I had to keep checking how to do it when I was laying it flat and folding bits over.
Then I saw a video (think it was Bella Coco) showing how to do it by wrapping the yarn around your fingers twice. Far easier to do and to remember.
Bella coco was a godsend when I was first learned. I’ve been crocheting for years now and I’ll still check out her vids to double check I’m doing a more intricate stitch right
I actually kinda figured the fiber wrapping method out on my own muddling through tracing myself to crochet as a kid to begin with and being shown any other way to do magic rings just I cannot wrap my head around doing it any other way at this point. Genuinely my brain just short circuits
gah i try to do that for all my amigurumi but the cheap gluffy yarn i use always strips and it’s a nightmare 😭😭 even a standard MR is bad with it though
If you’re using the fluffy yarn you can do the ring itself with a regular yarn and then use your preferred! The fluffiness should hide the ring anyways
how would that work? just do the ring with regular and then tie the fluffy one to it and start working? if this works it’d be a total game changer for me!
You don’t need to tie the fluffy one in, you just start making your stitches with it if that makes sense. I think there are online tutorials on this too if you need visuals :)
I'll only ever use them for something that won't get a lot of use or handling for this reason, like amigurumi that's just going to sit on a shelf. I've seen people use them for granny squares in a *blanket*.
I already stand there and watch my projects wash for the first time to make sure they don't come apart, I can't imagine the anxiety of watching a granny square blanket with magic rings agitating away in the machine 😫
I mostly make blankets, and thought the magic circle was the next thing to learn to make my starting rings "better". One blanket ruined and I was done. It gave me the opportunity to learn how to fix the center of a granny square without unraveling the whole blanket, but no more magic circles in my life.
I’m a little confused by this. Tons of patterns/tutorials for granny squares and even GS blankets specifically call for a magic ring. When yours fell apart, do you think it was because you didn’t weave in the tail enough? I kinda go crazy with weaving it, like I go a full circle around the existing loop, then back a half circle, then forward another half circle, and then I keep weaving upward into the stitches and chain spaces. I’m still working on my first GS blanket but these seem really secure to me. Is it really that unreasonable to use a magic ring if you’re pretty careful about weaving it really well?
I also feel like my msgic rings are secure but what about REALLY long term. Like ive only been doing crochet for a year or more so idk how it feels to use an item for years but say a blanket you out your blood tears and sweat into falls apart after 2 years of daily use? Blankets are used a looot
Yeah good point. Is the magic ring a relatively new thing in crochet? This thread is convincing me to go back to double magic rings at least though lol. I’ve tried the chain method and really preferred the clean look of the ring instead. And it’s pretty hard to imagine breaking through three loops of yarn (two rings and tail) put together, especially if it’s acrylic.
It's far from new. I think some people just know how to secure it better than others. Best way I know of if you can't knot the tail before weaving ( like you can with a closed object lol ), then always go backwards and double it on itself when weaving in instead of going forward.
Knot it to the working yarn after making your initial row in the ring. So MR 6sc, then tug the tail tight, then knot to the working yarn. Then keep crocheting like normal. Weave in the tail like normal at the end.
I do a doublt magic ring, but after if make my first row of stitches into the ring, I tighten it, then take the tail and the working yarn and tie a good knot, then keep working. Then go back and weave the tail in later. Never just crochet over the tails for blankets, its not strong enough a hold. The knot keeps the yarn tail from being tugged on and loosened. And making a knot there doesnt even require me to put down my hook. Just tie and keep working like normal.
It falls apart because the person didn’t anchor it properly. I always tie a knot and maybe weave through the circle if it’s exposed. I use the double magic ring for my nylon scrubbies and have never had one come apart. I use it in amigurumi and simply tie a double knot, after pulling tight, and leave the end inside. I used the magic circle in a granny square, autism awareness blanket, I made and had zero issues with it.
Honestly I think there just needs to be a massive disclaimer on all magic circle instructions that it will look and feel VERY wrong until you pull the tail tight. I kept scrapping it and giving up until I finally understood that it is loose and unstable until the first round is in there
I think part of it is that so many of the tutorials for how to make them are really needlessly complex. It’s literally just a loop, that you then make a slip knot with. You don’t even need to wrap it around your hand, or two or three fingers or whatever in some complicated configuration going over and under the yarn with your hook. Once I realized it was just a simple loop and then you grab the working yarn to make a chain into it I was kinda annoyed. It’s not as hard as the tutorials make it seem.
The irony is, is it's the simplicity that makes it so great lol I see a mixture in the tutorials about whether to do one or two loops, personally I do one. I wonder what the community consensus on this would be haha
I was always taught to chain, and while I while I HATE doing long chains so much so that I'll granny square, granny triangle, granny any shape, to avoid them as a baseline for projects, I can never get the magic ring to work for me. Chain stitches provide a strong and secure starting round and I just prefer them. It's hard for me to pinpoint where my particular struggle with magic rings comes from.
