Get Neater Crochet Edges – the Alternative to the Turning Chain

We’ve all had that experience, you crochet a piece with minimal/no mistakes and yet it still seems not quite good. There’s that little gap and a wonky line on the edge where your turning chains are, making an otherwise perfect piece seem a little sloppy and a desperate desire for neater crochet edges.

Realistically, you’ve only got a few options: crochet a border and hope those gaps don’t become bigger or accept that the turning chain just isn’t going to give you good edges. Neither of them are really going to give you that nice, clean edge you want.

But what if I told you there was a much, much better way to get your stitches up to height and keep your lines clean? Almost sounds too good to be true…

Thankfully, there’s an alternative to the turning chain (at least for double crochet stitches and larger). I like to call it the altdc or alternative double crochet. It’s a stitch that requires no turning chain, better replicates a double crochet, gets the rest of your stitches up to height, and keeps your edges looking professional. It’s also very easy to learn and can be used in place of the turning chain in most patterns.

Without further adieu, let’s jump right in and learn that stitch.

How to do the Alternative Double Crochet

Once you’ve hit the end of your row and your pattern calls for a chain 3 turning chain, stop. Turn your work over with making zero turning chains.

Single crochet into the first stitch of the next row.

Then, single crochet directly into the post of single crochet you just did. The place I like to do it is right in between the two vertical strands of yarn of the post.

And you’re done. That’s it, you’ve made the stitch. The rest of your double crochet row will be up to height and your edge will look way more even.

You may be thinking it won’t really make that much of a difference in the edges of your work, but surprisingly it really does. Even before blocking.

Below is a swatch I did with the right edge worked with the traditional turning chain and the left edge with the alternative double crochet. As you can see, the left side is much straighter and has no gap between the turning chain and the first double crochet.

Now, there’s still a place for the turning chain. I really do think it’s important for beginners to learn with a turning chain and understand why we use them. But once you have that knowledge, replacing them with the altdc is a great choice to bring your work to the next level.

Do you prefer the alternative double crochet or the turning chain to get your stitches up to height? Leave a comment telling me which way you prefer, or any other ways to help make your edges much neater.

Happy crocheting!