I hear it all the time during my crochet workshops, ‘MY FOUNDATION CHAIN IS TOO TIGHT!’ It’s another one of those questions I get asked a lot! And I’m here to reveal another crochet secret to you all – how to stop your foundation chain from being too tight?!
We all have different tensions when we’re crocheting; I’m a very loose crocheter so I rarely have a foundation chain that’s too tight but I know that many of you, who have a much tighter tension that me, will suffer with the most common crochet complaint – your foundation chain is too tight and you can’t crochet into it very easily.
There’s two main solutions to this problem, and the first one seems a bit silly to suggest but I’m going to say it anyway….try and crochet much looser for your foundation chain. Relax, sit back in your chair, let you arms fall on your lap rather than keeping them upright and crochet the foundation chain slowly and as loosely as you can. This may feel very unnatural at first but you may actually find that crocheting is a lot easier if you are a little looser with your tension.
The other solution is to use a bigger hook for your foundation chain. For example, if the pattern you are following tells you to use a 4mm hook, then use a 5mm hook for the foundation chain. When you begin to crochet back into the chain to make the first row, revert back to the 4mm hook for the remainder of whatever it is that you are making. If your foundation chain is still too tight, go up a hook size again for the foundation chain.
For more help with learning to crochet, click HERE to see my Learn to Crochet Kit. There are also some more FREE videos on my Facebook and Instagram pages.