I don't know what kind of pattern you follow, but usually, when you are working in the round rather than in a spiral, or in back and forth rows, you chain 1 at the beginning of each row/round, just to get toi the height you need for the first stitch, in the case of 1 chain, a single crochet. Then you count your stitches as usual. The chain does not count. If you were to use double crochets, you would chain 3 (or 2, depends on your style), to get to the right height at the beginning of a row or round. Hope that helps someone, even if I am a bit late for the question.
