ch — Chain (Abbreviation)

ch stands for "chain" — the interlocking loop stitch that starts nearly every crochet piece (see foundation chain) and also appears constantly mid-pattern, forming deliberate gaps within an otherwise solid stitch pattern.

Two different jobs for the same stitch

At the very start of a piece, "ch 40" builds a foundation row of 40 chain stitches to work the first real row into. Mid-pattern, a short chain — "ch 2, skip 2 sts, dc in next st" — deliberately leaves an open gap rather than building toward a full foundation row; this is the same physical stitch used for a structurally different purpose, and reading which job a specific "ch" instruction is doing matters for understanding the pattern's actual structure.

Chain spaces versus individual chain stitches

A later row or round often needs to work into a chain either stitch by stitch or as a combined open space — see working into a chain space for why "3 dc in next ch-2 sp" and "dc in each of next 2 ch" are genuinely different instructions producing different results, even though both reference the same chain.

Turning chains: a special mid-pattern use

A turning chain — a short chain worked right after turning, before the row's first real stitch — is a third distinct job: getting the yarn positioned at the height the new row's stitches need. Worth keeping mentally separate from a chain worked to deliberately leave an open gap within the row itself, even though both use the identical ch instruction.

Related abbreviations

• st(s) — stitches, the general count a chain instruction is often paired with
• sc / hdc / dc / tr — the stitch heights whose turning chains vary specifically because of their different heights

FAQ

Does chain tension matter as much as it does for a foundation chain when working a mid-pattern chain space? Somewhat less critically, since a mid-pattern chain space isn't bearing the same structural load a foundation edge does — but consistent tension across all chains in a piece still keeps the fabric looking even, so it's worth the same care regardless of where the chain falls.

Is a chain stitch ever worked into on the very same row it was created, rather than a later one? Yes — a chain space created and then immediately worked into within the same row (common in shell or fan patterns) is a standard technique, distinct from a chain left for a later row to work into.