You may also want to check YouTube.com for videos, since there are a lot of crocheters who have put helpful demonstrations on that site. Hope that helps!

I did one project a few years ago where I managed to start with fsc and one side of it was still tighter than the other, as if the chain part of the fsc stitch was still a different tension than the sc part…

How to tell if you need to do this? Make a swatch in your pattern stitch, at least 4 to 6 inches in width and about the same in length. If the first row, ie, bottom edge or foundation row, made either with a chain or a Fsc or Fdc, pulls in and appears tighter than rest of the swatch in the pattern stitch called for in your project, you’ll need to go up a hook size for that first row of your project so it will lie nice and flat and not pucker. Some yarns and stitches require I go up 2 hook sizes. On the next row, put the larger hook aside and use the hook that gives you gauge for the rest of the project.

Nothing… nothing! is more important than making a gauge/sample swatch before starting a project. It tells you so much. Too many crocheters skip this important step. I suppose if you’re making a familiar afghan pattern or scarf in a yarn you’ve used many times you may be able to skip it, but for anything else, especially a project that needs to be made to size … take a few minutes and do that swatch. Oh, and do it in the exact yarn your project calls for, because I’ve found that even within the same yarn type, different colors in the same yarn can have slight variations in gauge, feel and stitch definition. You can always frog the swatch later if you need the yarn for your project.

I recommend not ripping out the swatch until you’re almost done with your project, because you can practice edgings and joining on the swatch, sparing your project the trial and error until you get it right.