This foundation single crochet tutorial is broken down by each teeny-tiny step and includes a quick video demonstration at the end.  When I first attempted to learn this technique from a magazine, I had pretty good illustrations to go by, but I was still totally confused by the whole thing.  It took me 3 or 4 tries over a couple of months to even feel confident that I was doing this correctly.

Hopefully with photos of each step, you'll be able to learn this a little easier than I did.  Foundation single crochet is a wonderful technique.  Any time you start with a chain and a row of single crochet on top of the chain, you can use this technique, and that's the bulk of the crochet patterns out there!

For using a foundation single crochet row in the middle of your crochet piece, like the handles of my handbag or the armholes in a sweater, check out my foundation single crochet supplement.

Foundation crochet stitches were developed by (or popularized by - I haven't actually seen his book, so I don't know if he came up with this himself or if he discovered the technique from another source) Bill Elmore.  There is foundation single crochet, foundation double crochet, foundation triple crochet, etc ... and the idea is that you're making the initial chain row and the single (or double or triple) crochet row at the same time.

The reasons foundation stitches awesome are:

• You won't have to rip everything out and start again if you miscounted your initial chain row.


• You won't have a loose, floppy chain row dangling off your first row of single crochet.


• You won't have a tight, constricting chain row buckling your first row of single crochet.


• You can use foundation crochet to determine the size of a row when it's not set because the stitches are true-to-size unlike a chain, which is impossible to use as a row-length gauge.


• You can easily attach crochet stitches to the top and bottom of the foundation row because the top and bottom look identical.

Basic Instructions

First Stitch

• Chain two
• Insert hook under top two strands of first chain
• Yarn over, pull through the two strands of the first chain (link)
• Yarn over, pull through one loop (chain part)
• Yarn over, pull through two loops (single crochet part)

Second (And All Other) Stitch(es)

• Insert hook in chain part of previous stitch under left and back strands of chain part
• Yarn over, pull through the two strands of the previous chain (link)
• Yarn over, pull through one loop (chain part)
• Yarn over, pull through two loops (single crochet part)
• repeat to end

Detailed instructions (text is above its corresponding photo)

FIRST STITCH

1.  Chain two.  The chain is an upside down teardrop shape.  I will refer to the sides of the upside down teardrop as the right and left strand of the chain and collectively as the top strands of the chain.


2. This is the back of the chain.  I will refer to the vertical piece of yarn behind the upside down teardrop as the back strand of the chain.


3. This is showing you where you will insert your hook from the right to the left between the top strands of the chain and the bottom strand of the chain.


4. Here the hook has been inserted from right to left between the top strands of the chain and the bottom strand of the chain.


5. The same as photo 4 except that I'm holding the piece.


6. Yarn over.


7. Pull yarn through the first chain strands.  You will now have two loops on your hook.  This links this stitch to the initial chain.


8. Same as photo 7, but a different angle.


9. Yarn over.


10. Pull through one loop.  This is the chain part of the foundation single crochet.  I've marked the left, right, and back strand of the chain.  Be sure to make the chain part of your fsc stitches loosely.  If it's too tight, your row will start to curve in on it'self.  See evidence here.


11. Insert a stitch marker in the chain part so you separate the left and back strand from the right strand.  When you start the next foundation single crochet stitch, this is where you will insert your hook to link the stitches.  This marker will also be helpful if you are going to connect your foundation single crochet row into a loop.


12. Same as photo 11 except turned a little so you can see the back strand of the chain part of this foundation single crochet.


13. Yarn over.


14. Pull through two loops.  This is the single crochet part of the foundation single crochet.  The first foundation single crochet stitch is now complete.


15. Insert a stitch marker under the top two strands of the single crochet part of the foundation single crochet to mark the first stitch.  This marker is helpful because you can easily find the first stitch when counting the stitches in your row.  This marker will also be helpful if you are going to connect your foundation single crochet row into a loop.


SECOND STITCH

16. Insert hook into the chain part of the previous foundation single crochet so the left strand and back strand are on the left and the right strand is on the right.  This is the place where we put the stitch marker in photo 11.


17. Yarn over.


18. Pull yarn through the chain strands.  You will now have two loops on your hook.  This links this stitch to the previous stitch.


19. Yarn over.


20. Pull through one loop.  This is the chain part of the foundation single crochet.  I've marked the left, right, and back strand of the chain.


21. Insert a stitch marker in the chain part so you separate the left and back strand from the right strand.  When you start the next foundation single crochet stitch, this is where you will insert your hook to link the stitches.


22. Yarn over.


23. Pull through two loops.  This is the single crochet part of the foundation single crochet.  The second foundation single crochet stitch is now complete.


THIRD STITCH

24. Insert hook into the chain part of the previous foundation single crochet so the left strand and back strand are on the left and the right strand is on the right.  This is the place where we put the stitch marker in photo 21.


25. Yarn over.


26. Pull yarn through the chain strands.  You will now have two loops on your hook.  This links this stitch to the previous stitch.


27. Yarn over.


28. Pull through one loop.  This is the chain part of the foundation single crochet.  If you think it would be helpful, move the stitch marker from the chain part of the second foundation single crochet and insert it here like in photo 21 so you will know where to insert your hook for the next stitch.  I prefer to grab the chain, like I show in the next photo.


29. After I make the chain part of of a foundation single crochet, I like to grab it.  Grabbing the chain part give me leverage for making the single crochet part of the stitch *and* it helps me find the place where I'll be inserting my hook when I start the next foundation single crochet stitch.


30. Yarn over.


31. Pull through two loops.  This is the single crochet part of the foundation single crochet.  The third foundation single crochet stitch is now complete.


32. Here I am inserting my hook into the chain part of the third foundation single crochet stitch.  These are the strands that I grabbed in photo 29.  This is the first step of stitch 4.

Repeat from photo 24 to 31 until the end of your row.

Movie Time!

I've been wanting to make a tutorial video forever.  Months ago I had Andrew write a theme song for me, and I've been dreaming of playing it during a funny, over-the-top opening montage of me being ridiculously crafty.  But I'm going to take this in baby steps, so my first video sorta sucks, but it fulfills it's purpose.  Much like the photos in my first post.

In the video I wanted to show you how you can get in a rhythm while doing foundation single crochet, and how your work will flow down from your hook.  It always helps me to actually see something being done, so I bet many of you would benefit from it, too.



As always, I'd love any feedback (good or bad) you have about this tutorial.

I'm preparing to write a foundation single crochet tutorial for the blog.  For those of you who are unfamiliar with foundation single crochet, it's the act of creating a row of chain and single crochet all at once to use as a foundation for more rows.  It replaces the initial chain that starts most projects.

The question I wanted to answer before I started the tutorial is which strands to go under on the initial foundation single crochet.  You start with two chain stitches, then you put your hook back into the first chain to start the first foundation single crochet.

In my little diagram above, I labeled the three strands of the chain A (right), B (back), and C (left).  I made samples that had me putting my hook behind AB, A, C, and AC*.

After making all the samples of foundation single crochet, I also made samples starting with a chain and single crocheting into the top and another where I single crocheted into the bottom strand of the chain (which is what I normally do) .

I compared my foundation single crochet samples with the traditional chain and single crochet samples.  The blue sample (C) matched the white sample (chain with single crochet in the bottom strand) most closely when viewed from the side and end.

But when I compared the yellow (AC) and blue foundation single crochet samples, I liked the profile of the yellow sample more.  Also, the yellow sample's leading yarn (the starting yarn end) was securely anchored to the piece.  

Many of the samples' leading yarns were loose and would tighten up a lot and pinch the end when you pulled them.  And, if you didn't pinch the end by pulling them, they were awfully loose and looked like they might unravel themselves.  The yellow sample couldn't be squished up by pulling on the leading yarn bit and it wasn't loose, either.  Perfect.

So now I just need to do the tutorial!

* As I was typing that, I realized I didn't do a version where I put my hook behind B, so I tried it real quick and compared it to the rest of the samples.  There was a weird space I didn't like.  I didn't bother trying BC because I'd have to twist the chains and I'm sure it would look weird.

Argh.  OK, so I just tried BC and it's almost identical to C.  So I'm still set on AC.

I'm putting together a box of Easter candy for one of my international blog-friends who sent me two (two! yes, I am spoiled rotten ... ) surprise boxes of German Christmas gingerbread, chocolates, and all sorts of delicious things.

Except for getting underpants every year, I have fond memories of getting my basket full of candy (and underpants) on Easter morning, and I want to give Isa a tiny taste of that joy.  Along with the candy eggs, Peeps, and a chocolate bunny, I wanted to add something small that I made into the box.

