How to Crochet a Magic Ring (and Stop It Unravelling)

How to make a magic ring

This example makes the most common first round: 6 sc in a magic ring.

1. Step 1: Lay the yarn over your palm with the tail hanging down, and wrap it once around your first two fingers so the working yarn crosses over the tail.
2. Step 2: Slide the loop off your fingers, pinching the crossing point between your thumb and middle finger so it can't shift.
3. Step 3: Insert the hook through the loop from front to back, catch the working yarn (not the tail), and pull it back through. (1 loop on the hook)
4. Step 4: Yarn over and pull through that loop to anchor the ring. This anchoring stitch does not count as a stitch.
5. Step 5: Work 6 sc into the ring, over both strands of the loop, keeping the pinch until three or four stitches are in. (6)
6. Step 6: Pull the tail firmly. The centre draws closed like a drawstring. (6 sc in a closed ring)
7. 
   

The part most tutorials skip: locking it shut

A magic ring that is only pulled tight will loosen over time, especially inside a stuffed toy that gets squeezed. Lock it:

1. Step 1: Pull the tail closed as usual.
2. Step 2: Thread the tail on a tapestry needle and take one small stitch across the closed centre, catching the base of a stitch on the far side.
3. Step 3: Take a second small stitch back the other way, then run the tail down inside the piece before trimming.

Two stitches, ten seconds, and the ring can never work open. Do this on anything that will be stuffed, washed or handled by a child.

If the magic ring won't work for you

Some hands never get on with it, and that's fine — the two alternatives below are used in published patterns all the time.

The chain-2 method

Ch 2, then work all 6 sc into the second chain from the hook. Quick and reliable; leaves a small hole you can close later with the tail. Good for anything unstuffed.

The sloped start (no hole, no ring)

Ch 2, work 6 sc into the second chain, then pull the starting tail to draw the base tight and lock it with a needle as above. It behaves almost exactly like a magic ring.

Common questions

Why does my magic ring keep coming undone?

Either the working yarn and the tail were swapped in step 3 — the stitches must be worked over the loop, with the tail free to pull — or it was never locked with a needle. Do both and it will hold.

Should the first round be 6 stitches?

Six is standard for amigurumi in worsted yarn and gives a neat, flat start. Patterns do use 4, 5, 8 or more; always follow the number the pattern gives, because every later round counts up from it.

Can I work double crochet into a magic ring?

Yes — any stitch works. Granny squares usually start with 12 dc in a magic ring instead of a chain ring, which is why ours sit so flat in the granny square tote.

Is a magic ring the same as a magic circle?

Yes. Magic ring, magic circle and adjustable ring all mean the same technique; patterns use the names interchangeably.

Once this one clicks, every amigurumi on the site is open to you. Next: amigurumi for beginners. ✨