Foundation Single Crochet (FSC) Photo Tutorial

The Foundation Single Crochet is my favorite way to start a new crochet project. It replaces chaining and working in chains, which can be difficult. Read on to learn why and how to do the foundation single crochet stitch! This post may contain affiliate links. See my full disclosure policy here.

Many of my crochet patterns start with the foundation single crochet stitch instead of the normal chain foundation followed by single crochet. It may seem like a pain to learn a new stitch when you already know how to chain and single crochet, but the foundation single crochet is absolutely worth it! And I’m going to tell you why. I have both a written/photo tutorial and a video tutorial for you all, so be sure to scroll all the way to the end to find the video.

So first off, what is foundation single crochet anyway? And what makes it so great?

Many crochet patterns start out by having you making a bunch of chain stitches to form a foundation chain. Then you will go back and work the stitches for the first row into the chain foundation. The foundation single crochet stitch (abbreviated fsc) allows you to work the chain foundation and the first row of single crochet stitches at the same time. So cool!

Here’s what a few foundation single crochet stitches look like. You can see the top half of the stitch looks like a single crochet, and the bottom half looks a lot like chains.

So why would you want to use this new, scary stitch anyway? Lots of reasons!

1. It’s easier than working into a chain foundation. Sure, it may be confusing at first, but once you get fsc down, you will love it. Working stitches into a chain foundation is so fussy. Chain stitches are often worked tightly, and it can be difficult to get the hook into the chain.
2. Counting stitches is much simpler. “I love counting chain stitches,” said no one ever. When you use fsc, you won’t have to count out five hundred chain stitches fifteen times to make sure you have the right number because if you don’t then you have to rip out the first two rows of your work because you won’t realize you made a mistake until you have already worked two rows. (Not that I have experience with that or anything.) Maybe the coolest thing about fsc is that because the first two rows are essentially worked together, you will only have to take out a few stitches if your initial count was off.
3. It doesn’t curl and twist like regular single crochet. When you work single crochet into a chain foundation it refuses to lay flat. You can always block the final piece, but the curling and twisting can be annoying to work with. Foundation single crochet does not have this problem. You can see the difference below:

So, do you want to learn how to work this miraculous fsc? Of course you do!

Foundation Single Crochet Tutorial

Begin by joining your yarn to your hook and working two chain stitches. Insert hook into first chain and draw up a loop.

This loop that you just drew up is the chain part of the foundation single crochet.

Next, yarn over, pull hook through first loop only so that you have two loops on your hook, just like if you were working a single crochet stitch.

Then, yarn over again and pull hook through both loops. That finishes up the single crochet part of the stitch and your first foundation single crochet is complete!

You can see the chain loop on the bottom of the stitch, the v coming out of that which is the posts of the single crochet, and the single crochet top above that. Chain and single crochet worked all at once!

To make the next fsc, you will insert your hook into the chain part of the fsc you just formed. Right here:

So, again, after you insert the hook in the base of the previous stitch, you will draw up a loop. Then yarn over, and pull through first loop only. This forms the chain part of the fsc. Then yarn over again, and pull through both loops to form the sc portion.

And, All done! And if you prefer video, I have a video tutorial for you too! Just click play below. 🙂 (Psst… I would love if you subscribed to my youtube channel here. Thanks!)

I hope you will give this stitch a chance. I really think you will like it.

Happy Making!

Check out some of my other Crochet Patterns and Tutorials:

How to Crochet the Lemon Peel Stitch

Color Block Crochet Baskets

Chain Edge Raffia Clutch

Chunky Ribbed Slouch Hat