off the chain... ((crochet, part deux))

since you've perfected your chain, we're gonna work on the rows.

i'm gonna go ahead and make a blanket here with you.

chain out the length of your blanket.  it'll get longer as you add the rows, so make it a tad shorter than you want your blanket. 
i usually lay the chain out on my lap and imagine it as a full blanket.
i chained around 121.  but who's counting.

look at your chain closely.  do you see each stitch?  it's important that you are able to see the stitch.

SEE THE STITCH!

in the picture below, there is the loop over my hook, and there are five stitches between my hook and thumb.  look at the top loops of the chain. do you see it?

ok:  rows.  each row is made of different types of crochet stitches. 

a stitch is made from a series of yarn-overs, pulling through loops, and pulling through loops again.

i'm gonna start you off with a super easy stitch.

the stitch we're going to learn for this row of the blanket is called a half-double crochet. 

it's not the easiest, but it's my favorite, and i think you're ready.

a row of half-double crochet stitches is about two chain stitches high. 

since it's two stitches high, we're going to put our hook into the third stitch. 

if you're keeping up, the third chain is JUST to the right of my thumb.   

ready?  ok, yarn over. 

put your hook into that stitch we talked about.  the third stitch.

yarn over again and pull that yarn through the FIRST loop on your hook.

yarn over one more time.

and pull that yarn through ALL THREE loops on your hook.

the finished stitch:

you did it!  a half-double crochet!

keep going.  do it again in the very next stitch. and in every chain stitch ever after....

the first row is the hardest because the chain is so floppy and flimsy.  (silly chain)

stay tuned for turning new rows and eventually changing colors...