snuffykin

See? I shall learn to crochet more than straight blocks!!! hehe.

Would you mind if I friended your journal? I usually post as souleswanderer, but my non-fic journal is soules_cookies

I'm flattered that you want to friend my journal, so go right ahead. Also, I am happy to try to answer any crochet questions you have. I have some future photo tutorials in mind to support the Doctor Who patterns: making Rose's hair and how to wire doll limbs (so you can pose them).

Hi .. For a long time I have tried to figure out how to do this, and being frustrated every time I tried to learn it, and THEN I found your site!! Thank you for this awesome tutorial which is very clear and easy to follow. Last night I finally "got it" and once a person figures out the theory behind the pattern, it all falls into place. I LOVE it, and again I appreciate your sharing this!!!
Take care,
Will

Will, I'm glad you found it helpful! At first I couldn't find any tutorials. Since I use fsc in my toy patterns, it was necessary to make up a tutorial for 'em. It is a great technique for using on crocheted garments too.

I like this. It avoids having to do all the chains. Will have to switch from "the old way."

now i know i'm doing this right! i have been stressing out thinking that i wasn't doing the Foundation right, scared that the crochet secret police will come and rip my hooks from my hand. thank you so much for putting my over imagination at ease. =)i love starting my scarves with the foundation and then stitching around it. the scarves come out even and beautiful every time.
my question, is that if this is what a single chain st looks like, what does a double look like? and how would you go about it?

Thanks for your feedback! Once I learned, I hardly ever go back to the traditional way.

Foundation Double Crochet:
In step one, chain 3 instead of 2. Yarn over first, then insert hook into the third chain from the hook (the first chain that was made).
The next steps are same as for sc, but you'll have 3 sts on the hook instead of 2. Repeat step four twice.
In step five, yarn over first, then insert hook into the chain st of the previous stitch. Again, the next steps are same as for sc, and repeat step eight twice.

Thank you so much! I have really struggled learning this from the illustrations in Interweaves Crochet mag. Your photo tutorial has made all the difference for me! I feel like a whole new world opened up. I am using the fsc for the first time on the fingerless glove pattern from Crochetme.com (http://crochetme.com/patterns/basic-fingerless-mittens)

No more tight bases for me! Thank you for sharing this, it is truly appreciated. Those illustrations just didn't compute in my brain!
cheers,
Emily
http://emilyplayz.blogspot.com/

Thanks for your feedback, Emily! I think it because photos have shadows, I have a better sense of perceiving spatial depth than with flat illustrations. Once I learned it, I now use it a lot! It's also supposed to be very good for making sock cuffs and sleeve cuffs edges nice & stretchy. Base chain foundation is less elastic a method.

i recently purchased a copy of doris chan's "amazing crochet lace;" i LOVE the patterns, but they require a chainless foundation! the tutorial in the book isn't bad, but the photos were NOT helpful. then a few days ago, i happened on your tutorial for this, and TAH-DAH!! i can do this foundation in my sleep! well, probably, anyway, lol!! thank you SO MUCH! most helpful was the dots marking the loops to insert the hook into; that particular feature is so often missing on photo tutorials which can make things a little blurry for some of us when learning a new technique :) thank you SO MUCH!! if it's alright, i'm adding you to my friends for future reference, lol :))
~christi :)
virginia beach, VA

Hi Christi! If not for Doris Chan, I would have never heard of chainless foundations. So, thank you Ms. Chan!!! :) Thanks for your feedback and I hope you have fun whipping up some fabulous lace!

Well, I have yet to actually try this out, but I'm just so happy to have found what looks like a easy to follow tutorial. I stumbled on http://www.futuregirl.com/craft_blog/ and she mentioned using the Foundation single crochet. While on Crochetville just now looking for help when I doubted myself on what might be the simplest pattern ever, http://amigurumipatterns.blogspot.com/2007/06/pablito-penguin.html
I saw someone else mention the Marty Miller article from Interweave Crochet, but there was no free tutorial on how to do it, and then I saw that the same person had posted links for how-tos. There were two others besides yours, but I just happened to click on yours first, funny since it was the one on the bottom. I just started using LJ (still figuring it out) ad only belong to two communities and lo and behold one of them you are also a member of!(Weloveamigurumi.)
Well, I added you as a friend, hope that's ok, and sorry it just took me all that to explain something that probably could have been said in two sentences. ( And I wonder why a super simple pattern was complicated to me??) Cheers!

Hi there! Thank you so much for the ref to futuregirl.com. She has very helpful tutorials, esp. for seamless crochet. Weloveamigurumi is chock full of super-creative, funny, helpful, and supportive people. I encourage you to jump in and comment, even if you've never made anything or posted before.

