Knowing how to crochet into the back bumps of a chain is a great skill to have in your crochet toolbox. This technique can help clean up the bottom of your work so that it matches the top of your work and it used in various different ways for improving the look of the bottom of a chain. Today I’ll show you how to crochet into the back bumps of a chain with both a photo tutorial as well as a video tutorial so you can feel confident with your new skill.
You’ll also find different techniques and projects at the end of this tutorial for you to practice working into the back bump of a foundation chain.
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To follow along with this tutorial, you should know how to crochet a chain. If You don’t know how, don’t worry! I’ve got you. Check out my how to crochet a chain tutorial here.
You’ll see that I hold my hook with my right hand in my tutorials however, if you are more comfortable holding your crochet hook in your left hand, you can still follow along. You’ll just be working from left to right instead of right to left.
Why Should I Crochet Into the Back Bump of the Chain?
There are different ways to work into a crochet chain and where in the chain you work your foundation stitches, will chain the look of your foundation row. Here is the main reason why many crocheters work into the back bump of a chain: They want both edges of their project to look the same!
When you work into a crochet chain the standard way, the top edge of your crochet project looks different than the bottom edge. The top of your project typically has this nice row of clean V’s across the top but your foundation row at the bottom of the work doesn’t. Working into the back bump of the chain can help make your bottom edge and top edge look the same or at least, more similar.
In the images below, you can see the differences in how the tops and bottoms of your projects will look.
So crocheting into the back bump of a chain is a great technique for giving your project a nice finish. It’s one of those small details that can make a big difference in the finished look of your projects.
Parts of a Crochet Chain
Before we learn the back bump technique, we need to understand the anatomy of a crochet chain. When the front of the chain is facing you, it is easy to see that there are 2 loops of the chain facing you.
The front loops are the ones closest to you (in the image, it’s the bottom loop) and the top loop / the loop furthest from you are known as the back loops.
But there is a third loop that is hidden from view when you’re looking at the front of the chain. To see it, we need to turn the chain over so we are looking at the back side of the chains.
Once the chain is turned over, you’ll see that there are these little bumps (sometimes called back humps or back bar) along the back of the chain. This single strand on the back of your chain stitches is the back bump of the chain.
Materials:
In this tutorial, I’m using the following materials however, you can use any yarn and hook size combination to follow along:
Watch the Video Tutorial for This Technique
How to Crochet in the Back Bumps of a Chain – Photo Tutorial
1. With a slip knot on your crochet hook, create a crochet chain of your desired number of chains.
2. Turn the chain so you’re looking at the back of your foundation chain and locate the back bump in the 2nd chain from the hook.
3. Insert your crochet hook under the back bump of the 2nd chain from the hook and complete your stitch as normal. In this example (second picture) I’ve done a single crochet stitch.
4. Repeat this process, working your stitches into the back bump of the chain until the end of your chain. You’ll crochet the rest of your rows as normal.
Crochet Tip: If you’re a tight crocheter, you may find that getting your hook into the back of the foundation chain is difficult. If you do, try creating your chain again with a looser tension or by using a larger crochet hook.
Note: In this example, I have shown you how to do a single crochet stitch in the back bump of the starting chains however, depending on the stitch you need to work, you may need to adjust which chain that you work your first stitch into (i.e. typically a double crochet stitch would be done in the 4th chain from the hook and those skipped chains would count as your first stitch or turning chain while single crochet stitches are typically worked in the 2nd chain from the hook.)
What If My Pattern Doesn’t Specify To Work Into the Back Bump of a Foundation Chain?
Many designers do not specify where to insert your hook into your foundation chain. The standard is to insert your hook through the center of the V of the chain so that you have two little loops on your chain before completing your stitch.
However, just because it’s not specified, doesn’t mean that you can’t (or shouldn’t) use it. If it’s not specified, then feel free to substitute it in for the standard way of working into a chain as you see fit.
That’s it! that’s how you crochet in the back bump of chains! Happy crocheting!
Ready to practice your new skill? Check out these free patterns and techniques where you can work into the back bumps of chains:
- Tunisian Simple Stitch Tutorial
- Tunisian Extended Simple Stitch Tutorial
- Working on Both Sides of a Foundation Chain
- It’s Coffee Time Mug Rug
I hope you enjoyed this crochet tutorial and are excited to get started learning more crochet stitches and techniques! Here are some other great crochet tutorials to check out next:
Be sure to check out my Crochet Stitch Tutorials page to get a list of tutorials for basic stitches in both traditional crochet and tunisian stitches, tips, tricks, special stitch patterns and techniques and more.
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