18 detailed ways to figure out Turning Chains in Crochet
Turning chains can be confusing for a variety of reasons. Foundation chains are simple enough to understand but when you start working on turning chains, it can be confusing when you read the pattern and wonder whether it is counted as a stitch along the row. Here in this post, I talk about the basics of a chain first, then clarify some questions about stitch counts, talk about turning and crocheting on top of a turning chain, and also about whether to skip the first stitch when crocheting. So let us get started!
Table of Contents Show
What is a crochet chain stitch?
There are generally 2 types of crochet chain stitches - foundation chain and turning chain. The next natural progression after a slip knot is a foundation chain.
A foundation chain is a special type of chain stitch that you need to make before you start making your first row of crochet. A foundation chain is made up of 2 chains and then it will be repeated as many times as needed until the chain is the desired length.
How to crochet chain stitch?
Foundation chain
To crochet a foundation chain, you should have a slip knot resting on the very top of your crochet hook, then yarn over the very tip of your crochet hook and pull through the loop on the hook. This is the best and quickest way to make your chain stitch. This is it. Simple!
Repeat this process above a few more times, for example if a pattern says chain 7, then repeat this above process a total of 7 times to create 7 chain stitches. This forms the foundation chain in crochet.
Turning chain
The turning chain stitch is only used when making a project that is to be turned, after you have completed rows of stitches. The process of crocheting the chain is the same but it is used differently from a foundation chain.
Is a chain considered a stitch in crochet?
A chain is not considered a stitch in crochet. When the foundation chain is written in a pattern, the number of chains made is not counted to the final stitch count of the row. Similarly, the turning chain after each row is not counted as a stitch and is not part of the stitches in that row.
What is considered the first chain in crochet?
When crocheting in the second row, insert the hook into second chain from hook. So the first chain in crochet would be the first chain away from the hook. When counting the chains, DO NOT include in the initial slip knot or the loop that the hook is in - they are not counted as chains.
Does the loop on the hook count as a chain?
No it does not count as a chain. Just for clarification I decided to add this in as well. Like I mentioned above, the initial slip knot and also the loop on the hook do not count as chains. So when you are supposed to crochet down the chain, always insert into second chain from hook.
What does it mean to turn in crochet?
After you finish crocheting a row, usually you will turn or flip the whole piece and then continue to work back across the row. Then once that row is done, you will similarly turn again and work back again over the next row.
How do you do a turn in crochet?
After working a chain and then doing single crochet stitches down the chain from right to left to get a row, you would have ended on the extreme left of the crochet project.
You would need to turn the whole piece so that the start of the row is on the extreme right again. Then you can proceed to crochet down the row again from right to left.
Which way do you turn at the end of crochet?
Different crocheters have different preferences - you could turn the whole piece clockwise or anti-clockwise. I generally turn clockwise after completing a crochet row, then continue crocheting down the top of the previous row.
Does it matter which way you turn your work in crochet?
Depending on the crocheter's preference, it might matter. If you choose to turn clockwise, the starting yarn tail and trailing yarn tail will be behind the crochet piece, while if you turn anti-clockwise, both tails will be facing you in front of the crochet piece. Some might pick clockwise if you intend to crochet into BLO and likewise, it might be easier to crochet into FLO if you pick anti-clockwise. Either way, after you have completed the next row, the final appearance does look the same.
How do you tell the front and back of crochet?
When you do a lot of turning back and forth between separate crochet rows, sometimes it is easy to lose track which is the front and back of your crochet rows.
After finishing up a chain and moving onto a row and then completing many rows, then try spotting the difference between RS and WS. The top row where you are crocheting along is the key to identifying.
If you can see the obvious 'V's along the row, then that side facing you is the right side. The wrong side on the other hand, has the 'V's in a row pointing away from you. There are many other ways of differentiating front and back of crochet rows.
Check out this comprehensive blog post on '8 effortless ways to tell Which side of yarn is Right side in Crochet', which goes through chains, rows and rounds in further detail.
What does it mean to crochet in top of turning chain?
Once you have completed one crochet row and you want to move onto the next, you would have to chain first at the end of the row, then turn the whole piece, and finally continue working down the top of the previous row. This process repeats again after completing the row and then moving to the next row on top.
What is the purpose of a turning chain?
You would usually crochet a turning chain in between separate crochet rows, it helps with transitioning from the bottom row to the next row on top. If the subsequent rows involve taller stitches like dc or tr, the turning chain helps to to keep the same height throughout the row. Each particular type of stitch corresponds to an equivalent turning chain length, which will be discussed further below.
How do you do the turning chain in crochet?