This is what I ended up with.  I love this bunny so much!  I layered two pieces of fabric, on top of that I put a piece of tear-away stabilizer which had the bunny traced on it, then stitched the outline, tore away the stabilizer, trimmed the pink fabric away around the edge of the stitching.  Cake!  It took about 30 minutes total.

Well, cake except for the first version which sucked royally and took hours!  ;)  I tried just sewing the outline on a piece of fabric, but the bunny got lost in the busy print.  Then I thought I'd fill in the bunny-spaces, but that was looking horrible the more I stitched.  So I decided to start over.  ... although I thought that little flower on his bum was cute ...

The little fabric squares were in a box of crafty scraps that ... someone (cripes, I can't remember) ... sent to me.  There are a handful of them already cut and ironed for a quilt in bright pinks.  I'm so happy I finally used a couple of them.

The bunny art came from this Dover Book (which I bought for a dollar during a book sale last year. score!). As you can see, I simplified the lines for my patch.  Sometimes I totally feel like using clip art is cheating, but really, these books are awesome. Especially when you aren't world's best artist.

I'm not the only stitcher that has used this book.  Do you recognize the rooster on the cover of this book?

It was terribly hard to restrain myself from titling this post with some snarky "Everybunny"  kind of title.  The only thing that saved the day was that I couldn't come up with something sufficiently funny.  I am *so* not a holiday person (remember these?), but looking at all the Eastery things at the store through different eyes to pick out what I should send Isa has made all the holiday excess almost bearable.  Almost.

I got the most wonderful mix of mushrooms from the swap.  Thanks, Sonya!

Made by Michelle of Green Kitchen


Made by Adrienne of The Dye Garden


Made by Sandra  of MiauMau


Made by Lisa who is lgedigian on Flickr


Made by Nada of Craft Monkey

More photos on my Flickr.

So I've named the poncho "Ponchi: The Poncho With No Name."  It started with nancymoo who mentioned Clint Eastwood in the comments, which got us thinking about his Spaghetti Westerns where he was the character known as the man with no name.  At first it was just going to be "the poncho with no name," but we've been several movies lately (and this and this)  that have kooky names with colons in them so we thought it would be funny to actually *name* the poncho and call it the poncho with no name.

The name doesn't make a lick of sense, but I dare you to say it out loud (be sure to say "colon" too) and not start laughing.  Really.  I dare you.

See?

When we named it earlier this week I didn't think the name would stick, but it has.  Unfortunately, it's just the "Ponchi" part though, which I see in my head as "paunchy."  Oh, well.  Ponchi keeps me super-warm, so I'll forgive him.

Ponchi was made using yarn left over from this pillow I made three years ago.  The pillow's name is Sally, and she sleeps with us every night.  That's how I know how warm that yarn can be.  I bought the tan and brown around the same time to make another bed pillow, but I never got around to it.

The nice stripes on the front are totally accidental, which you can tell by looking at the back (above).  In version 1 I tried to do nice stripes, but after that I didn't really force things and just used the yarn as it had been segmented in previous versions.  I was hoping for all sorts of broken rows (not just the one blue one), but I like how it came out.

Many of the poncho patterns I found had a ton of extra fabric in them that billowed around you.  I wanted something much more compact to keep the drafts out.  I like that it fits me exactly and is just the right length that I can still use my arms below the elbow.

The yarn is Red Heart Plush which is soft and warm.  Over time it does get sort of matted down, but Ponchi won't be leaving the house, so that's not a concern for me.  I made the poncho to wear while watching TV on the couch.  I made a huge, warm blanket that works great for two people, but when I get up to get a snack, or whatever, I can't take the blanket with me.  Ponchi is going to keep me warm on my excursions from the couch on cold winter nights.

Now that it seems Spring is upon us, I probably won't get a chance to actually *use* Ponchi until next year.  ... not that I'm complaining about the weather getting nicer!

"Poncho" is one of a group of words that really makes my skin crawl.  It just rubs me the wrong way.  I think that's why I haven't mentioned the (ugh!) poncho I've been working on for the last 3-4 weeks.

