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Introduction

Slip Knot

a Make a loop; hook another loop through it. b Tighten gently and slide the knot up to the hook.

a

b

Holding the Hook and Yarn

Everyone has their own personał way of holding the hook and controlling the yarn in crochet. Righthanders hołd the hook in their right hand. usually a as though it were a pen-cil; or b in a firmer, overhand grip.

c The left hand holds the work and at the same time Controls the yarn supply. If you preter, the left hand index finger can be used to manipulate the yarn. while the middle finger holds onto the work.

d To maintain the slight tension in the yarn necessary for easy, even working, it can help to arrange the yarn around the fingers of the left hand in this way.

Hint for lefthanders: Prop the book up next to a mirror. so you can see the illustrations in ‘mirror image’, while still bemg able to read the text from the original page.

The Base Chain

Almost all crochet starts with a base (or foun-dation) cham. This is the equivalent of casting on' in kmtting. The base Chain is a series of cham stitches. which normally begin with a loop secured by a slip knot.

Chain Stitch (ch)

a Wrap the yarn over the hook in an anticlockwise direction (or hołd the yarn still and manoeuvre the hook); b draw the yarn through to form a new loop without tighten-ing up the previous one Notę: Unless otherwise specified. always wrap the yarn this way round.

a

To make a length of base cham. make as many chams as reguired.

Hint: Keep shifting your left hand position up close to the hook every couple of stitches or so; this is easy. if you use a right hand finger tip to hołd down the loop on the hook while you do so.

To count chains correctly as you make them do not count the initial slip loop as a cham To count them afterwards_: first make surę that they are not twisted and that you are lookmg at the 'front’ c; then count back. bu' ignore the loop still on the hook.

Front

Double Base Chain

Hint: You may fmd that a base Chain of double Chain is not only morę flexible than one madę of single Chain, but also easier to make. to count afterwards and to work back into.

a Make 2 single chams; b insert the hook into the 2nd cham from the hook (i.e. the first Chain madę) and work one single crochet (see Single Crochet); c insert the hook into the single vertical thread which forms the lefthand side of the previous single croche' and work another single crochet; repeat this last step.

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