Welcome to Lesson 3 of my Crochet 101 series where I will show you how to make a slip knot and chain. If you missed the first two lessons, you can check out Lesson 1 here and Lesson 2 here. In today’s lesson, I’m going to talk all about how to make a slip knot and chain. These will be the basis on how to get starting crocheting. Let’s begin!

How to Make a Slip Knot

Making a slip knot is how you would get started on your crochet project. There are tons of different ways to make a slip knot, but this is the way that I like to make it. However, if you find a different method on how to make a slip knot, feel free to follow that method instead.

To make a slip knot, make a point with your finger like in the picture below.

Next, wrap the yarn around your index finger once to form a loop. The tail end of your yarn should be in the front. You want to make sure you leave at least 6 inches for your tail so you can weave it into your work when you’re finished.

Next, grab the loops and pull them off your finger. The long tail of your yarn should be in back and going down the center of the loop.

Next, either using your crochet hook or your finger, grab the yarn going in the center of your loop and pull up gently. Pull both ends of the yarn so the yarn forms a knot and loop. From there, insert your crochet hook, if you already didn’t do so. Be sure to make this loop comfortable and not too tight or too loose. You want the crochet hook to easily glide in and out of the loop that you just made. From there, the next step would be to start chaining.

How to Chain

Once you master the slip knot, the next step in learning how to crochet is making a chain. The chain will be the foundation of any crochet project. You already have your slip knot, but it’s important to learn how to hold your yarn when working on your crochet project. Holding your yarn and hook properly will help everything flow easily and have it under control. If you don’t hold your yarn properly, everything will be a little more difficult.

To hold your yarn properly, I hold out my non-dominant hand like in the image below. I take the long tail of my yarn and place it in between my middle and index finger.

Next, I rotate my hand to the left.

I take my middle finger and thumb and place it on the slip knot just underneath the crochet hook. It’s important to hold onto this knot as it will help keep control of your work.

To make a chain, wrap the yarn around the hook. When you wrap the yarn over your hook, you want to go from behind the hook to the front of the hook. You will then have two loops on the hook.

Finally, you will pull the first loop through the second loop that’s on your hook. This is your first chain.

Continue making a chain by wrapping the yarn over your hook and pulling through the loop on your hook. As you make more chains, move your thumb and middle finger up so it’s always holding onto your work just below your crochet hook. Again, this will give you more control.

Video Tutorial:

That’s how to make a slip knot and chain. Keep practicing and you will get the hang of it in no time. At first, your chains might be either too tight or too loose because you haven’t mastered your tension yet. However, don’t give up because the more you practice, the better your tension will get. The main focus at first is learning how to make the stitch.

That’s it for now! Be sure to stay tuned for next Saturday where I will show you how to make a single crochet stitch!

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