How to Foundation Half Double Crochet (Left and Right Handed Tutorial)

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Are you ready to learn a new technique that might just revolutionize your crochet-world? Welcome to the Foundation Half Double Crochet Tutorial where you will learn to ditch the long chains and start with a solid foundation of half double crochets. Sounds wonderful, doesn’t it?

Below you will find the full photo tutorials for both right and left handed crocheters as well as a quick step by step walk through and tips for working with a foundation row in the round.

Don’t forget to save this tutorial on Pinterest so you can find it again and others can enjoy it.

How do you do a foundation half double crochet?

Here are the quick steps for how you do a foundation half double crochet:

1. Chain 2, yarn over, insert hook into the second chain from the hook and pull up loop.
2. Yarn over and pull through the first loop on the hook to make a chain stitch.
3. Yarn over and pull through all three loops on the hook to make a hdc.
4. Yarn over and insert hook into the chain stitch and pull up a loop.
5. Yarn over and pull through the first loop on the hook creating another chain stitch.
6. Yarn over and pull through all three loops on the hook.
7. Continue working through steps 4-6 until your foundation row reaches the desired number of stitches.

Once you’ve mastered this technique, you’ll love using it on projects like the Simple Half Double Crochet Blanket Pattern.

Why is it called a chainless foundation hdc?

It seems like calling this technique a chainless foundation stitch is a bit of a misnomer since you are chaining and working the first row all at the same time. You are basically making a chain stitch then adding a hdc to it, then another chain stitch and another hdc and on and on.

So it isn’t exactly chainless BUT you do get to avoid a LONG foundation chain that is hard to keep consistent and annoying to working into

Related: Foundation Single Crochet

How do I join a foundation half double crochet in the round?

You’ll be happy to know that you can even use a foundation half double crochet in the round. The technique works for both joined rounds and continuous rounds.

You’ll first want to work your foundation row (follow the tutorial below) until it reaches the correct number of stitches. Hold the beginning and the end of your foundation rows together being sure the row isn’t twisted.

(It is MUCH easier to make sure a foundation row isn’t twisted than it is too keep a chain row from twisting.)

For joined rounds, slip stitch into the first half double crochet stitch then chain up to start your next row. For continuous rounds, start the next stitch in the first half double crochet.

Using a yarn needle, weave the tail through the last chain stitch of the foundation row and then back into the first chain. Weave in the ends to secure.

Closing the gap on continuous rounds isn’t as smooth, but it does work! You can check out the North Shore Kid Scarf Pattern to see how it looks.

FHDC Tutorials

To get started, you will want to grab some yarn and a hook that is an appropriate size for your yarn.

In the tutorial below I used Vanna’s Choice Yarn which is a Category 4 worsted weight yarn for all of the step by step photos.

The hook is my Furls Odyssey in J/10 6.0 mm.

The finished swatches were done in Bernat Beyond Yarn.

Foundation Half Double Crochet Tutorial – Right Handed

First you’ll chain 2 and yarn over.

Insert your hook in the 2nd chain from the hook and pull up a loop. The loop you just pulled up will be the “chain” stitch under your first half double crochet.

Yarn over and pull through only the first loop on the hook.

You’ve created the first chain and are now ready to complete the first hdc.

Yarn over and pull through all three loops on the hook.

Here is what the first completed foundation half double crochet looks like when turned the right way. You can see the chain at the bottom of the stitch with a completed hdc worked into that stitch.

Let’s continue on. Yarn over and now you are going to insert your hook into the chain stitch you made.

Pull up a loop.

Side note: When you pull up a loop for the chain, make sure it is as long as your other two loops on the hook. You don’t want your hook angling down toward the chain stitches or you will not get a straight foundation row.

Pull through the first loop on the hook.

Then pull through all three loops on the hook. You now have two completed chains and 2 completed half double crochets.

Continue working in the chains of the previous stitch until you’ve reached the desired length.

Row 2 is worked just like a normal row of half double crochets (or whatever crochet stitch you need in row 2.) I find my foundation row looks best when I do not count the chain 2 at the beginning as a stitch. I work the last stitch into the very first half double crochet stitch and ignore the chain 2 in my stitch count.

There you go! Wasn’t that actually pretty simple? Keep practicing it until you get the hang of your tension and can make each foundation crochet stitch consistently.

You can see from the two images below that the foundation half double crochet only looks slightly different than starting with a chain row.

FHDC Stitch Tutorial – Left Handed

First you’ll chain 2 and yarn over.

Insert your crochet hook in the 2nd chain from the hook and pull up a loop. The loop you just pulled up will be the “chain” stitch under your first half double crochet.

Yarn over and pull through only the first loop on the hook.

You’ve created the first chain and are now ready to complete the first hdc.

Yarn over and pull through all three loops on the hook.

Here is what the first completed foundation half double crochet looks like when turned the right way. You can see the chain at the bottom of the stitch with a completed hdc worked into that stitch.

Next, yarn over and now you are going to insert your hook into the chain stitch you made.

Pull up a loop.

Side note: When you pull up a loop for the chain, make sure it is as long as your other two loops on the hook. You don’t want your hook angling down toward the chain stitches or you will not get a straight foundation row.

Pull through the first loop on the hook.

Then pull through all three loops on the hook. You now have two completed chains and 2 completed half double crochets.

Continue working in the chains of the previous crochet stitch until you’ve reached the desired length.

Row 2 is worked just like a normal row of half double crochets (or whatever stitch you need in row 2.) I find my foundation row looks best when I do not count the chain 2 at the beginning as a stitch. I work the last stitch into the very first half double crochet stitch and ignore the ch 2 in my stitch count.

There you go! Wasn’t that actually pretty simple? Keep practicing it until you get the hang of your tension and can make each foundation stitch consistently.

You can see from the two images below that the foundation half double crochet only looks slightly different than starting with a chain row.