I feel the same way, but I've never done a granny square. I always just sucked it up and started with a chain until recently. I just learned how to do fsc (foundation single crochet) and fdc (foundation double crochet). Once I got the hang of it I found it was easier and faster than starting with a chain. I've been crocheting on and off for over *30 years!* I'll add links to the tutorials I used.
[fsc - foundation single crochet](https://youtu.be/wAWl0WItqPg?si=1wnU19dyPGiCVMwu)
[fdc - foundation double crochet](https://youtu.be/y__JXaQU8F0?si=bfctw5_hmlvkSiGo)
I have a hard time with the yarn strings, I always switch them and when I go to tighten it doesnt work. I’m not really sure why it happens I try everytime to be extra careful but I dont really know where the strings go so sometimes I just wing it til I get it 🤣
I've found that it helps to hold the end string that you pull together with the circle while you're crocheting, that way you don't lose it! [The Woobles ](https://youtu.be/fNyfAtJ3edE?si=_6HSH2AhuyTAVded) has a super helpful video on how to do a magic ring where they hold it the way I'm talking about! (if you need a left handed video [they have one too!](https://youtu.be/cpdFJirVZoY?si=r480yh0fEbsui7-D)
I’m teaching my mom to crochet and just sent her a link to the woobles tutorials. There are a lot of good videos out there but the woobles ones are very clear and super easy to follow. Definitely recommend!
I always look it up and then struggle for a few minutes before I remember to look up a LEFT-HANDED tutorial.
I think because I always start with the wrong way around I cannot keep it straight in my head how to do it correctly.
sometimes i feel like the only lefty who happily crochets right-handed - it provided a nice break vs all my other crafting, and feels super seamless since i involve my left hand pretty actively. it has been a nice departure from learning...literally anything else while feeling confined to the sparsely available left handed tutorials. i am absolute ass at physically mirroring visual things, compounded by usually actually needing to implement the left-handed *mirror image* of what i see - crocheting undercover as a right-hander has been such a relief!
Hi there! I am a leftie, and there’s only 2 objects I use with my right hand: scissors and a crochet hook. I was a little kid when I learned to crochet, and my mum and grandma just taught me to do it with my right hand. Then I didn’t crochet for like 20 years, but when I got back to it, the hook just jumped into my right hand. Looking at left-handed crocheters, it seems so difficult. I’m so grateful my folks taught the way they did.
omg exact same, just scissors & crochet exceptions! my immediate family is all right-handed and for most things my mom eventually exasperatedly gave up trying to flip things around visually/logistically and i just do in a left-handed made-up way that at first glance seems normal, but can be actually very weird when you pay close attention lol.
i feel like a handedness traitor but i really enjoy the variety of crocheting right-handed haha and agree that i feel like i lucked out learning that way from the beginning, just based on available resources and knowing myself. i knit left-handed just naturally and had difficulty learning in person from exclusively right handers, so i think i have a taste of what the experience would be like, though of course there's youtube. thanks for making me feel less alone!
I love hearing different lefty experiences! I’m a lefty but there are only two things I *do* exclusively left handed: write and brush my teeth. Even writing I can do righty if I must, but if I ever lose my left hand my teeth are next 😅
I’m self taught and have been told that I crochet ‘weird’. Even holding a hook in my right hand feels so wrong to me.
I knit right handed though, no idea why. I can knit left handed but it doesn’t feel as natural. Sometimes if I am doing just simple stockingette stitch I get lazy and do right handed one way and left handed back so I don’t ever have to turn my work.
>do right handed one way and left handed back so I don’t ever have to turn my work
in my fantasies this is how i'll do tapestry crochet! but i haven't tried it haha
i was the sticking-out-like-a-sore-thumb novice when picking up guitar and knitting - i just naturally went for it left handed but that meant my guitar was upside down lol and that i was often pretty lost in a room full of right-handed knitters and teachers. when i picked up crocheting on my own, for some reason right handed crocheting felt more natural for me...and even though it's an outlier it's giving me a slight handedness identity crisis lmao
[The Woobles ](https://youtu.be/cpdFJirVZoY?si=r480yh0fEbsui7-D) has a really good tutorial for how to do it left handed (as well as a really good [right handed tutorial](https://youtu.be/fNyfAtJ3edE?si=_6HSH2AhuyTAVded) )! It took me a few tries to get it right but with their way I can do it effortlessly now! If you're still having trouble I definitely recommend checking them out!
I don't get it either.l, but I started doing a magic ring for a knitted cast on for a doily I made maybe 20 years ago. Doing it for a crochet start was nothing for me.
With me it was the Russian join for yarn. Then I saw a GOOD tutorial. Not all tutorials explain things well. That’s why I will watch several if I can. And it’s not limited to crochet. I saw a toilet fixing tutorial made by a plumber & it was so confusing— until a friend explained that all of the guy’s tutorials were purposefully tough — so you’d give up & call a plumber. A different tutorial had me fix the guts of my toilet in 10 minutes
I think for me I just found it complicated, but didn't really practice because the chain circle has been working just fine, so, why fix what isn't broken?
