Crochet Kit Turning Chains: Do They Count?
At the start of a new crochet row, the turning chain can look like an extra stitch. Should you work into the first stitch below it, skip that stitch, or count the chain itself? Mixing those choices can quietly add or remove an edge position.
The answer comes from your crochet kit's pattern: a turning chain may count as the first stitch, or it may provide height only. Find that rule before continuing. This guide covers plain, constant-width rows worked back and forth, not shaped rows, granny-square corners or joined rounds.
Read the turning-chain note before choosing an insertion point
Look in the pattern notes and the specific row for wording such as “counts as a stitch” or “does not count”. Also check whether the instructions place the chain at the end of one row or the beginning of the next. Do not make it twice because it appears near both row descriptions.
The examples below use US stitch names. If your kit uses UK terms, first consult our US and UK crochet terms guide. US single crochet and UK double crochet describe the same stitch; US double crochet corresponds to UK treble crochet.
The Craft Yarn Council's pattern-reading guide illustrates an uncounted chain for US single-crochet rows and a counted chain for a traditional US double-crochet row. Your supplied pattern can specify a different convention, so stitch name or chain length alone is not the deciding evidence.
Map both edges using the same rule
For a plain row with one stitch per position and no increases or decreases, use the pattern's chain-count rule at both ends. Do not start with one convention and finish with the other.
| Pattern rule | Start of the new row | End of the new row |
|---|---|---|
| Turning chain counts as the first stitch | The chain already occupies the first counted position. In the standard plain-row arrangement, work the next stitch in the next position, not the one represented by the chain. | If the previous row also used a counted turning chain, include its top chain as the final stitch target. |
| Turning chain provides height only | Work into the first actual stitch of the previous row, as instructed. The turning chain adds no counted position. | Finish in the last actual stitch. Do not add a stitch into the previous uncounted turning chain. |
This is an edge map, not a substitute for the kit instructions. If the row begins with a group, a chain space or shaping, follow its specified placement instead. The separate guide to crochet pattern repeats helps with the repeated section between the edges.
Try two ten-position examples on spare practice yarn
Use a small practice piece rather than experimenting with a nearly finished kit. These are original counting examples, not instructions for any Woolique product.
Height-only chain: ten actual stitches
Imagine a plain US single-crochet row containing ten actual stitches. The next row's chain does not count. Work one single crochet into each of those ten positions, starting in the first actual stitch. The result is ten single crochets, with the turning chain excluded from the total.
Counted chain: one chain position plus nine stitches
Now imagine a traditional plain US double-crochet row with ten counted positions, including its turning chain. For the next row, the new turning chain represents position one. Work nine double crochets across the remaining positions, finishing in the previous row's counted top chain. One counted chain position plus nine worked stitches gives ten positions, not twelve.
Making three chain stitches does not mean adding three double-crochet positions. In this counted-chain example, the whole turning chain represents one position. The Craft Yarn Council's double-crochet lesson shows this traditional edge arrangement.
Mark the endpoint you must find on the return row
Place a locking marker in the top of the first counted stitch as soon as it is made. If the turning chain counts, that means the chain's top target. If it does not count, mark the first actual crochet stitch instead.
That marker identifies the final target when you return across the next row. Move it forward with each row, and use a second marker for the opposite edge if that helps. Do not mark every chain link and then count the markers as stitches.
Check the count before blaming tension
If a straight piece gains or loses width, stop and compare the last completed row with the pattern's expected count. Examine the edges first: did you add an actual stitch beside a counted chain, miss the terminal chain, or work into a chain that should have been excluded?
A correct count does not prove the size is correct. If the same number of stitches consistently produces the wrong measurement, use our crochet kit gauge and tension guide. Changing the hook will not repair an extra edge stitch.
Do not force the piece flat or add a border to hide an unresolved counting problem. Identify a specific error before deciding whether to undo a small section.
Ask one precise question if the kit guidance is unclear
Check the supplied written notes and the relevant demonstration together. The Woolique tutorials page can help you find available guidance. A general video may use a different convention from your kit, so do not combine them without checking.
If the rule remains unclear, contact Woolique Crafts Studio with the kit name, row number, exact instruction and a clear edge photo. Ask: “Does this turning chain count, and where should the first and last stitches go?”
When choosing from the crochet kit collection, check each project's supplied guidance. Not every kit is worked in flat rows, and this guide does not assign a turning-chain rule to a named kit.
Frequently asked questions
Does the loop on my hook count?
No. It is the working loop, not a completed stitch. Count completed stitch positions according to the pattern.
Can I shorten a chain three to reduce an edge gap?
Do not change the kit's method while its counting rule is unresolved. A different chain height or alternative starting stitch needs compatible instructions for both row edges.
Does this apply to an amigurumi round?
Not automatically. Continuous and joined rounds have their own starting and joining instructions. Follow the round-specific directions rather than this flat-row map.
What if the last chain is hard to see?
Pause and identify it in good light before inserting the hook. On the next row, mark that target when it is fresh. Avoid replacing a hard-to-find stitch with an improvised insertion point.
The reliable habit is to settle three details together: whether the chain counts, where the first actual stitch goes, and which endpoint you must find on the way back. That keeps each new row consistent with the one below it.
