FOUNDATION TREBLE CROCHET
I’m Nerissa, an Australian expat in the Netherlands. I grew up on a farm in South Australia, so sheep and wool are in my DNA. I was taught to knit and spin as a child, and I think I learned to crochet by osmosis. Over the years I have developed all sorts of little tricks to level up my crochet skills quickly and easily, and I cannot wait to share them with you. These tips will all help to make you a better crocheter with very little effort!
Have you ever made a crochet garment or accessory and found that the foundation chain has no stretch or has tighter tension than the rest of the piece?
The foundation treble (double, half treble) crochet stitch is the ideal solution to combat this. Essentially you will start the piece using the stitch that will allow more movement and ultimately a better fit.
The key to this stitch is to yarn over and pull through one loop, then when you yarn over again, you complete the stitch as normal. Here is an example with treble crochet (tr):
Step 1 Make a slip knot, then Ch3 (ch2 for a dc or htr), yrh, insert hook into the last loop from the hook, yrh and pull up a loop (image 1), yrh and pull through 1 loop (image 2), (yrh and pull through 2 loops) twice.
Step 2 Yrh, insert hook into the first loop which sits at the base of the last st (image 3), yrh and pull up a loop (image 4), yrh and pull through 1 loop, (yrh and pull through 2 loops) twice.
Step 3 Repeat step 2 until you have the required number of stitches. To work back and forth, work as normal. To work in the round, ss to the first stitch to join and use the tail to secure the bottom of the stitch.
Tip: When you are working the stitch, hold your hook at a right angle to the chain, this will prevent your row from developing a curve due to the first loop being tighter than the rest.
For more on Nerissa follow her on Instagram at @miss__neriss and Facebook at madeby MissNeriss, find her patterns at the nerissa-muijs Ravelry store or visit www.missneriss.com
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