This week's tutorial is a quick demonstration of a neat little trick to extend a row of crochet. Foundation stitches, in particular foundation single crochet, are a great way to to start a project. But what happens when you've made a few (or a bunch of) rows, and want the next row to continue on past the previous row, but don't want to chain? Extending a row with foundation single crochet! Here's how it's done.
Extending a Row with Foundation Single Crochet Video Tutorial
Extending a Row with Foundation Single Crochet Photo Tutorial
First of all, why are we doing this? Why not just ch to the desired length of the "offshoot" and then stitch into that on the way back? Well, it depends on the project, but a good example of why and when is to be found in the Moogly Crochet Alphabet! Specifically, the letter T.
The letter T is made by crocheting long rows for the vertical portion, or stem/base of the T. Then, when it's time to make the horizontal rows, we start by chaining, and then turning and working single crochets into those chains, then across the top of the stem/base, and then... we need to extend the row with foundation single crochet! If we were to chain and turn and single crochet our way back, the two sides of the horizontal top of the T would be uneven - the first half would be a row lower than the second half.
This is why being able to FSC at any point in the pattern is so great! And it's so simple too. Here are a few photos that show how it's done. If your not familiar with the basic Foundation Single Crochet (FSC) stitch already, be sure to watch this video first.
And that's really all there is to it! Crochet is already known for being able to twist and turn and take off in any direction - and now you can add lengthening a row with foundation single crochet to your bag of tricks! This use of foundation stitches doesn't have a specific name that I know of, but I think "extending the row" gets the idea across. And I think you can master this technique in seconds!
Thanks for watching! Get Moogly on your favorite social media sites: Facebook, Twitter, G+, Pinterest and Tumblr, and sign up for the Newsletter so you don’t miss a thing! TamaraKelly@mooglyblog.com
Penny says
Love this!!! Thank you!
Tamara Kelly says
Thank you Penny!
Dot says
I've been crocheting for 70 years (!) and I love the new things you're teaching me. Thanks.
Tamara Kelly says
<3 Thank you Dot!
Clotilde/Craftybegonia says
Great, Tamara! I pinned it to one of my popular crafty boards.
diane says
that is magnificent! i tried it on my sock booties & they look so much better instead of doing 3 stitch l rows to get the height. thank you very much for sharing.
Tamara Kelly says
🙂 You're very welcome!
Laurene says
Thank you so much. I had read about fsc, but it sounded so complicated. You made it simple and easy.
Tamara Kelly says
😀 Glad to hear it Laurene, you're very welcome!
diane says
i had to run back and tell you that i found another fantastic use for this = straps on earflap hats! on the last row i did a single crochet in the middle of the earflap & used that as my strap starting point and sc foundation the strap length & slip stitched along the base of it (so i'd end up on the right side) and continued around . . . thank you again!
Tamara Kelly says
😀 Awesome!
diane says
you are awesome! i've kept this stitch in the back of my mind and pulled it out again this morning. my biggest nemesis is baby bootie soles (that match lol). so, i did a magic ring, a bunch of double crochets in it (for the toe) and then started the foundation 1/2 dc in the magic ring and continued foundationing down to the heel.
best soles i've ever done . . . with tons of thanks to you!
Tamara Kelly says
That's awesome Diane! 😀 Thank you!
NIsa says
thank you. i think it's great tips 🙂
Tamara Kelly says
😀 Thank you Nisa!
Diane snyder says
Thank you so much. It has really helped me. I have a new prod jest that needed this and you have made it look so easy .
Tamara Kelly says
Glad to hear it Diane, thank you!
Aurora Capasso says
è la prima volta che vedo come estendere la riga.........si impara subito ed è molto utile...........graaaaaazieeeeeeee !
Tamara Kelly says
Siete i benvenuti! 🙂
Joyce Johnson says
I've been crocheting for 58 years and I do like the new ways of doing things,thank you very much.
Tamara Kelly says
😀 Thank you Joyce, I'm glad you enjoyed the tutorial!
Marrie says
very nyc.. it is very adorable and helpful if u make crochet gun! 😛
ThornY Kat says
I've only been crocheting just under 3 years and have learnt a good amount from your tutorials. Recently I'd been trying to figure out how to crochet an oval from the bottom for making a pictures design (crochet to cross stitch patterns), I'd got as far as figuring it had to use foundation chain SC as straight increases would look wrong along the bottom but hadn't quite put it all together. Thanks and thanks for the effort you put into your tutorials.
Tamara Kelly says
Thank you so much! 😀
Tracy Murray says
Oh my gosh, THANK YOU!!! im doing my first pattern where they call for fsc in the middle of the pattern and I was so very confused! I could find nothing on how to do it, then found this! A MILLION THANK YOUS!!!! 🙂
Tamara Kelly says
😀 I'm so glad it helped Tracy!
B K says
Knitting is second nature to me, while crochet has made my brain do a lot of thinking. Your website is my 'go to', and the one that I direct people wanting to learn and do great designs. Thanks!!!
Tamara Kelly says
♥ Thank you so much, BK!