When you are starting a crochet project and its worked in the round beginning with very few stitches, you can go the traditional way or you can use a little trick called a magic ring. Magic rings allow you to draw those first few stitches completely closed.

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Most crochet patterns which begin with a small number of stitches worked in the round use the traditional (not a magic ring) start. They will say something like:

Chain 4 (or 5 or 6) stitches, join with a slip stitch, put a single crochet in each chain.

After a round (or two) you’ll find that way of starting leaves a small hole in the center.

That small hole can be exactly what you want. I recently did a thread crochet coaster project with this start and I thought the center hole was pretty; it added to the overall look of the motif. But there are times when I don’t want a hole in my work. If I’m making a hat (from the top down) or a pillow cover, or an amigurumi doll, I want my work to be solid. That’s when I blow off the instructions in the pattern I’m using and start with a magic ring instead.

Hope you find it helpful! That first move, anchoring to the ring can be awkward but after a few tries I’m sure you’ll get the knack of it. If you like this video, we have more on our Tips, Tricks and Videos page.