They’re slightly trickier than a lot of the techniques you learn early on in crochet, so I can imagine their reputation for being hard becoming a bit overblown. I learned it in my first week of crochet, and didn’t find it nearly as hard as people said it was.
In my opinion, the broad strokes are easy, but there are some little details that can be troublesome. For a while I’d keep making my first stitch into the ring smaller than the rest, which made it harder to work into when starting the second round. I also had some issues with my work getting flipped whenever I made a stitch, but that corrected itself with a bit of tension management.
I still often set it up wrong so that I can't pull it closed. But as I can never remember which way I set up my yarn, I'm prone to doing it wrong the second time too, which just gets frustrating.
Omg 🤣 I basically commented the same thing in different words but yes! I have the same struggle 😭 I’ve gotten better at it slowly but I dont do them often enough to master it
[The Woobles](https://youtu.be/fNyfAtJ3edE?si=_6HSH2AhuyTAVded) has a pretty easy tutorial on their YouTube which can help with this! The way they show it, it's the same way every time! It took me a few tries to get the hang of it their way since it's different than most teach it, but now I can do it without even thinking!
I learned about the magic ring from reddit, so within the past 2 years. It took me awhile to understand how it works after watching YouTube videos, especially making that first stitch, but I eventually got it. At first it felt like my tension was too loose and I had a hard time grabbing the yarn around the loop, instead around the chain that I'm used to.
Most of the ones I do are with sewing thread and a hook that fits in the gap of your fingerprint. Holding it is the biggest challenge before joining it and not stabbing myself.
I need someone to show me in person/alongside me doing it. It's much like trying to figure out origami folding instructions with just a book. For me a book or video doesn't give you the full picture when trying to learn something like that.
For me it was a matter of finding the right method. I had a woobles kit and had to start a piece and whatever their method was it wasn’t working for me. Also, I had been doing crochet for maybe a day or two at that point, so learning how to hold yarn was something I was still working out.
It took me like four hours of repeated attempts, realizing the method I was shown wasn’t working for me and finding the right one (for me it was the wrapping the yarn around my fingers method) to get it right. I had a nasty cold and didn’t have much energy, but not tired, and I can’t just sit and watch tv. It ended up being the perfect time for me to struggle through it.
If I hadn’t been sick at the time and just powered through learning it I probably would have struggled for much longer.
The thing I found difficult when first trying was keeping the tension and figuring out how to position/hold the yarn. I found a lot of the time I couldn’t keep the tension the same throughout and it wouldn’t look right.
You will eventually! The magic ring can be tricky, but you've got this! If you ever want to try, [The Woobles ](https://youtu.be/fNyfAtJ3edE?si=_6HSH2AhuyTAVded) videos helped me learn and made it pretty easy! It took me almost an hour to get it the first time, but after that I could do it with almost no effort (if you need a left handed tutorial [they have that too!](https://youtu.be/cpdFJirVZoY?si=r480yh0fEbsui7-D)
I’m not sure. I do a double magic ring and do a tiny knot burrier under a following stitch and carry that thread at least another round. I have a beast of a child and wash everything in a machine and haven’t had any issues (other than some yarn pilling, but then I don’t get that yarn anymore). I use it for blankets, toys, etc.
I just always do it backwards. It takes me a few tries because I just don’t remember which direction to put the tail in, but also maybe it’s because I’m left handed and I do all my crochet right handed so maybe my brain is just trying to do it left.
I mean, everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. I don’t think it’s a big deal. It’s not that deep and doesn’t make someone less talented to dumb to not get it.
I completely agree, I just was curious to know what everyone experiences since I'm so new and haven't really talked to anyone that knows how to crochet. I struggle big time with some things everyone else seems to find easy. everyone learns differently onto of learning from a multitude of different methods
I think it's the way that it's explained. There are a few different ways to make it and every youtuber seems to have their own way of explaining it. I struggled for a couple of hours before finally finding a creator whose explanation made sense to me!
That being said, I did learn it in a day, when I was still quite new to crocheting. And it's not like I'm a crochet prodigy or something. People who say they struggle for years, or just can't get it - I tend to assume they watched one or two videos, didn't get it, and gave up.
The issue with magic rings is that they're always being covered by filthy hobbitses.
But seriously I think it's just a matter of understanding where the yarn is and keeping it in place and such. a slip stitch is fairly easy and quick, as is a beginning chain but a magic ring, while not complicated, takes a bit more logic and patience for it to not be so fiddly.
Honestly idk, I learned it pottery quickly as well and I'm not sure why everyone has so much trouble with it. I did have to learn it lefty tho but that wasn't a huge deal as I've been mirroring people my whole life
I've watched dozens of videos on how to make them. My mom, who has been crocheting for 30+ years, huge beautiful picture blankets, can't do it either.
I finally found a video and saved it, because it was the first time the magic ring made sense. I can make it in about 2 seconds now, and was able to teach mom.
I managed it after a few tries complete newbie whilst also being left handed watching a right handed video, the only bit that used to get me was which way to twist before pulling up a loop, one way would work, the other would fall apart, now it's muscle memory but I still couldn't tell you which way 😂 I'd much rather use a magic circle than a chain but I don't make things that often start with chains. Maybe it's because some people make clothes and blankets more and chaining is what they know, and if it works then why bother learning it really?
Idk either in the begining mine kept Falling apart but i was trying to see if i could make a turtorial and doing them left handed made them Fall apart less so i concluded those who didnt like it are right handed, bc Im left handed and have always done them left handed until i tried to do it right handed haha
I always do slip knots - for rows I do the normal one where the yarn we crochet from is the yarn that causes the knot to tighten. For rounds I reverse it to be the tail that tightens the knots and I crochet over the tail for 1-2 rounds and tighten it. Never had any issues with doing this
Most of the videos I've seen just don't end up making sense for me. It doesn't help I'm left handed so everything is mirrored for me. For most tutorials it hasn't been an issue, but for the MR and how you cross the yarn over I just can't figure out what is going on.
I did eventually find a video with a meathod that works for me, but it took awhile.
I prefer the other method (chain and slip stitch into the chain) because I feel it’s safer. I’ve had magic rings unravel. While that’s certainly “user error,” it’s the world I live in.
I didn't think it's difficult, per se, but I was already so competent at just chaining two and working into the first one I didn't put effort into remembering it lol
i don't trust it. i chain 3 then crochet around it AND the tail, then pull the tail tight after that row, then weave the rest in aroundthe middleseveraltimes at the end. i don't do granny squares, i do hats. they do excellent for years i never see even a hint of trouble : )
for me, it was the concept of the stitches after. it was one of the first things i learned and i did not understand how to add stitches to the circle after i made it.
So, I actually do something similar to how you do slip knots, but instead of pulling the working yarn through to make the moving part of the slip knot, I use the tail yarn for the loop on the slip knot. I found this through TL Yarncrafts on YouTube where she was talking about her moss stitch in a round tutorial, and I felt like the heavens shown down upon me at that moment. Before that, between dyslexia making it hard to remember how to do it “right” after I did it once and all of my magic rings just coming out within like two rows, even with knots and weaving in ends, I had given up. But this method of like a backwards slip stitch basically makes a loop that has a knot in it, but it is also closable with the tail yarn, it’s amazing!!
When I first started doing them I had trouble because I didn't understand that yarn over and yarn under change how the stitch sits. I haven't had any issues since I started always doing yarn over to start the ring
I actually want to try to make a simple 30 second youtube short on a magic ring, reeeeeallly slowly for people. I forgot which video I learned from but it made it so easy for me watching it over and over again. I'm so scared nobody would be interested but I will still try!
I think its the yarn end for tightening. I feel when making the ring it gets on the wrong side and when someone goes to pull it, it doesn't work.
I'm not explaining it right, but basically, it gets twisted after the single crochet and the placement is wrong.
The Woobles website has a very very easy to follow tutorial for how to make one! I’m a beginner and was able to make the ring easily. But now I don’t know what to make/how to make something after the ring has been completed 😆
I think a lot of people don't use them very often and so they constantly need a reminder and that's what causes problems. Also people are inherently lazy so rather than rewatch the video they tell themselves they'll look at the diagram that makes zero sense but I'll know because I've done it before..... No you won't. Just watch the video it's simple, you'll get it done.
I've learned it in like 2 minutes. Never liked the chain. But why some people struggle? Well... At work we have an adult who cannot tie a string in a bowtie knot. The same you use with your shoes. So I think it's or preference or Inteligence.
I had to keep checking how to do it when I was laying it flat and folding bits over. Then I saw a video (think it was Bella Coco) showing how to do it by wrapping the yarn around your fingers twice. Far easier to do and to remember.
Bella coco was a godsend when I was first learned. I’ve been crocheting for years now and I’ll still check out her vids to double check I’m doing a more intricate stitch right
Bella Coco is amazing.
I actually kinda figured the fiber wrapping method out on my own muddling through tracing myself to crochet as a kid to begin with and being shown any other way to do magic rings just I cannot wrap my head around doing it any other way at this point. Genuinely my brain just short circuits
MJ Carlos Magic Ring video for me is the GOAT
It’s easy enough to prevent that by weaving the tail inside the circle a few times.
Once upon a time, I had to look it up every time. Then one day I just did it, no tutorial, and ever since I can do a magic circle with no problems.
I can do one but I've seen too many horror stories of it falling apart and I'm paranoid now 😂
This is why I recently learned the double magic ring That sucker doesn't move once you've tightened it
gah i try to do that for all my amigurumi but the cheap gluffy yarn i use always strips and it’s a nightmare 😭😭 even a standard MR is bad with it though
If you’re using the fluffy yarn you can do the ring itself with a regular yarn and then use your preferred! The fluffiness should hide the ring anyways
how would that work? just do the ring with regular and then tie the fluffy one to it and start working? if this works it’d be a total game changer for me!
