How to Crochet the Foundation Double Crochet

I often see the question tossed around in crochet circles… what is your favorite stitch? I always have the hardest time answering that question! I love them all! But I do have to say that one of my favorite crochet stitches, or techniques, is the foundation stitch. Some people call these “chainless foundation” stitches.

[scroll down to skip the intro and go straight to the tutorial]

What is a Foundation Stitch?

Essentially, the foundation stitch allows your to complete your beginning chain and your first row of stitches simultaneously. There are several kinds of foundation stitches: foundation double crochet, foundation half-double crochet and foundation single crochet. But since I use the foundation double crochet the most, I am going to focus on that for this post.

Why I love Foundation Stitches

The first reason I love foundation double crochet is because it is such a TIME SAVER!! That’s a good enough reason to learn it right there. No need for more convincing… but there’s more…

The second reason I love foundation double crochet stitches is because I don’t have to deal with my beginning chain getting all tangled or twisted. Especially if it is a long row! It is much easier to keep the entire row from getting twisted up when it is a little thicker.

And lastly, the third reason I love foundation double crochet is that it creates a much stretchier row than when you start with the beginning chain alone. This is especially helpful when doing a project in the round. When you crochet a hat band in the round, from the bottom up, it needs to stretch. Beginning with a chain will not give you much flexibility. I learned this the hard way and it is actually the whole reason I made the effort to learn foundation double crochet in the first place!

Learning the foundation double crochet can feel tricky. The first time I tried it I had a hard time and put it aside for a while. But after trying a second time, I finally got the hang of it and I am so glad I pushed through. I now use this technique all the time and, like I said, it is one of my top faves!

Video Tutorial

I hope this video tutorial will help you to learn the foundation double crochet with ease!

Written tutorial:

1. Chain 2.
2. YO and insert hook into the second chain from your hook.
   
3. YO and pull through chain.
4. YO and pull through 1.
5. YO and pull through 2.
6. YO and pull through 2. You have now completed the first base chain and first double crochet of your row.
7. YO and insert hook into the ‘v’ that is directly to the right of your slip knot (the first base chain of your row)
   
8. YO and pull through the chain.
9. YO and pull through 1.
10. YO and pull through 2.
11. YO and pull through 2. You have now completed your second base chain and second double crochet of your row.
12. YO and insert hook into the base chain of the last stitch.
    
13. YO and pull through chain.
14. YO and pull through 1.
15. YO and pull through 2.
16. YO and pull through 2.
17. Continue steps 12-16 until you have the total number of double crochet stitches that you need for your first row.