but did you know there is so much more you need to know about chain stitches besides just counting them and knowing how to crochet the chain stitch with even tension? This is what I mean when I say I want to teach you beyond the basic crochet instructions, not how-to. Learn this stuff starting out, and your journey to learn to crochet will be much easier!
First you need to understand that you crochet from the top down. Think about this, you have just finished your row of double crochets. When your row ends, your hook is level with the top of the ending row. You cannot start the next row until you move the hook back up above the top of the row. You do that by creating crochet turning chains. The chain lifts the working yarn away from the row so that you can start again by inserting you hook into the row below. But how many crochet turning chains do you need?
Crochet Turning Chain
Each stitch that you create has a height factor to it. To explain this, visualize how high each stitch is when you crochet it. A double crochet is taller than a single crochet, right? This height also has a corresponding amount of chains to it.
When you crochet a single crochet, that stitch is the height of one chain stitch. A double crochet would be the height of 2 chains, and a triple crochet would be the height of 3 chains. Side note: A half double crochet is also 2 chain stitches.
This is why sometimes when you end a row you chain 2 for a double crochet turning chain and sometimes you chain another number depending on which stitch you are working with. It correlates to the height of the stitch.
This also correlates to how many chains you skip. As I said, a double crochet is the height of 2 chains. So if you chain 4 and DC in the 3rd chain from the hook, the 2 chains you skip are essentially a DC stitch because they equal the same size/height. Those 2 skipped stitches are you crochet turning chain stitches!
Crochet Starting Chain Formula
Understanding this concept also helps you understand what it means when it says chain a multiple of ____ plus ____. Typically the plus number is your turning chain. If you are aiming to create 3 double crochets, you would need 4 chains. You would chain 4 and then double crochet in the 3rd and 4th chains from the hook. The first 2 chains that you skip are your turning chain AND your 3rd double crochet.
Ok, so the above paragraph was about the PLUS stiches, this is the MULTIPLE OF stitches. The multiple of means that it takes a certain amount of chains to create the stitch. You can’t crochet the stitch if you don’t have the right number of chains.
An example of this would be the crown pattern I designed. The crown has peaks that are created by crocheting 6 stitches into 6 chains. Every peak you want to crochet needs 6 stitches, so you have to have 6 chains to put it in. So to start that pattern you would chain multiples of 6 until you reach you desired length.
If this same pattern is crocheted in rows, you have to add the turning chain to the end. Now the pattern would read “chain a multiple of 6 + 2”. In other words, you would chain 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 36, 42, etc, until you reached the desired size, and then add 2 for the turning chain.
So many times we see patterns that say to chain a multiple of something and add turning chains, but it is never actually explained what that means. I think once you understand the meaning behind what you are being told to do, you understand it so much better.
Learning these “OTHER” basics of crochet really take your abilities to the next level. These are the basics that take you to creating your own items and not just following patterns. I have only recently begun to understand these concepts myself, but that is why I am explaining them in my blog. No one else is spelling it out for those of us trying to learn and improve our skills.
Everyday I am learning more and more of these “other” basics that I will be sharing with you. Just this past week I started crocheting a basket and I have learned a ton from that experience. Once I was able to read the pattern and understand the concept, I was able to throw out the pattern and make the vision that was in my head.
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