How to create the
Foundation Half Double Crochet Stitch (FHDC)
As a designer, this is one of my favorite stitches to start with. It is incredibly versatile and gives you some bonus height to the start of your project. My favorite thing about this stitch is that it gives your project a very stretchy start. While the typical chain loops are more restrictive and do not have a lot of ease or “give” to them when you stretch them out, the Foundation Half Double Crochet is the exact opposite. It has very generous stretch and give to it and it is a great start to shawls and garments.
A few patterns that use this wonderful stitch:
Begin with chain 2, leaving a single loop on your hook.
1. Yarn over; then insert hook into the first chain (2nd chain from the hook).
2. Yarn over and pull up a loop. You now have 3 loops on your hook.
3. Yarn over; pull through the first loop on the hook. This creates the “foundation” portion of the stitch.
4. Yarn over; pull through all 3 loops on the hook. This creates the half double crochet stitch portion of the stitch!
5. Yarn over; then insert hook into the “foundation stitch” you created in Step 3 above.
6. Yarn over; pull through the first loop on the hook creating the “foundation” portion of the stitch.
7. Yarn over; pull through all 3 loops on the hook. This creates the half double crochet stitch portion of the stitch!
Continue repeating steps 5-7 until you have the total number of desired stitches:
