Top Tip Wednesday - Foundation chains

You get a pattern for a gorgeous blanket/cushion/bag and can't wait to get started. You've got your yarn all nicely chosen in wonderful colours and know that it is going to be a fabulous hooky journey for a few days/weeks/months while you merrily crochet your lovely new item.

Hook at the ready, eager with anticipation, you read the first line of your pattern; 'Chain 368, DC in each Chain across', or 'Foundation chain must be in multiples of 12 plus 6'. Your face falls as you just know you will lose count while you make them and counting up chains is not easy after you have made them. So you hook up what you think it the right number of chains (while getting distracted by the TV/ the cat/Facebook) fingers crossed it's right but it won't be until you come to the next row that you will know for certain if you have done enough chains in the foundation row.

You are getting close to the end of the second row now, you still have another five stitches to make and it doesn't look like there is enough chains left, did you miss count? Has the last half an hour/hour/two hours been for nothing? Yes.

Sound familiar? Annoying isn't it. I have found an easy (and so obvious, I don't know why it took me so long to think of it) way around this foundation chain problem - do your best to count the chains as you go and then add a few more! You will be left with a few chains left over at the end of the second row but this is far better than not having enough. 

My tip for dealing with these left over chains is to make the initial slip stitch loose, it can then be unpicked and you can carefully unpick each of these extra chains. Because you are unpicking them from the 'wrong' end of the chain row they won't just unravel either, so you can do this without the worry of the whole thing falling apart!

When you get to the last chain that you worked out of, give the tail end a little tug and it will tighten up nicely. You won't have this problem ever again! :)

XXX