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Foundation half double crochet

A chainless foundation in half double crochet (UK half treble) makes the starting chain and the first row at the same time. Each foundation half double crochet, written fhdc, is one chain with one stitch standing on it. Begin with 2 chains, and start every stitch after the first in the chain at the foot of the one before.

How to work it

  1. Chain 2, yarn over, pull up a loop

    Start with a slip knot on the hook and chain 2. Take the yarn over the hook, then push the hook into the second chain from the hook, which is the first chain you made. Take the yarn over again and pull up a loop. There are three loops on the hook.

  2. Make the chain at the foot

    Take the yarn over the hook and draw it through the first loop on the hook only. There are still three loops on the hook. That pull made a chain stitch, the foot of this stitch.

  3. Finish the half double crochet

    Take the yarn over the hook and draw it through all three loops. One loop is left on the hook. That is one foundation half double crochet.

  4. Find the chain at the foot

    Two foundation half double crochet stitches, seen as they hang from the hook: the strip grows upward, with a chain at the foot of each stitch along its left edge and the tops of the stitches along its right edge. The chain at the foot of the last stitch is ringed.

    The loop on the hook is at the top of the stitch you just made. The chain from step 2 is at its other end, on the far edge of the strip from the hook. It shows as two strands side by side, like a V.

  5. Yarn over, and start the next stitch in that chain

    The hook lies across the front of the last stitch and passes under both strands of the chain at its foot; the head of the hook shows beyond the left edge of the strip. One loop is on the hook. One yarn over is on the hook, as for any half double crochet.

    Take the yarn over the hook first. Then push the hook under both strands of that chain, take the yarn over and pull up a loop: three loops on the hook. Take the yarn over and draw it through one loop to make the new chain. Take the yarn over and draw it through all three loops.

  6. Repeat to the width you need

    Three foundation half double crochet stitches laid flat with their tops up: a chain runs along the bottom and a half double crochet stands on each chain. The last one made is at the left, under the hook.

    Work step 5 again for every further stitch. Make as many foundation half double crochet as the first row has half double crochet, then go on with the second row of the pattern.

At a glance

Also called
fhdc, chainless foundation half double crochet
Used for
starting a piece whose first row is half double crochet, without working into a long chain; a starting edge that stretches more than a plain chain
Abbreviation
fhdc
In UK terms
foundation half treble crochet (fhtr)
Starts with
Chain 2. Some patterns chain 3.
Each stitch is
One chain and one half double crochet, made together
Next stitch goes into
The chain at the foot of the stitch before, under both strands
How many to make
One for each half double crochet of the first row

The plan is the one foundation single crochet (UK double crochet) uses: a pull through one loop makes the chain, and then the stitch is finished on top of it. Here the stitch begins with a yarn over, and its last pull goes through three loops. A double crochet (UK treble) can stand on the chain in the same way.

Patterns do not all begin it alike. Many start with 2 chains and work the first stitch into the second chain from the hook, as above. Others start with 3 chains and work into the third chain from the hook. Where a pattern explains its own foundation stitch, follow the pattern.

A row made this way takes the place of both the starting chain and the first row. The edge stretches more than a chain does.

When it goes wrong

I cannot see where the next stitch goes.
It goes into the chain at the foot of the stitch you just finished, not into its top. Find the V on the underside of that stitch and push the hook under both of its strands.
I lose track of the loops.
Three after you pull up the loop, still three after the pull through one loop that makes the chain, and one after the last pull.

Left-handed

The pictures show the hook held in the right hand. For the left hand, read each picture as its mirror image.

Variations

Questions

What does fhdc mean in crochet?
Foundation half double crochet: a stitch that makes one chain and one half double crochet together, so that a row of them takes the place of the starting chain and the first row.
How many foundation half double crochet do I make?
The same number as the first row of the pattern has half double crochet. Then work row 2.
What is foundation half double crochet in UK terms?
Foundation half treble, written fhtr. The moves are the same.
Do I chain 2 or chain 3 to start?
Chain 2 for the steps on this page. Some patterns chain 3 and work the first stitch into the third chain from the hook, so check the pattern's own notes.

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