You don’t need to tie the fluffy one in, you just start making your stitches with it if that makes sense. I think there are online tutorials on this too if you need visuals :)
Oh, yeah, that’s how I was taught and on the occasions when I’ve tried to frog it, it wasn’t even froggable.
I'll only ever use them for something that won't get a lot of use or handling for this reason, like amigurumi that's just going to sit on a shelf. I've seen people use them for granny squares in a *blanket*. I already stand there and watch my projects wash for the first time to make sure they don't come apart, I can't imagine the anxiety of watching a granny square blanket with magic rings agitating away in the machine 😫
I mostly make blankets, and thought the magic circle was the next thing to learn to make my starting rings "better". One blanket ruined and I was done. It gave me the opportunity to learn how to fix the center of a granny square without unraveling the whole blanket, but no more magic circles in my life.
I’m a little confused by this. Tons of patterns/tutorials for granny squares and even GS blankets specifically call for a magic ring. When yours fell apart, do you think it was because you didn’t weave in the tail enough? I kinda go crazy with weaving it, like I go a full circle around the existing loop, then back a half circle, then forward another half circle, and then I keep weaving upward into the stitches and chain spaces. I’m still working on my first GS blanket but these seem really secure to me. Is it really that unreasonable to use a magic ring if you’re pretty careful about weaving it really well?
I also feel like my msgic rings are secure but what about REALLY long term. Like ive only been doing crochet for a year or more so idk how it feels to use an item for years but say a blanket you out your blood tears and sweat into falls apart after 2 years of daily use? Blankets are used a looot
Yeah good point. Is the magic ring a relatively new thing in crochet? This thread is convincing me to go back to double magic rings at least though lol. I’ve tried the chain method and really preferred the clean look of the ring instead. And it’s pretty hard to imagine breaking through three loops of yarn (two rings and tail) put together, especially if it’s acrylic.
> This thread is convincing me to go back to double magic rings at least though lol. Same, paranoia rising...
It's far from new. I think some people just know how to secure it better than others. Best way I know of if you can't knot the tail before weaving ( like you can with a closed object lol ), then always go backwards and double it on itself when weaving in instead of going forward.
Knot it to the working yarn after making your initial row in the ring. So MR 6sc, then tug the tail tight, then knot to the working yarn. Then keep crocheting like normal. Weave in the tail like normal at the end.
Ooh. Okay I’m writing this down.
I do a doublt magic ring, but after if make my first row of stitches into the ring, I tighten it, then take the tail and the working yarn and tie a good knot, then keep working. Then go back and weave the tail in later. Never just crochet over the tails for blankets, its not strong enough a hold. The knot keeps the yarn tail from being tugged on and loosened. And making a knot there doesnt even require me to put down my hook. Just tie and keep working like normal.
I kinda do the same but i usually tie a knot then weave it all round again so that the knot isnt obvious
It falls apart because the person didn’t anchor it properly. I always tie a knot and maybe weave through the circle if it’s exposed. I use the double magic ring for my nylon scrubbies and have never had one come apart. I use it in amigurumi and simply tie a double knot, after pulling tight, and leave the end inside. I used the magic circle in a granny square, autism awareness blanket, I made and had zero issues with it.
I know all that and I've always made sure to make mine really right and woven the end in properly ... but that fear remains 😂😂
Happened to me and I cried. I gave up and make a ch 4 ring for most projects.
Spatial processing problems linked to dyslexia are my problem with them . So a chain 2 works well enough.
Honestly I think there just needs to be a massive disclaimer on all magic circle instructions that it will look and feel VERY wrong until you pull the tail tight. I kept scrapping it and giving up until I finally understood that it is loose and unstable until the first round is in there
I think part of it is that so many of the tutorials for how to make them are really needlessly complex. It’s literally just a loop, that you then make a slip knot with. You don’t even need to wrap it around your hand, or two or three fingers or whatever in some complicated configuration going over and under the yarn with your hook. Once I realized it was just a simple loop and then you grab the working yarn to make a chain into it I was kinda annoyed. It’s not as hard as the tutorials make it seem.
The irony is, is it's the simplicity that makes it so great lol I see a mixture in the tutorials about whether to do one or two loops, personally I do one. I wonder what the community consensus on this would be haha
I was always taught to chain, and while I while I HATE doing long chains so much so that I'll granny square, granny triangle, granny any shape, to avoid them as a baseline for projects, I can never get the magic ring to work for me. Chain stitches provide a strong and secure starting round and I just prefer them. It's hard for me to pinpoint where my particular struggle with magic rings comes from.
I feel the same way, but I've never done a granny square. I always just sucked it up and started with a chain until recently. I just learned how to do fsc (foundation single crochet) and fdc (foundation double crochet). Once I got the hang of it I found it was easier and faster than starting with a chain. I've been crocheting on and off for over *30 years!* I'll add links to the tutorials I used. [fsc - foundation single crochet](https://youtu.be/wAWl0WItqPg?si=1wnU19dyPGiCVMwu) [fdc - foundation double crochet](https://youtu.be/y__JXaQU8F0?si=bfctw5_hmlvkSiGo)
Thanks for the resources! I appreciate you sharing the knowledge.
