Crochet Chains

So a friend of mine, Kara, once jokingly said at work: “You can literally make anything you want.” And as we were preparing the bookshelves and buy-counter, and all the daily chores of the day (I used to work at my branch of Half Priced Books… literally one of the greatest companies in the world!), I realized something important:

She was right.

Crochet lends itself to so many different forms of artistry and expression, and one of my favorites, believe it or not, is in the jewelry department! Crochet jewelry has become especially popular in recent years in part, I think, because it’s easy to style it to so many individual tastes: rustic to chic, vintage to modern, there’s no limit to how you can design your favorite statement pieces, or even to what materials you can use!

As with all our favorite patterns, we will start at the very beginning with simple chain-links. Compared to your standard foundational chains, these are made to be much larger and more durable, allowing adornment from a multitude items, such as beads, ribbons, and even additional crochet charms.

Materials:

• Crochet hook between sizes G/6 - I/9
  NOTE: you can go even smaller with these chains (depending on your pattern), but I recommend these sizes with 3-4 weight yarn for those just getting started with this pattern

• light-medium weight yarn, 3-4

• Snips

Instructions:

1. ch 4 then sl st close to form ring;

2. ch 1 then sc 10 into the center ring sp;

3. *ch 5 then sl st into the 4th ring from hook to form new ring;

4. ch 1 then sc 5 into center ring sp (leaving half of the ring un-finished);*

5. Repeat (*) for the number of chain links you need for your project;

6. To finish your chain-links:
   sc 5 into the remaining half of your last chain-link (for a total of 10 sc into the same center ring sp);

7. after 10th sc, **YOH and sl st the single ch connecting the rings; carefully sc 1 into the next center ring sp, then sc 4 more into the same ring sp (for a total of 5 additional sc);**

8. Repeat (**) across rnd to complete each chain-link;

9. on the last half-chain-link, YOH the last ch connecting the rings, then insert hook into the next SC; sl st to secure then cut yarn to finish

10. (OPT.) sl st around ring and across the entire chain-link for a sturdier jewelry base; this step is especially great for head-wear and necklines of sweaters & tops, but can add too much structure for more free-flowing designs.

Need a visual? Gotcha covered! Check out my YouTube tutorial for a more in-depth look at this process: