How to Foundation Double Crochet Stitch

How to Foundation Double Crochet Stitch
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I personally love using the Foundation Double Crochet Stitch when I start my crochet projects. I find that it just gives a cleaner edge to my crochet projects. This stitch is abbreviated FDC, so keep that in mind when picking a crochet project. Once you get the hang of any of the foundation crochet stitches you will probably have a hard time not using them! If you’re ready to learn how to foundation double crochet stitch, grab a hook and some yarn and let’s get crocheting!

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How to Foundation Double Crochet Stitch
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Materials Needed:

Any size crochet hook (I used a size J – 6.0mm crochet hook)

Any weight yarn (I used a medium weight size 4 yarn for this tutorial)

Crochet Stitches You Need To Know:

Slip Knot in Crochet

Crochet Chain Stitch

Double Crochet Stitch

To Start the Foundation Double Crochet Stitch:

Begin by chaining 2.

Chain 2 to start

Step 2:

Now we yarn over.

Yarn over before inserting the hook into the first chain

After yarning over, insert the hook into the first chain. Put 2 “legs” of the chain on the top of the hook.

Where to place the hook for the foundation double crochet stitch
A close up of hook placement for the FDC
What it looks like when the hook is in the correct place

How to FDC – Step 3:

Yarn Over and pull through the stitch. There will be 3 loops on the hook at this point.

Yarn over and pull through the chain stitch
There are 3 loops. on the crochet hook now

Step 4 – How to Foundation Double Crochet:

Before starting this step, make sure that the loop that is closest to the nook of the hook is a little bit looser. This will help to keep your FDC from curving like a rainbow.

To keep the FDC from curving, keep the 1st loop a little looser

Now, yarn over and pull through the FIRST LOOP ONLY. There will be 3 loops on the hook at the end of this step.

YO and pull through the first loop only
There are 3 loops of yarn on the crochet hook now

We just completed the foundation of the Foundation Double Crochet Stitch. From here on out, we will complete the double crochet part of the FDC.

This just created the foundation part of the foundation double crochet stitch

Step 5:

Now, yarn over and pull through 2 of the loops on the crochet hook. There will be 2 loops left on the hook at the end of step 5.

Yarn over and pull through 2 loops
There will be 2 yarn loops remaining on the hook now

Step 6:

Finally, yarn over and pull through both loops on the crochet hook. There is now 1 loop left on the crochet hook. This is also ONE completed Foundation Double Crochet Stitch.

Yarn over and pull through both loops
This is one completed FDC stitch

Additional FDC – Step 1:

To start another Foundation Double Crochet Stitch, begin by yarning over.

Start the next foundation double crochet by yarning over

At this point, where to insert the hook is very important. I insert it on the lower edge of the FDC in between the small loop and the larger loop. See the pictures below for exact hook placement.

Where to place the crochet hook for the next FDC
After yarning over, insert the hook into the previous foundation double crochet stitch
A close up of where to put the crochet hook
What it looks like when the hook is in the correct place

Additional FDC Stitches – Step 2:

Next, yarn over and pull through the stitch. There will be 3 loops on the hook at this point.

YO and pull through the stitch
Now there are 3 loops on the crochet hook

Step 3 – Additional FDC Crochet Stitches:

Again, to keep the Foundation Double Crochet from curving or being too tight on the bottom edge, keep the loop that is currently the closest to the nook of the hook looser.

Keep the 1st yarn loop. a little looser to keep the foundation double crochet from curving

Now, Yarn Over and pull through the first loop only. There will be 3 loops on the crochet hook at this point.

Yarn over and pull through the 1st loop only
There are now 3 yarn loops on the crochet hook

This has just completed the foundation of the second Foundation Double Crochet stitch.

This just created the foundation of the second foundation double crochet stitch

Additional Stitches – Step 4:

Next, yarn over and pull through 2 loops. There are 2 loops left on the hook at the end of this step.

YO and pull through 2 loops
There will be 2 loops on the hook at this point

Step 5:

Finally, yarn over and pull through both loops on the crochet hook. There will be one loop on the hook at the end of this stitch. This also completes another Foundation Double Crochet stitch.

Yarn over and pull through both loops
Another completed Foundation Double Crochet Stitch

Crochet Hook Placement for the Foundation Double Crochet Stitch:

Knowing where to place the crochet hook for the next FDC is very important. I have included some pictures below that show the placement at different points in creating this stitch.

Where to place the hook for another FDC
Where to place the hook for another Foundation Double Crochet Stitch
More crochet hook placement for Foundation Double Crochets
Hook placement for the FDC crochet stitch

Moving to the Next Row of Foundation Double Crochet Stitches:

I am a person who likes to chain and then turn when going to the next row of crochet. In this example, I am going to place a row of regular double crochets. How do I do this with a Foundation Double Crochet start?

First, I would make sure that I know which edge it the top or working edge of the FDC and which edge is the bottom edge of the FDC. The bottom edge will have the yarn tail. See the pictures below.

Bottom edge and top edge of the foundation double crochet stitch

Once you know which edge is which, I chain and then turn. So for this example, I would chain 2 and then turn the FDC. This turn looks a little different than a normal chain and turn. The key is to pay attention to what edge the yarn tail is on.

Ready to go to the next row, chain
and turn to go to the next row
Yarn tail placement before turning the foundation double crochet
Yarn placement after turning the foundation double crochet stitch

How to Count Foundation Double Crochet Stitches:

Now, if looking at the FDC from the top edge, each “v” that is seen would count as one stitch (just like a regular crochet stitch would be counted).

How to count the foundation double crochet stitch

Where to Place the Next Row of Stitches:

The top of the Foundation Double Crochet Stitches look just like the top of regular double crochets. See the pictures below.

Where to place the next row of stitches when using the foundation double crochet stitch

Pay attention to where the last stitch of the row is placed.

Where the last crochet stitch goes when using a FDC

Video Tutorial – How to Foundation Double Crochet:

And that’s how to Foundation Double Crochet Stitch! I hope you found this tutorial helpful! Happy crocheting!

How to Foundation Double Crochet Stitch Hope Corner Farm

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