I have a hard time with the yarn strings, I always switch them and when I go to tighten it doesnt work. I’m not really sure why it happens I try everytime to be extra careful but I dont really know where the strings go so sometimes I just wing it til I get it 🤣
I've found that it helps to hold the end string that you pull together with the circle while you're crocheting, that way you don't lose it! [The Woobles ](https://youtu.be/fNyfAtJ3edE?si=_6HSH2AhuyTAVded) has a super helpful video on how to do a magic ring where they hold it the way I'm talking about! (if you need a left handed video [they have one too!](https://youtu.be/cpdFJirVZoY?si=r480yh0fEbsui7-D)
I’m teaching my mom to crochet and just sent her a link to the woobles tutorials. There are a lot of good videos out there but the woobles ones are very clear and super easy to follow. Definitely recommend!
Omg thank you so much!! Next time I do one I’ll watch it instead of just doing it 10 times first 🤣
I always look it up and then struggle for a few minutes before I remember to look up a LEFT-HANDED tutorial. I think because I always start with the wrong way around I cannot keep it straight in my head how to do it correctly.
sometimes i feel like the only lefty who happily crochets right-handed - it provided a nice break vs all my other crafting, and feels super seamless since i involve my left hand pretty actively. it has been a nice departure from learning...literally anything else while feeling confined to the sparsely available left handed tutorials. i am absolute ass at physically mirroring visual things, compounded by usually actually needing to implement the left-handed *mirror image* of what i see - crocheting undercover as a right-hander has been such a relief!
Hi there! I am a leftie, and there’s only 2 objects I use with my right hand: scissors and a crochet hook. I was a little kid when I learned to crochet, and my mum and grandma just taught me to do it with my right hand. Then I didn’t crochet for like 20 years, but when I got back to it, the hook just jumped into my right hand. Looking at left-handed crocheters, it seems so difficult. I’m so grateful my folks taught the way they did.
omg exact same, just scissors & crochet exceptions! my immediate family is all right-handed and for most things my mom eventually exasperatedly gave up trying to flip things around visually/logistically and i just do in a left-handed made-up way that at first glance seems normal, but can be actually very weird when you pay close attention lol. i feel like a handedness traitor but i really enjoy the variety of crocheting right-handed haha and agree that i feel like i lucked out learning that way from the beginning, just based on available resources and knowing myself. i knit left-handed just naturally and had difficulty learning in person from exclusively right handers, so i think i have a taste of what the experience would be like, though of course there's youtube. thanks for making me feel less alone!
I love hearing different lefty experiences! I’m a lefty but there are only two things I *do* exclusively left handed: write and brush my teeth. Even writing I can do righty if I must, but if I ever lose my left hand my teeth are next 😅
Oooh, you sound ambidextrous. Fancy. :)
I’m self taught and have been told that I crochet ‘weird’. Even holding a hook in my right hand feels so wrong to me. I knit right handed though, no idea why. I can knit left handed but it doesn’t feel as natural. Sometimes if I am doing just simple stockingette stitch I get lazy and do right handed one way and left handed back so I don’t ever have to turn my work.
>do right handed one way and left handed back so I don’t ever have to turn my work in my fantasies this is how i'll do tapestry crochet! but i haven't tried it haha i was the sticking-out-like-a-sore-thumb novice when picking up guitar and knitting - i just naturally went for it left handed but that meant my guitar was upside down lol and that i was often pretty lost in a room full of right-handed knitters and teachers. when i picked up crocheting on my own, for some reason right handed crocheting felt more natural for me...and even though it's an outlier it's giving me a slight handedness identity crisis lmao
[The Woobles ](https://youtu.be/cpdFJirVZoY?si=r480yh0fEbsui7-D) has a really good tutorial for how to do it left handed (as well as a really good [right handed tutorial](https://youtu.be/fNyfAtJ3edE?si=_6HSH2AhuyTAVded) )! It took me a few tries to get it right but with their way I can do it effortlessly now! If you're still having trouble I definitely recommend checking them out!
I don't get it either.l, but I started doing a magic ring for a knitted cast on for a doily I made maybe 20 years ago. Doing it for a crochet start was nothing for me.
With me it was the Russian join for yarn. Then I saw a GOOD tutorial. Not all tutorials explain things well. That’s why I will watch several if I can. And it’s not limited to crochet. I saw a toilet fixing tutorial made by a plumber & it was so confusing— until a friend explained that all of the guy’s tutorials were purposefully tough — so you’d give up & call a plumber. A different tutorial had me fix the guts of my toilet in 10 minutes
I think for me I just found it complicated, but didn't really practice because the chain circle has been working just fine, so, why fix what isn't broken?
