It’s simple, honestly!

I am here to show you today that it’s not that hard at all to make a magic ring in just a few steps. Promise, I got you. I am going to show you how to make a magic ring in crochet.

Materials Needed

1. Yarn. Worsted-weight (Medium 4) yarn is a great yarn to practice on.
2. Crochet hook. 5mm works with a worsted-weight yarn.
3. Tapestry needle for weaving in your ends.

How to Make a Magic Ring: A Step-by-Step Tutorial

Step 1: Loop your yarn with the end in the front. For now, just make sure you have the right set-up. It’s okay if you do it wrong the first time! I usually have to do this part at least twice.

Step 2: Pinch the yan between your thumb and your middle finger where the yarn crosses over itself.

Next up, Step 3: Push the crochet hook through the center of the ring and bring a loop up. It will be loose at this point. You’re going to secure the loop with the next step.

Step 4: Chain one to lock in the ring. If your Magic Ring’s first round is double crochet, you’ll want to chain two.

Step 5: Now you’ll crochet your first round. Crochet into the loop made by securing the loop, that’s your magic ring. Make sure your stitch encases both strings. The example is 8 single crochets.

Step 6: Join your stitches to the first stitch with a slip stitch. You might have to pull the short string a little so it can easily be joined.

It should look something like this. There is a noticeable hole in the middle, but that’s where the magic part of the magic ring comes into play.

Step 7: The magic! Pull the short string taut so the hole in the center disappears. This is the magic of the magic ring.

Step 8: Weave in ends. With a tapestry needle, thread the short string. Weave through the entire hole and then back the other way to really lock the end in place. You want to really secure this end. Otherwise, the hole could start to come open in the future.

Et Voilà!

And there you have it. Magic Ring, done! Hopefully, this technique tutorial will help you if you’re just learning to crochet or just branching out into crocheting things that require magic ring! There are other methods. But this way works and it’s easy. The magic ring sounds harder than it actually is. If you want to crochet amigurumi you’ll need to know how to make a magic ring in crochet, so practice until you have this down! You can do it!

Crochet Techniques

I post about crochet techniques that have given me trouble in the past, and I’m hoping my experience can help you to learn and perfect your skills as a crocheter.

Crochet Patterns

I also have a few crochet patterns that you might want to look through. Crochet is my passion!

The post How to Make a Magic Ring in Crochet appeared first on Fae’s Journal.

What was happening?

The herringbones in my Raised Herringbone crochet stitches kept ending up off-center. I thought I was following the pattern correctly. I finally found my error. Usually, when I encounter a difficulty like this I figure I cannot be the only one who has had this issue.

User Error

Sometimes, the creator writes patterns that are clear to them but they still give me trouble. It’s a user error, 100%. I have only been crocheting more complicated things for a few years. Sometimes, no, let’s be honest. A lot of times, I need crochet patterns to be written out extremely clearly.

YouTube Can Help…

YouTube can help, and there’s no lack of crochet tutorials on YouTube. But, I dislike that many crochet tutorials on YouTube lack written instructions. Sometimes I need to see both visual and written instructions. I benefit from seeing someone working the pattern visually. I also benefit from written instructions that confirm if everything is correct.

Raised Herringbone Crochet Video Tutorial

Raised Herringbone Crochet Stitch

Terminology

• ch: chain(s)
• sts: stitches
• yo: yarn over
• sc: single crochet
• hdc: half-double crochet
• fpdtr: front-post-double-treble-crochet. See how to make this stitch below.

Notes

• leave stitch(es) behind fpdtr(s) unworked.
  • This is what tripped me up. Sometimes this pattern calls for working TWO fpdtr in a row. When you do this, leave TWO stitches behind the fpdtrs unworked.  
• All front post double treble stitches are made 2 rows below the current row.
• To make the front-post-double-treble stitch:
  • Wrap yarn three times. Insert behind stitch 2 rows below so it is a front post. You should have 5 loops on your hook. Yo pull through 2, yo pull through 2, yo pull through 2, yo pull through last 2. This is a very tall stitch.

Method

Your starting chain should be a multiple of 6 plus 3 stitches.

Row 1: Hdc in 2nd ch from hook. Hdc across.

Row 2: hdc in same st as ch 1. Hdc across. Turn. 

Row 3: Ch 1, turn. Hdc in 1st st. Skip 3 hdc 2 rows below. *Fpdtr in the next st 2 rows below. Skip 1 st, hdc 4. Fpdtr 2 rows below around stitch directly to the left of the previous Fpdtr. Skip the next 4 sts that are 2 rows below after the Fpdtr just made.

Repeat from * across ending the last repeat after your final Fpdtr. Hdc in the final stitch. Ch1, Turn.

Repeat Rows 2 and 3 until your project is as big as you want. This pattern would look great as a blanket or as the motif on a warm winter sweater.

I post about my own crochet adventures on my blog, including tutorials for crochet techniques and crochet patterns I have written.

The post Raised Herringbone Crochet Stitch appeared first on Fae’s Journal.

Free Pattern!

The design I settled on is an extremely simple yet cute pattern that comes from Stitch11.com. A free crochet dog sweater pattern? Thank you, Stich11!

Two patterns are available in different sizes: the size XS dog sweater and a size S dog sweater. As written, the finished sweater measures about 12 inches from top to bottom. The neckline is about 9 inches in diameter so you can easily get it over your pup’s head. My dog is 6.5 lbs and I had to size down slightly to make the fit as snug as I wanted it. However, the designer indicates that the sweater is designed for dogs 5-10 lbs.

XS Dog Sweater

And the finished product? Et Voilà!

I sized down by casting on 32 and then increased to 36, then up to 38 for the main body once I joined the sides. The pattern is easy to customize. I needed to do that because Sunny has a tiny rump but a larger trunk. Most dog clothing fits her weirdly. So I was happy I could make her something myself instead of spending a ton on sweaters from the store that might not fit her well.

Amazon Came Through

Before I decided to crochet Sunny’s dog sweater, I bought this XS dog sweater from Amazon. (Full disclosure this is an affiliate link.) I love how it looks like a turtleneck and that it has a leash clip! It looks like it could be pulled out fairly easily so I will be careful using the leash clip.

However, even though I have a Prime subscription, the sweater won’t arrive until Thursday. With Georgia’s weather, we might be back in the 90s. So I pivoted and made the crochet dog sweater, which I like better, to be honest.

Crocheting is so wonderful, isn’t it? If I had cast on a dog sweater to knit I’d still have a mountain of stitches to go. Crochet comes together much more efficiently. I just love it! I crochet and post about it pretty often, and also post about my dog from time to time in other areas of my blog.

The post XS Dog Sweater for XS Sunny appeared first on Fae’s Journal.

I am working on two major crochet projects at the moment:

Meringue Shawl

I am working on the Meringue Shawl and have been working on it for a while now. I bought the beautiful yarn from Hobbii and gosh it’s so gorgeous. I haven’t taken a proper picture of the project yet but I do have a picture of the yarn! Woah it’s going to be so pretty worked up into the pattern I can hardly wait to see it.

Square Blanket CAL

Square Blanket CAL: I am doing the Unraveled Mitten’s 2024 CAL for Terrific Textures! I have already fallen really behind though so I need to get off my butt and get crocheting!

The post Crocheting Update appeared first on Fae’s Journal.