Once you have completed the whole row and reached the end of it, you could chain 1 and then turn the whole piece clockwise, which is what is most commonly done. Or you could first turn the whole piece and then do the chain 1.
After you have turned the whole piece, you should see the back side (or the wrong side) of the crochet project and also the back of the chain.
How do I crochet without turning?
Now if you are thinking whether it is possible to crochet without turning, yes of course! But this would involve crocheting from left to right, using your left hand for the subsequent row! This means for the first row, you would crochet right to left with your right hand, then for the second row, crochet left to right with your left hand. To see this in action, check out this post from Shiny Happy World, I think they showcased it very well!
Do you skip the first stitch when crocheting?
It really depends on the crochet pattern designer you are following, but I would say in general, not to skip the first stitch when crocheting after a turn. This question becomes more important later in the next part when I ask about whether a turning chain counts as a stitch on not - it depends on whether you skip the first stitch in the row after turning.
How to crochet skip first stitch?
To skip the first stitch in the row after turning the whole crochet piece, insert the hook into the second stitch and not into the base of loop on hook. If you insert into the first stitch, you will get a nice sharp corner for your crochet piece, while if you insert into the second stitch, you get a more rounded corner, so it depends on what you want to achieve.
Does turning chain count as a stitch in crochet?
The answer to this is a little more complicated, but it depends. There is a lot of variation between crochet designers so do check out for these in their pattern guide. The common consensus is it depends on where you insert your hook along the crochet row, right after you have completed the turning chain.
Once you have finished the turn and the turning chain, with the loop on the hook, if you proceed to insert the hook into the first stitch of the row (at the base of the turning chain) - then it DOES NOT count as a stitch.
If you completed the turning chain and you proceed to insert the hook into the second stitch of the row (the stitch immediately beside the base of the turning chain) - then it DOES count as a stitch.
So you see, it depends. For the most part, to make it easier for myself, I usually do the turning chain and then insert the hook into stitch at the base of the turning chain, and I will not count that chain as part of the stitch count, then proceed with the rest of the row. This choice is mostly aesthetic because I don't really like the gaps that the second method above causes, which can be even more prominent with taller stitches.
Does the turning chain count as a stitch for half double crochet?
For the number of stitches that correspond to single crochet, half double crochet or double crochet, refer to the next section where I will talk about it. Like I mentioned above, if after you have done the turning chain, you continue crocheting into the first stitch of the row at base of turning chain, then it does not count as a stitch.
Does the turning chain count as a stitch in double crochet?
If you crochet into the first stitch of the row, after finishing the turning chain, and proceed to do a double crochet stitch into the same stitch, then that turning chain is not counted as a stitch, which is what is done most of the time.
Otherwise, if you finish your turning chain, then you skip the first stitch in the row and proceed with a dc stitch into the second stitch, then that turning chain counts as a stitch.
How many stitches in a turning chain?
The last section we will talk about what are the corresponding number of chains needed in a turning chain to simulate the same height as different basic crochet stitches - sc, hdc, dc and tr stitches.
How many turning chains for single crochet?
If you want to crochet a turning chain right at the end of a single crochet row completed, and you intend to continue the next row in sc as well, then you just need a chain of 1. So finish up the row, chain 1 and turn, then proceed onto single crochet along row again.
How many turning chains for half double crochet?
Since a half double crochet is in between the height of sc and dc, at the end of a row, use a chain of 2 and then turn, and continue to work the hdc into first stitch from the hook. Then finish up the rest of the row with half double crochet stitches.
How many turning chains for double crochet?
Assume that you are working from a single crochet row and you want to start the next row with a double crochet. At the end of the row, chain 3 and turn, then continue to work the double crochet into the first stitch from the hook.
Simply because the double crochet is taller than a single crochet, to immediately get the stitches to the right height of the dc, you would have to use a chain of 3.
How many turning chains for treble crochet?
The turning chain count for treble crochet is a chain of 4, which means that the height of a chain of 4 roughly tallies with the height of a treble crochet stitch - that's how tall it is! Like I previously mentioned, especially for taller stitches, I prefer to work the turning chain and then crochet into the first stitch as the base of the turning chain so there are no obvious gaps.
Conclusion of turning chains in crochet
Hope this was useful in clarifying some common doubts about the turning chain. In all honesty, it still really boils down to the individual crochet designer's preference, because sometimes certain ways of crocheting are decided based on the final appearance you get from it. We have talked about turns in crochet, crocheting on top of turning chain, whether to skip the first stitch in the row and the corresponds number of turning chain for each basic crochet stitch.
To check out more of my ideas for using various types of crochet stitch techniques to shape amigurumi, grab my free Amigurumi Shaping Starter Guide below!