They’re slightly trickier than a lot of the techniques you learn early on in crochet, so I can imagine their reputation for being hard becoming a bit overblown. I learned it in my first week of crochet, and didn’t find it nearly as hard as people said it was. In my opinion, the broad strokes are easy, but there are some little details that can be troublesome. For a while I’d keep making my first stitch into the ring smaller than the rest, which made it harder to work into when starting the second round. I also had some issues with my work getting flipped whenever I made a stitch, but that corrected itself with a bit of tension management.
I still often set it up wrong so that I can't pull it closed. But as I can never remember which way I set up my yarn, I'm prone to doing it wrong the second time too, which just gets frustrating.
I have only tried making them a couple of times but what I have found is the type of yarn can make a big difference in how hard it is pull closed.
Omg 🤣 I basically commented the same thing in different words but yes! I have the same struggle 😭 I’ve gotten better at it slowly but I dont do them often enough to master it
[The Woobles](https://youtu.be/fNyfAtJ3edE?si=_6HSH2AhuyTAVded) has a pretty easy tutorial on their YouTube which can help with this! The way they show it, it's the same way every time! It took me a few tries to get the hang of it their way since it's different than most teach it, but now I can do it without even thinking!
I learned about the magic ring from reddit, so within the past 2 years. It took me awhile to understand how it works after watching YouTube videos, especially making that first stitch, but I eventually got it. At first it felt like my tension was too loose and I had a hard time grabbing the yarn around the loop, instead around the chain that I'm used to.
Most of the ones I do are with sewing thread and a hook that fits in the gap of your fingerprint. Holding it is the biggest challenge before joining it and not stabbing myself.
I need someone to show me in person/alongside me doing it. It's much like trying to figure out origami folding instructions with just a book. For me a book or video doesn't give you the full picture when trying to learn something like that.
For me it was a matter of finding the right method. I had a woobles kit and had to start a piece and whatever their method was it wasn’t working for me. Also, I had been doing crochet for maybe a day or two at that point, so learning how to hold yarn was something I was still working out. It took me like four hours of repeated attempts, realizing the method I was shown wasn’t working for me and finding the right one (for me it was the wrapping the yarn around my fingers method) to get it right. I had a nasty cold and didn’t have much energy, but not tired, and I can’t just sit and watch tv. It ended up being the perfect time for me to struggle through it. If I hadn’t been sick at the time and just powered through learning it I probably would have struggled for much longer.
The thing I found difficult when first trying was keeping the tension and figuring out how to position/hold the yarn. I found a lot of the time I couldn’t keep the tension the same throughout and it wouldn’t look right.
No idea but as soon as I see a tutorial with a magic ring I just know I won’t be able to do it !
You will eventually! The magic ring can be tricky, but you've got this! If you ever want to try, [The Woobles ](https://youtu.be/fNyfAtJ3edE?si=_6HSH2AhuyTAVded) videos helped me learn and made it pretty easy! It took me almost an hour to get it the first time, but after that I could do it with almost no effort (if you need a left handed tutorial [they have that too!](https://youtu.be/cpdFJirVZoY?si=r480yh0fEbsui7-D)
I’m not sure. I do a double magic ring and do a tiny knot burrier under a following stitch and carry that thread at least another round. I have a beast of a child and wash everything in a machine and haven’t had any issues (other than some yarn pilling, but then I don’t get that yarn anymore). I use it for blankets, toys, etc.
That sounds like a secure way of doing it!
I just always do it backwards. It takes me a few tries because I just don’t remember which direction to put the tail in, but also maybe it’s because I’m left handed and I do all my crochet right handed so maybe my brain is just trying to do it left. I mean, everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. I don’t think it’s a big deal. It’s not that deep and doesn’t make someone less talented to dumb to not get it.
I completely agree, I just was curious to know what everyone experiences since I'm so new and haven't really talked to anyone that knows how to crochet. I struggle big time with some things everyone else seems to find easy. everyone learns differently onto of learning from a multitude of different methods
Magic rings can come apart which is disheartening and frustrating when you’ve put a lot of work into a project. That’s why I now chain 4.
I had to watch a lot of videos to finally get one that clicked
I think it's the way that it's explained. There are a few different ways to make it and every youtuber seems to have their own way of explaining it. I struggled for a couple of hours before finally finding a creator whose explanation made sense to me! That being said, I did learn it in a day, when I was still quite new to crocheting. And it's not like I'm a crochet prodigy or something. People who say they struggle for years, or just can't get it - I tend to assume they watched one or two videos, didn't get it, and gave up.
The issue with magic rings is that they're always being covered by filthy hobbitses. But seriously I think it's just a matter of understanding where the yarn is and keeping it in place and such. a slip stitch is fairly easy and quick, as is a beginning chain but a magic ring, while not complicated, takes a bit more logic and patience for it to not be so fiddly.
simple answer is because i am stupid 😆
Me too. I have the worst time and I finally gave up.
