September 27, 2023

How to Foundation Half Double Crochet

For a long time I did not know how to Foundation Half Double Crochet. I think I was a little intimidated! However, using a foundation stitch to begin crochet projects gives a nice, neat edge to the work. I love how the FHDC looks when it starts my crochet work. It is actually a pretty easy stitch to master. Today I am going to show you all of the tips and tricks that I use to ensure that I have a beautiful Foundation Half Double Crochet! Let’s grab a hook and some yarn and get crocheting!

Jump to Video Tutorial

Materials Needed:

-Crochet hook of your choice

-Yarn weight of choice

How to Foundation Half Double Crochet – Step 1:

Begin by chaining 3.

Step 2:

Yarn Over and insert the hook into the first chain. I put 2 of the “legs” of the chain on the top of my hook and 1 “leg” on the bottom of the hook.

What the first part of the stitch should look like

How to Foundation Half Double Crochet – Step 3:

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

Yarn Over and pull back through the stitch

Step 4:

Yarn Over and pull through the FIRST LOOP ONLY. There will be 3 loops left on the hook at the end of this step. This creates the Foundation part of the next FHDC.

Yarn Over and pull through 1st loop only

Again there are 3 loops on the crochet hook

TIP: If your FHDC is beginning to curve, this is where that problem occurs. Make sure that you keep the loop that is in the hook part of the crochet hook loose. If it is too tight, the bottom edge will be tighter than the upper edge, which causes the FHDC to curve.

Step 5 – How to Foundation Half Double Crochet:

Now we need to Yarn Over again. Pull through ALL THREE LOOPS that are on the hook. There will be 1 loop left on the hook at the end of this step. We now have 1 completed FHDC.

How to Create the Remaining Foundation Half Double Crochets – Step 1:

Placement of the hook is key for the remaining FHDCs.

Place the hook in the last Foundation Half Double Crochet. It can be a little difficult to see, so pay attention to where you place the hook.

Where to place the next Foundation Half Double Crochet

What it looks like if the crochet hook is in the correct place

Remaining FHDCs – Step 2:

Yarn Over and pull through the stitch. There will be 3 loops left on the hook.

Tension fix for the Foundation Half Double Crochet stitch

How to Foundation Half Double Crochet – Step 3:

Start by yarning over, and pull through the 1st loop only. There will be 3 loops on the hook at the end of this step.

Step 4 – Remaining FHDC:

The final move to complete the FHDC is to YO and pull through all three loops on the hook. There will be 1 loop on the hook at the end of this step.

Yarn over and pull the crochet hook through all 3 loops

Tips for Success with the Foundation Half Double Crochet Stitch:

Tip #1 – Know where to place your hook. Hook placement to start the next stitch is important for a correct FHDC. Check out the picture below to see where to place the hook to start the next crochet stitch

Tip #2 – The Foundation Half Double Crochet looks a little different on the hook. The bottom of the FHDC is actually the top edge when creating it and the top of the FHDC is actually the bottom edge when creating it. This positioning flips when moving onto the next row. See the picture below.

Top edge and bottom edge of the Foundation Half Double Crochet

How to Go to the Next Row of Crochet:

Remember: At this point, the top edge of the FHDC is next to the hook, and the bottom edge of the FHDC is away from the hook.

Top and bottom edge of the Foundation Half Double Crochet stitch

Begin by chaining 1.

After chaining 1, turn the work. This is really just a slight flip of the work.

Knowing where to place the stitches for the next row is important. If you look at the top edge of the FHDC, there are “Vs” across the top of it. Each “V” is one stitch and that is where you will place each stitch of the next row.

These pictures show the placement of the next row of stitches, as viewed from the side of the FHDC.

Placement of the next row of crochet stitches

Video Tutorial:

And that’s the Foundation Half Double Crochet Stitch (FHDC) made easy! I hope you guys found this step-by-step tutorial helpful! I hope you have a blessed day!