I'm fine with folks friending me...it gives me a clue who is bothering to read my blog! (I only friend back people that I know in person or am familiar with-- so please do not feel bad! I would just have to know you better!)

If you have any probs with the tute, feel free to send me a message through my user profile page. :)

The most difficult part of any crochet project has been working the first row on that pesky foundation row. No matter the yarn or thread size, it's always torture...but not anymore! Thank you for this great tutorial. It was a cinch to follow. It makes things so much easier and will save lots of time.

Thank you for this tutorial! The fsc finally makes sense!

You're welcome! I'm glad that you find it helpful.

Great photos, more useful than anything else I've found on this topic.

I've just started a pattern that calls for using the foundation single crochet. I had heard of it before, but this is my first attempt at using it. The instructions were fairly good, but still I worried if I was getting it right. In doing a search I came across other descriptions - sometimes a different way of wording something can make it click so that was good. But until I stumbled on this blog, I was not satisfied with the photos or drawings. These are great. I'll be able to compare step by step to ensure I'm doing it right. Thanks again.

Thank you very much for kind comment! I know that a few people have trouble following it, but I wasn't sure what to fix. Best wishes on your project. :)

Thanks so much for such a nice tutorial. I got it figured out in about 10 minutes and only two tries (pretty good for me, a beginning crocheter)

You're welcome! I'm glad it was easy enough to understand. I hope you have fun experimenting with it on your crochet projects now. :)

These are the best directions that I have found on-line for this stitch. Thank you for doing it step-by-step and with photographs.

Thank you so much for this great tutorial! I was starting a project today and I had no idea how to do this stitch until I followed your instructions - they were perfect!

Hi Beathen! Thanks for your note. What project are you doing?

:) on the Unicorn and the Wasp avatar, too.

Someone on a board I frequent was looking for a tutorial for the FSC. I found your tutorial and immediately sent her the link. Thanks for sharing it.

I commonly use FSC for the cuff of socks. The edge isnt so loopy and the technique adds stretchiness. Many sock patterns now use the FSC.

Sandy

I got it! I got it!! I finally got it!! Thanks!

Ha, ha! What are you doing that that you using fsc?? :D

Thanks for the VERY clear pictures on the FSC. I tried to learn how from the Interweave Crochet instructions, but the pictures were not clear enough to be effective for me. Your photos and the "dotted" bits are great. I think I have it now.

WOW! This is the best thing *ever*, and I've been crocheting for nearly 20 years! Do you mind if I friend your journal? I also love Dr. Who (see icon), and love your chibi paterns! They are *so* going to be Christmas presents for the other Dr. Who fans amongst my friends.

Hi, thank you very much for the tutorial, but now I'm wondering how do you actually join the fsc to begin working in the round?

Thanks again,
Melisa

It's the same thing for me. How do you join the first fsc round? I want to crochet the ''Basic fingerless mittens'' at: http://www.crochetme.com/print/2683

Claire from Quebec city
Many thanks

Thank you soooo much for sharing this tutorial. It helped me get started on the cutest mini dress. I really was stumped till I came upon your site. I'm off to crochet. YAY!!!

You're welcome! Have fun with your project! I have a couple of 1970's patterns for adorable crocheted mini dresses I enjoy looking at. They come back in style every once in a while. :D

I found this more helpful than a book I purchased re: chain-less crochet. This took you through every step and told you what you would and wouldn't see. It's great. Thanks much.

Gosh, thanks! I think sometimes writers and designers are restricted as to how many pages they can have for printing a book or article, so that they have to abbreviate text and number of photos as much as possible. It is nice to have internet accessible videos and such to supplement understanding of techniques. :)

Thank you so much!! Just so happened I googled and found you! Have a sock pattern that called for this beginning stitch for the cuff and couldn't figure it out by the instructions in the book. After following your directions I NOW know how to do it.

I'm about to start on a pattern for a shirt that uses this stitch, but I still don't feel that comfortable despite the nice tutorial. :-) What would be the disadvantages of replacing this stitch with a chain plus 1 row of regular SC?

A friend showed me a couple of weeks ago a very similar foundationless sc. I'd never heard of it and have been crocheting 38 years! I must say I've LOVED it and was happy to find your tutorial for this and the FDC too. Your tutorial was slightly different that what my friend taught so I forwarded your site to her as well. VERY COOL and I just wanted to add my thanks when I bookmarked your page. 8-)
M. Hawkins

I'm about to attempt to make a sweater from the stitch n' bitch book, and people tell me this is the way to start! Thanks for the good tutorial with all the pictures. I'm sure to get it this way!

Your tutorial was the easiest to understand... thanks for taking the time to document the process!

E.