Beginning chain

[Jan]

My instructions say ch 101. Dc into third ch from hook and each chain. 100 sts. I can only get 99 even counting the beginning turning chain. The designer insists I should have 100 and directed me to go to a basic “how to crochet site” I feel so confused!

[bgs]

Just to check yourself.  Ch 11, dc in third ch from hook and in each ch.  You should have 10 dc including the turning ch. 

No matter how careful I am I cant seem to correctly keep track of large numbers of chains so I now always do as someone here suggested "Make extra chains".  They can easily be undone.  I also find it helpful to make extra chains if I am trying to get a specific width.  Make the chains and then work that first row to the width I wanted.

The other option would be to do foundation double crochet where the base chain and first row are made simultaneously.

[Granny Square]

Hmm, making a US DC into the 3rd chain would leave only 2 chains for the turning chain, which is not conventional.  But not impossible.

Typically on a foundation chain for US DC, one turns and makes the DC into the 4th chain from the hook (not the third chain), which leaves 3 chains as the turning chain and initial DC (in other words, 2 stitches are made using 4 chains).  So in US terms, to get a first row of 100 stitches, typically a pattern would have you chain 102, not 101.  UNLESS the pattern UK terms, where a UK DC = US SC (where the turning chain is 1 and doesn't count as a stitch) then 101 chains works.