Crochet patterns will often tell you to work into the ‘back bumps’ of the starting (foundation) chain. But what are the back bumps? Let me explain…

If you look at the front of a crocheted chain, you’ll see it looks like a row of V shapes:

Flip the chain over and you’ll see a bump at the back of each chain stitch:

To work into the back bumps of a starting chain, simply turn the chain over so you can see the bumps instead of the Vs on the front, then insert your hook under the next bump to begin each stitch.

The result is a neat edge across the bottom of the work, with a row of Vs visible (from the front of the chain) that matches the top edge of your work.

You can see the technique in action (with my tips on how to make sure you’re starting from the correct back bump) in the videos below:

Video Tutorial (right-handed)

Video Tutorial (left-handed)

Note: The videos may look a little small embedded in the blog: if so, you can fullscreen them or click through to YouTube (links: right-handed; left-handed) to watch them full-sized 🙂

Why Crochet into the Back Bumps?

As well as making a neat edge for scarves, blankets, etc with a straight bottom edge, this is also a great technique to use when making amigurumi, appliques and other crocheted pieces that use chains to make small details.

You can find crocheting into the back bumps of chains in lots of my PlanetJune patterns, for example Cephalopod tentacles, Snow Star snowflakes, Iguana toes and spikes, Maple Leaves.

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