When starting a new chain (with the one-size-larger hook*, what, what), try making the slip knot by catching the short end (not the long working end attached to the ball), then pull your first loop through. That means you can control the size of the slip knot loop by tugging on the tail. I hated the way my first chain looked for years, invariably too tight in the wrong place and too loose everywhere else -- then I stumbled onto it this way and it's better. Conduct an experiment and try it for yourself. (Maybe there is something valuable to learning crochet from another person, as opposed to just from books.)

*Chained tips?