I'm on version 5.1 right now.  Version 1 was a patternless circle thing which was terrible looking.  Version 2 was made after looking at a 1970s pattern where I accidentally changed the double crochet to single crochet ... which didn't work.  Version 3 was when I actually tried to follow the pattern, but I read it incorrectly.  Version 4 was me correctly interpreting the pattern and adding a little something that made it better, but then I realized that I didn't like the 1970s pattern after all.  Version 5.0 was partly my altered version of the 1970s pattern with a whole new thing, but it was still TOO MUCH.  Version 5.1 (so named because I didn't start completely over, I just frogged a little) was tweaked a little to keep it snug, and I think it's coming along nicely now.

Anyway.  For the last 4 weeks I've been dragging this around and working on it.  I think I could have crocheted an army of ponchos with all the actual hooking I've done.  Every time Andrew asks me what I'm working on I respond with a snarky comment because I can't bring myself to say "poncho."

So, what are the alternatives to that dreaded word?  Are there any already out there?  Can you help me come up with something?  Maybe even a new word.  I kinda like "bundler."  "Torso cozy" sounds really disgusting, which makes me like it, but I don't think I'd enjoy saying "torso cozy" any more than "poncho" ... unless people recoiled when I said it.  :)

I'll give you more details in the next poncho-post when I have more of it done.

The title of my post is a parody of a parody.  Around these parts we've been getting pummelled with commercials for Snuggie ("a blanket with sleeves").  It's a stupid commercial for a stupid product, and it's been totally annoying me.  You gotta love youtube, because someone posted the commercial with a new voiceover that is HILARIOUS.  Watch the original Snuggie commercial (if you haven't seen it) and the WTF Blanket parody (NSFW) for maximum funniest.

Most of the projects in the book are joined-motif projects.  There are tons of tops like these that use round, square, or polygon motifs ... with varying degrees of success.  I think these two are sorta cute.

I absolutely *love* this motif.  It brings dahlias to mind.  Beautiful!  I'm not a shawl kinda girl, but for a blanket , purse, or maybe even a skirt these would be awesome.

These tiny motifs terrify me.  The book my flower purse came from had a similar, tiny pattern.  Can you imagine making minuscule, one-round motifs and joining them?  Think of all those ends to weave in.  That tiny table runner has 112 motifs!

This ball is completely wonderful.  It hearkens back to the giant floor ball (scroll down!) which Diane knows is one of my favorite crochet projects.  ever.

This ball is made from motifs that have a round of hairpin lace!  That's something I've never seen before.  I love the spiderwebby feel of the hairpin lace and totally want to try this out someday.

I hope you've enjoyed this peek into a 1966 Japanese craft book.  Really, I just scraped the surface of this wonderful time capsule!

View all of the posts about this vintage Japanese craft book.  And, before you even ask, this publication is covered by copyright law, so I can't send you any of the patterns in it.

As I said in the first post, in 1966 they hadn't perfected the beautiful aesthetic that dominates the best of the current Japanese craft books nowadays.  Here's a sampling of this book's goofiness.

Here's a photo that would fit right in with Threadbared's Bizarre Model Poses.  I call this one "After we robbed that bank, I jumped the barbed wire fence in the back parking lot.  I made it out of there, but  I have a scar from here to here."

And how about this outfit?  Diane pointed this one out to me.  I can't imagine sitting on a field of 3-D crochet buttercups is very comfortable.

I don't think I have to say much about this granny square sweater ... except that I'm horrified that I almost like it.  The one thing that keeps me from crossing into cheeseville is the flesh-colored yarn.  Not only does the word "flesh" gross me out, but that pale-peachy-putty color makes me think of raw chicken skin.  Gross!

Many of the color combinations (where there are even color photos) either recall the colors of the 60's (as I imagine them) or are bound by the limitations of available yarn colors.  Somehow this blanket transcends all taste and color sensibilities with its mind-boggling mix of colors: yellow, dark green, turquoise, dark blue, light gray, orange, and black.

The icing on the cakewreck is a slew of Kimono Cover Ups.  Really?!  Yes, really.

View all of the posts about this vintage Japanese craft book (once they are all posted).  And, before you even ask, this publication is covered by copyright law, so I can't send you any of the patterns in it.

There are many-many handbag patterns featured in the book.  All of them are pieced from motifs.  These are just a few of my favorites!

I can definitely see myself making one of these some day!

View all of the posts about this vintage Japanese craft book (once they are all posted).  And, before you even ask, this publication is covered by copyright law, so I can't send you any of the patterns in it.

I couldn't resist whipping up one of the peacock-like squares I mentioned in last post.  Front on the left, back on the right.

