How to Make A crochet Magic Circle

Hello everyone! In today's tutorial I am going to demonstrate the crochet magic circle (aka magic ring) technique. A magic circle is one of the best ways you can  begin crochet in the round. It is a rather ingenious way of making a closed circle without much hassle, and is often more useful than starting in-the-round crochet projects with a chain base. The magic circle is commonly used to start hats and amigurumi. You will see it abbreviated MC (magic circle) or MR (magic ring) in crochet patterns; magic circle is the most common term. For crochet projects utilizing this technique, you can look through some of my free patterns. So with that, let us proceed.

The Magic Circle Process

Begin by measuring  about 6-7 in. (15-17cm) off your yarn). Do not cut this. Place the yarn over your index finger, with the tail in the back of your finger and the working yarn (the part attached to the ball) at the front of your finger (facing you). See the picture below for reference.

From bottom to top, wrap the tail yarn around your finger twice, until you have three wraps around your index finger, as shown below. Hold the tail secure between your index and middle fingers. Do not touch the working yarn just yet.

Insert your crochet hook from right to left through the two wraps  just created. Hook the working yarn with the crochet hook, then carefully pull it back through the same two wraps (left to right, no twisting), as shown below. Keep the tail secure and taught so nothing unravels. 

Once you have pulled the working yarn through the two wraps, yarn over around the hook, then pull the yarn through the bottom loop. creating a slip stitch. This secures the magic circle ring and enables you to  adjust its size in the later steps. See below for reference.

Once secure, remove the magic circle ring from your finger. It should look like the ring shown below.

Crochet into the ring. Generally this counts as the first round, but sometimes varies by pattern. The starting number of stitches for a magic circle is typically between three and eight; however, if you are following a pattern, check to see what the specified stitch count is. You can work any type of basic crochet stitch into the magic circle (i.e single, half double, double, or treble crochet) and some fancier techniques, although most patterns start with single crochet. With  many crochet patterns, there is often a base round (or row, if working flat). 

​For the purposes of this tutorial, I worked six single crochet into the magic circle ring (a common foundation number for amigurumi).

Once you have the number of stitches needed for your foundation round, pull the tail until the magic circle is completely closed, and no part of the starting ring is visible. You should only see the stitches you crocheted into the ring, as shown below. The result should be a nearly perfect closed circle (hints the name, "magic circle").

You can now proceed with you crochet project. Work in round or spirals, add increases, decreases, or switch crochet stitches.. You can also work in the front and back loops of the stitches, or the front and back posts of higher stitches (half double, double, etc.). The magic circle is compatible with any technique you chose. 

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial. If you have any questions about the post, feel free to comment below. Until next time, happy crochet!