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The magic ring

An adjustable starting loop that closes the hole at the center of anything worked in the round. Two ways to make it, and how to stop it coming undone.

By The StudioPublished Jun 16, 20265 min read

Anything worked in the round from the center, a toy head, a hat crown, a basket base, a granny square, starts with a small ring of stitches. The old way was to chain four and join into a loop, which leaves a hole in the middle. The magic ring (also called a magic circle or adjustable ring) starts the stitches on a loop of yarn that you pull tight afterward, so the center closes completely. It is the first thing to learn for amigurumi.

Making the ring

1
Leave a tail of about 15 cm (6 in). Lay the yarn over your left index and middle fingers with the tail toward you, then wrap the working yarn once around the fingers so the two strands cross on top.
2
Insert the hook under the first strand (the one nearer your fingertips) and catch the second strand. Pull it under the first so there is a loop on the hook.
3
Chain 1 to secure it. This chain does not count as a stitch.
For double crochet rounds, chain 2 or 3 here instead, as the pattern says.
4
Slide the ring off your fingers. You have a loose loop of yarn with a tail hanging from it. Work the first round of stitches into the ring, going under both the loop and the tail so the tail gets trapped.
5
When the round has the stitches the pattern asks for, usually six single crochet, pull the tail firmly. The ring closes and the stitches gather into a tight circle.

That is the whole technique. The first attempt usually falls apart in your hands; the second is awkward; the fifth is automatic. If it keeps unraveling, the most common cause is picking up the wrong strand in step two. The strand you catch must be the working yarn, so that pulling the tail is what closes the ring.

A simpler alternative

If the finger wrap will not cooperate, make a slip knot but do not tighten it. Leave the loop open about the size of a coin, chain 1, work the first round of stitches into the open loop, then pull the tail to close. It is the same idea with a knot you already know how to make, and the result is nearly identical. Some people never use anything else.

A magic ring can loosen again with wear, especially in slippery yarn. Always weave the tail in securely, working it in a circle around the center on the wrong side and then back through a few stitches, before trimming.

Stitch counts for the first round

The number of stitches in the ring sets the shape. Six single crochet makes a flat circle that increases by six every round; that is the standard for most amigurumi. Eight makes a slightly flatter circle, used for larger discs and some hat crowns. For double crochet, twelve in the ring is the usual number. Patterns always tell you; the point is that the count in round one is not arbitrary, and if you get seven by accident, every round after will be wrong.

6 sc in the ring: toy heads, bodies, small balls
8 sc in the ring: flatter discs, bases of baskets and bags
12 dc in the ring: the center of many mandalas and doilies
4 groups of 3 dc in the ring: the classic granny square start

Working the second round

After closing the ring, most amigurumi patterns work in continuous rounds: no joining, no turning chain, you simply put the first stitch of round two into the first stitch of round one and keep going in a spiral. Put a stitch marker in the first stitch of every round so you know where the round begins. Patterns worked in joined rounds instead slip stitch to the first stitch to close the round, then chain up for the next one. The difference is explained fully in working in rounds versus rows.

Two-strand and colored centers

For a ring that closes even more tightly, wrap the yarn around your fingers twice in step one so there are two loops to work over; both strands get trapped in the stitches and there is no hole at all. If a toy has a different color at its nose or center, start the magic ring in that color, work the rounds it needs, then change color; the ring itself is invisible once closed, so there is no join to hide.

The magic ring is a small skill that every round-worked project in the shop depends on. Practice it with a scrap of smooth worsted weight yarn, where you can see the strands clearly, before trying it in something dark or fuzzy.

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