This is as close as I can get to peacock colors with my stash.  Not too shabby, though. :)  As you can see, I carried the blue along the back ... I'm not exactly sure if that was what I was supposed to do with it.  I *was* supposed to make those chains, but I wasn't quite sure where they should end up.  By tacking them to the back of that stitch, they keep themselves behind the purple, which hides them nicely.

Someday I'd like to try to make an actual peacock feather block ... because ... why not?  

Oh!  And extra points for Sharon for coming up with "Radial Symmetry" as the actual word which corresponds to my fake* word, "kaleidoscopic," which actually means "continually shifting or rapidly changing."

Late addition: Blaize points out that the blocks aren't actually radially symmetrical, technically, they are horizontally and vertically symmetrical.  But the *best* is her link to a symmetry chart which has me saying "orbicular" over and over.  I'm totally going to try to slip that into a sentence this week.

* I thought it was a fake word in the last post because I totally spelled it wrong. That's what I get for relying on Google suggest!  Kaleidoscopic, when spelled correctly, is a real word.

One of the things I noticed in this magazine is that the projects feature many techniques that you never see used now (meaning the last 20 years).

The motifs in the tank top picture above are worked in the cream, and then the brown detailing is added on top of that.  I don't know if I've ever seen a granny square pattern where a round of stitches crosses the boundaries of more than the row below it.  Certainly I've never seen one where you're chaining and stitching all over the top of it.


Why?  Why aren't we doing this all over the place?  Think of the possibilities!

Another technique you almost never see is motifs that aren't kaladascopic*.  The sweater above is my *absolute* favorite project in this magazine.  I love everything about it.

You can see on the left that they give you all the altered patterns for the motifs to put around the collar and armholes.  I love the wide almost-cowl neck.  The back and arms are a lacy crochet pattern.  I imagine it in bright peacock colors.

I don't know if I'll actually attempt it, though.  I've noticed that there are outfits that adorable, tiny Asian girls can wear and look oh-so-cute, while everyone else in the world looks *ridiculous* in them.  I suspect this is one of those items. :)

View all of the posts about this vintage Japanese craft book (once they are all posted).  And, before you even ask, this publication is covered by copyright law, so I can't send you any of the patterns in it.

* This is not a word.  Is there a word for something that is symmetric top to bottom and left to right in the same way?  I googled myself to death trying to find out if there's a word for it.  There must be.  Blaize?

OK.  I've tried to write this post intro several times and it's coming out all wrong.  Everything I write sounds over the top and a little maniacal.  

So let's just start with the facts.

Mimi found this Japanese craft book (or maybe it's a magazine?) from 1966.  She gave it to Diane when she was in Portland.  Mimi told Diane that she thought that either Diane or I would really love it.  Diane sent it to me.  I've never met either of them in real life.

Unbelievable, isn't it?  See why I have trouble talking about it without sounding like my head is exploding with happiness, or gushing about how great I think Mimi and Diane are, or generally being über cheerful in the worst possible way?

Well, let's get to it.   There's so much to talk about that I'm going to split it up into several posts this week.

It was very difficult to pick what to take pictures of because the whole damn thing is wonderful.  Every page, every photo, every diagram.  Wonderful.  

I have about 20 bookmarks in it right now for projects I want to try out.  Above is the front and back cover.  Isn't that ad a hoot?!  What in the world is she doing with that yarn?  Where in the world is it going? Is the photographer on a ladder?  Really, what is up with that?

Those of you with Eagle eyes will see the rooster Ondori logo in the top right corner of the cover.  They've been rockin' the craft world for decades!

You are going to notice that they hadn't quite nailed the beautiful aesthetic that many Japanese craft books have now, although it does have it's own charm.  The wonderful thing is that they *did* already have the incredibly easy to understand instructions down pat.  I could make every project in this magazine because the diagrams are so clear.

When projects are made of motifs (like a granny square) they show you how to make every permutation of the motif if they get altered to fit around an armhole or neck hole.  See the A, B, and C versions of the motif above?

They also have detailed instructions for joining motifs and finishing each of the projects.  Many craft books simply say "join side seams" which always irks me.

This diagram is the exception.  I don't even have a clue where that web of chains even starts, let alone what path you're supposed to follow.  It makes me laugh every time I see it.

View all of the posts about this vintage Japanese craft book (once they are all posted).  And, before you even ask, this publication is covered by copyright law, so I can't send you any of the patterns in it.