You can make any stitch as a foundationless chain, and you can mix stitches too. Creating them is easier than you might think and it works up quickly once you get the hang of which loop you’re working into – I recommend getting out your trusty stitch markers until you get the hang of it.

So lets look at how to make a foundationless chain and take away that foundation frustration.

How To Crochet Foundationless Chains

Click here for the left hand video

https://youtu.be/PqejIjkdqMI

Every foundationless chain starts with a small number of chains. You need to make the number of chains that you would use as a turning chain plus one. So for a double crochet you would chain 3+1, for a single crochet you would chain 2+1.

Your next stitch will be worked into the chain furthest from your hook. The turning chain won’t count as a stitch, so your first foundationless stitch will be your first stitch of the row.

You will be making an extra loop at the beginning of the stitch which will become your foundation chain. When you insert your hook and pull up a loop, only pull through 1 loop on your hook – this is your foundation chain loop which you will make your next stitch into. You may want to mark this stitch with a marker

Once you have done this, finish your stitch as normal.

If making this stitch feels familiar it’s because it’s an extended stitch. It’s just instead of using an extended stitch to make your stitch taller, you’re using that first loop as a chain to make your next stitch into. So you’re stitches will still look like regular sized stitches once you’re done.

Repeat for every stitch in your row until you have the right stitch count. That’s it, your foundation chain and your first row are completed at the same time!

Below is a row of foundationless single crochet I made – you can barely tell the difference between this and the two step process of starting with a chain and then working into each chain.

Can Foundationless Chains Be Used Every Time?

If the first row of your crochet pattern need skipped stitches and chains, then no. Foundationless chains only works when you are working a stitch into every single chain of the foundation.

But they can be used for any stitch other than that – single, double, half double, treble – all of them can be made as a foundationless chain. So if you have a solid first row, then a foundationless row is good to go.

Any Downsides To Using A Foundationless Chain?

Are there any down sides to using foundationless chains? Just 1, you are left with just a single loop on the other side of your foundation chain. It is easy to leave this loop loose, so if you are working into the other side to add a border for example, the stitches could be left with a gap between them unless you master getting that loop tighter. Likewise if you don’t work into the other side of the chain, it doesn’t leave the nicest finish.

However this is a very small issue that will solve itself with practice. All in all foundationless chains will stop the frustration of keeping count of hundreds of chains and dealing with twisted chains when working in the round. If you find making a foundation chain the most tortuous thing about starting a new crochet pattern, then this is your solution that is easy to master.

What do you think of the foundationless chain, will you be using it in future?

Come and let us know in our our Facebook group – Froggity Frog’s Ribbit And Stitch. Our super friendly community where you can ask all of your crochet questions, share your latest make and make new crochet friends. Come join us now right here and join in the conversation.

Don’t forget to sign up to our newsletter to be the first to know about new stitch guides and new crochet pattern releases. You can sign up here and be the first to see what I’ve got cooking behind the scenes here at Froggity Frog.