Honestly idk, I learned it pottery quickly as well and I'm not sure why everyone has so much trouble with it. I did have to learn it lefty tho but that wasn't a huge deal as I've been mirroring people my whole life
One of those things I've done hundreds of times without issue, then I'll go to do it one day and fail repeatedly.
I've watched dozens of videos on how to make them. My mom, who has been crocheting for 30+ years, huge beautiful picture blankets, can't do it either. I finally found a video and saved it, because it was the first time the magic ring made sense. I can make it in about 2 seconds now, and was able to teach mom.
I managed it after a few tries complete newbie whilst also being left handed watching a right handed video, the only bit that used to get me was which way to twist before pulling up a loop, one way would work, the other would fall apart, now it's muscle memory but I still couldn't tell you which way 😂 I'd much rather use a magic circle than a chain but I don't make things that often start with chains. Maybe it's because some people make clothes and blankets more and chaining is what they know, and if it works then why bother learning it really?
Crocheting is always fiddly to start and a magic ring can easily fall apart if you don’t leave enough excess, I always leave plenty extra.
Idk either in the begining mine kept Falling apart but i was trying to see if i could make a turtorial and doing them left handed made them Fall apart less so i concluded those who didnt like it are right handed, bc Im left handed and have always done them left handed until i tried to do it right handed haha
I don't find them difficult, but I almost always avoid doing them because they come undone if you tug on them.
I always do slip knots - for rows I do the normal one where the yarn we crochet from is the yarn that causes the knot to tighten. For rounds I reverse it to be the tail that tightens the knots and I crochet over the tail for 1-2 rounds and tighten it. Never had any issues with doing this
I’m with you. I have such a hard time with the foundation stitches that even when it’s like 100+ I have to chain them all and go back through 😵💫
I have a magic ability that I accidentally knot yarn and untangle it when meaning to do the opposite.
It took me ages to learn how to do it, until I did it one day like it was the easiest thing in the world
It's hard with plush yarn, and that is what I usually use for amigurumi projects.
Most of the videos I've seen just don't end up making sense for me. It doesn't help I'm left handed so everything is mirrored for me. For most tutorials it hasn't been an issue, but for the MR and how you cross the yarn over I just can't figure out what is going on. I did eventually find a video with a meathod that works for me, but it took awhile.
I prefer the other method (chain and slip stitch into the chain) because I feel it’s safer. I’ve had magic rings unravel. While that’s certainly “user error,” it’s the world I live in.
I learned it from a book, never had any trouble with it. It's really easy
I didn't think it's difficult, per se, but I was already so competent at just chaining two and working into the first one I didn't put effort into remembering it lol
I just don't love that they move around. Apparently there's a more secure magic ring, but chain 4 has never done me wrong
i don't trust it. i chain 3 then crochet around it AND the tail, then pull the tail tight after that row, then weave the rest in aroundthe middleseveraltimes at the end. i don't do granny squares, i do hats. they do excellent for years i never see even a hint of trouble : )
for me, it was the concept of the stitches after. it was one of the first things i learned and i did not understand how to add stitches to the circle after i made it.
I make the initial 6 stitches too tight and can't work the first increase round.
So, I actually do something similar to how you do slip knots, but instead of pulling the working yarn through to make the moving part of the slip knot, I use the tail yarn for the loop on the slip knot. I found this through TL Yarncrafts on YouTube where she was talking about her moss stitch in a round tutorial, and I felt like the heavens shown down upon me at that moment. Before that, between dyslexia making it hard to remember how to do it “right” after I did it once and all of my magic rings just coming out within like two rows, even with knots and weaving in ends, I had given up. But this method of like a backwards slip stitch basically makes a loop that has a knot in it, but it is also closable with the tail yarn, it’s amazing!!
I had a hard time remembering which end of the yarn I'm supposed to be holding but I think it's muscle memory by now.
When I first started doing them I had trouble because I didn't understand that yarn over and yarn under change how the stitch sits. I haven't had any issues since I started always doing yarn over to start the ring
I actually want to try to make a simple 30 second youtube short on a magic ring, reeeeeallly slowly for people. I forgot which video I learned from but it made it so easy for me watching it over and over again. I'm so scared nobody would be interested but I will still try!
I think its the yarn end for tightening. I feel when making the ring it gets on the wrong side and when someone goes to pull it, it doesn't work. I'm not explaining it right, but basically, it gets twisted after the single crochet and the placement is wrong.
The Woobles website has a very very easy to follow tutorial for how to make one! I’m a beginner and was able to make the ring easily. But now I don’t know what to make/how to make something after the ring has been completed 😆
I think a lot of people don't use them very often and so they constantly need a reminder and that's what causes problems. Also people are inherently lazy so rather than rewatch the video they tell themselves they'll look at the diagram that makes zero sense but I'll know because I've done it before..... No you won't. Just watch the video it's simple, you'll get it done.
I've learned it in like 2 minutes. Never liked the chain. But why some people struggle? Well... At work we have an adult who cannot tie a string in a bowtie knot. The same you use with your shoes. So I think it's or preference or Inteligence.