Working in rounds versus rows

Rows

In rows you work from one edge to the other, chain a turning chain, turn the piece over and work back. Every row is worked with a different side facing you, so the fabric looks the same on both sides, and any stitch with a distinct front and back (like half double crochet with its third loop) alternates its look row by row. A pattern worked in rows tells you which row is the right side (RS), usually the first, so you can keep track for shaping and seams.

• Turning chains give the row its height; the pattern says whether they count as a stitch.
• The first stitch of the row goes in the first or second stitch depending on that rule; the last goes in the last stitch or the top of the turning chain.
• Stitch count is checked at the end of each row.
• Shaping happens at the row ends (edges) or at marked points across the row.

Joined rounds

In joined rounds you work all the way around, then close the round with a slip stitch into the first stitch, then chain up to the height of the next round and continue. The right side always faces you unless the pattern says to turn, so the fabric has a distinct front and back. The join and the starting chain leave a faint seam running up the piece; patterns hide it at the back of a hat or in the side of a basket.

Continuous rounds, the spiral

In continuous rounds there is no join at all. When you reach the end of a round you simply work the first stitch of the next round into the first stitch of the previous one and keep going. The rounds form a spiral, there is no seam, and there is no turning chain. This is how almost all amigurumi is worked, because a seamless surface looks better on a toy and the tight single crochet does not need height from a chain.

The cost is that you cannot see where a round begins. A stitch marker in the first stitch of every round solves that: work the stitch, move the marker into it, continue. When you come back around to the marker, the round is done and you can check the count. Never skip the marker; a miscounted round in a spiral is very hard to find later.

Shaping circles and tubes

A flat circle needs a fixed number of increases per round, six for single crochet, spread evenly. A tube needs none. Everything shaped in the round is a combination: a hat is a flat circle that stops increasing and becomes a tube; a toy body increases, works straight, then decreases to close. The rule of thumb is that if the piece cups, it needs more increases, and if it ruffles, it needs fewer. The increases and decreases article goes through the counts.

Which to use

Many patterns mix them: the Market Day Tote works its base and sides in continuous rounds and its handles in rows. Reading the construction notes at the top of a pattern tells you which parts use which, so you can set up your stitch markers before you begin.