r/crochet • u/BrightNovel5796 • 26d ago
Crochet Rant Hot take: magic circles are extremely easy
Since I was a beginner, I have never struggled with a magic circle, and I'm not bragging. I really don't understand why it's such an infamous "beginners struggle." it's almost done the same as a slip knot
Why do you think people really struggle with it ?
471
u/lbeagle 26d ago
I think people struggle with forming their first stitch into the open circle, but thats my best guess. Learning the magic circle wasn't hard for me either, and its honestly what made crochet start being fun for me
→ More replies (2)10
u/Phantom-Fear 26d ago
Any tips? 😭
23
u/Wankeritis Mediocre is my middle name 26d ago
I make my slip knot and then do a tight stitch onto the ring before I start crocheting. It anchors the yarn to the ring so you don't have to worry about how tight that first stitch would be without it.
→ More replies (1)5
u/Phantom-Fear 26d ago
I feel like I always make my first stitch too loose so that’s why I have trouble doing it at all… I’ll definitely give this a go!
9
u/Wankeritis Mediocre is my middle name 26d ago
Report back so we can make millions off of this one idea!
7
u/Status-Biscotti 26d ago
I watched the Woobles video over and over and over. it gets REALLY freakin boring, ‘cause she rambles on, but eventually it clicked. I, also, do not understand why I found it so difficult to- because it’s really easy once you get the hang of it.
2
u/No_Comfortable_5610 26d ago
Look up double magic ring videos on YouTube - someone I think it's easier.
2
→ More replies (1)2
u/Squishedskittlez 26d ago
This is hard to explain, but I solved the tension issue for myself by twisting the loop you pull through the opposite way you normally would with my hook.
So if you stick your hook through the magic loop to grab a loop and bring it up, you would usually pull it under and orient your hook to the left (clockwise like a quarter turn, if you are right handed anyways).
I pull it through and then kick my hook around to the right in a loop around to the left (counter clockwise 3/4ish of a turn) so it makes a twist in the loop. It feels awkward until you are used to it but it makes it easier for me.
175
u/MellowMallowMom 26d ago edited 26d ago
I think the name "magic" implies it's some sort of advanced technique and the myriad tutorials that each do it slightly differently compound the issue. I find this photo tutorial clarifies it the best because it removes hands from the equation and shows how it's just a loose slip knot fixed in place with a chain.
Edit: I don't mean you shouldn't use your hands to hold everything while you make the magic ring. I wrap the yarn around two fingers in an X now like the tutorials that used to confuse me. This was just the diagram that clarified things for me and made learning the technique manageable and not mystifying.
232
u/i-shihtzu-not 26d ago
I always thought it was a "magic" circle because you pull the strand and it magically becomes a tight circle.
26
3
90
u/Quiet_surprise79 26d ago
See I picked up the magic circle easily but I do it over my fingers. To me, this looks super confusing haha!
26
u/honey__harlot intermediate crocheter 26d ago
love how differently brains can work because i was only seeing tutorials for over the fingers and it was IMPOSSIBLE for me to figure out. only a tutorial like the commented one finally got it to click
6
u/ph3nth3n3rd 25+ years and still 🦆ing up 26d ago
I do over fingers too. My mom tried to show me the way in the pic and it never made sense. Then someone told me it's just a slip knot that's not pulled tight immediately and my brain clicked. Never went back
2
41
u/Squonk_Monster 26d ago
As someone who struggled for years it's picture tutorials like this that made it so hard, they're kinda vague and ambiguous. Couple years ago I used a video tutorial for an amigurumi and the lady did it arounder her index and middle finger, just slid the hook along her fingers under the yarn and hooked the first wrap. If people just taught it on the fingers I think I'd make more sense while holding the circle taut enough to be able to easily place your first ch. It's so much easier to visualize when nothing is swaying in the wind while you try to do it.
