Free crochet calculator
How many chains for the foundation?
Enter the width and your gauge, or the stitches you want. You get the chains to make, which chain the first stitch goes into and whether the turning chain counts.
- Ch 83.
- 1 dc in chain 4 from the hook, and 1 dc in each chain after it.
- The 3 skipped chains count as the first stitch.
- Next row: turn with ch 3, which count as the first stitch.
81 sts on 83 ch
Width about 45 cm at your gauge.
US termsdc = double crochet, st = stitch, ch = chain
If you like, tick off each line once you have crocheted it.
Counts that fit the repeat
CrochetBuddy works out the start on your phone, from the gauge calculator straight to the chain, and keeps it in your project. It is with App Review now.
CrochetBuddy →Coming soon to the App Store
How to work it out yourself
Example: a piece 45.6 cm wide at 18 double crochet (dc) per 10 cm, and a pattern that is a multiple of 4 plus 1.
- Width times gauge, divided by 10: 45.6 × 18 ÷ 10 = 82.08 stitches.
- The repeat allows 4 × q + 1 stitches. The nearest are 81 (1.08 under) and 85 (2.92 over), so 81 stitches, about 45 cm wide. At exactly halfway the larger wins.
- In double crochet the first stitch goes into the 4th chain from the hook, and the 3 chains skipped count as the first stitch. So you chain 81 + 3 − 1 = 83 chains.
- The start reads as below, and the first row has 81 stitches.
Ch 83. 1 dc in chain 4 from the hook, and 1 dc in each chain after it. The 3 skipped chains count as the first stitch. Next row: turn with ch 3, which count as the first stitch.
In single crochet the skipped chain never counts as a stitch: 81 sc need 82 chains, the first stitch in the 2nd chain from the hook.
Questions
- Why do I chain more than the stitches I want?
- The first stitch is not worked into the chain next to the hook: in single crochet you skip 1, in double crochet 3. In double crochet those 3 skipped chains count as the first stitch, so you chain 2 more than the stitches you want; in single crochet the skipped chain does not count, so you chain 1 more.
- Does the turning chain count as a stitch?
- Most patterns count it on stitches taller than single crochet and never on single crochet. Some designers do not count it at all, and Japanese patterns add the turning chain on top of the stitch count. Choose the convention your pattern uses; the answer says which chain the first stitch goes into.
- What does 'a multiple of 4 plus 1' mean?
- That the stitch count must be 4 × something + 1: 81, 85, 89 and so on. The calculator shows the two nearest counts that fit, with the width each gives, and picks the nearer; at exactly halfway the larger, as crochet had better be a little too wide.
- When should I use foundation single crochet or a ring?
- Foundation single crochet makes the chain and the first row at once, so the edge stretches like the rest; it is offered in single crochet. A ring of chains closed with a slip stitch is for working in the round, such as a hat or a tube.