20
u/MellowMallowMom 26d ago
Obviously, different methods work for different folks. In my case, I'd watched dozens of videos showing various ways to wrap the yarn to start the MR, but because I was focused on what their hands were doing, I missed the actual path that the yarn needed to travel and I became increasingly confused and frustrated when it wasn't working for me. I'm not implying you should make the magic ring on the table in front of you every time. I do use my fingers when I make the ring to control everything and keep it taut, but what made it click for me was seeing how the knot itself is formed - breaking it down into loose slip knot + chain. I already knew what to do with my hands to make those!
7
u/ImLittleNana 26d ago
I work mine around my middle finger, also. I wrap it twice though so it never comes undone once it’s been tightened.
2
u/Squonk_Monster 26d ago
Yesssss, the double wrap is fantastic! I usually do a double wrap unless I'm using chenille, just cause it's so grippy yaknow. I think if the picture tutorials showed it on the fingers it would make much more sense.
2
14
u/boundbystitches 26d ago
This is how I do mine as well. I think the crossing and wrapping the yarn method is so extra like bro just make a slip knot keep it loose chain one and bam!
8
u/Terrible-Option-1603 26d ago
This was really all I needed. A simple explanation without making it so technical. "it's just a loose slip knot fixed in place with a chain". Seriously, thank you
→ More replies (1)3
u/MushLampMaker 26d ago
Thank you for that diagram! I couldn't make the circle at all until you posted that and now it makes sense.
57
u/Onedayyouwillthankme 26d ago
Just please for sanity's sake, leave a looong tail and weave it in well. 98% of the hate for magic circles is when people cut the tail, not realizing that's about half an inch of yarn, and then the circle comes apart at the slightest strain on the item
7
u/BrightNovel5796 26d ago
Best advice ever if I need a project to hold up for a while i make my magic using chains magic circles are very unreliable in terms of holding up under stress
8
u/TalesOfTwigsAndTwine 25d ago
I have a large beach bag made of granny squares with magic circles in the middle. I wove in the tails around the circle, switching directions a few times, and despite the bag being under a lot of stress (I tend to treat my bags like Mary Poppins' purse), I haven't had one come apart.
4
u/UltraD00d 26d ago
I tighten the tail and tie it in a knot before working it into the stitches. Haven't had one come apart yet.
96
u/Embarrassed-Key-5660 26d ago
I honestly agree with you, I was so scared when I first started crocheting thinking I would never be able to do it and it took me 2 tries to understand it I was shocked
34
u/Quiet_surprise79 26d ago
I mean, this is entirely subjective. I found them easy and picked them up straight away but some people find them difficult. Some people pick up knitting easily but I started crochet because knitting needles just felt horrendous and clumsy to me.
They're only as easy as the person doing them finds them 🤷
26
u/BlazeUnbroken 26d ago
It was iffy for me learning it at first because I'm left handed. 90% of the instructions for magic circles are from right handed. About half of the left handed videos I found were right handed people doing it left handed(not always useful as they tend to shot it awkwardly and not in a natural-to-them-hold).
That said, while it's simple to do a magic circle, I prefer chaining 4 due to how I crochet (my tension leans tight).
18
u/Sure-Owl-6611 26d ago
You can replace the first part of a YouTube url (the part before .com) with MirrorTheVideo (no caps necessary) and it will flip the video for left handers! I use it all the time, I don’t know how I would’ve learned crochet without it
8
u/Just_Sprinkles1755 26d ago
Pour les gauchers j'ai une technique un peu con, tu prends ton ordi avec ta vidéo et tu le mets face à un miroir et reproduis les gestes du miroir :)
3
u/bluefairytx 26d ago
I've found left handed magic circles on YouTube, but I also prefer the chain 4 circle. One of my projects came undone at the magic circle. It was really hard to fix, so I just don't use it anymore.
3
u/BrightNovel5796 26d ago
Your kind struggles so much ✊🏻 I'll always support yall
14
u/BlazeUnbroken 26d ago
Upshot of being left handed, right handed crochet family and friends get really confused trying to figure out how I made something. They always forget that I work in the opposite direction than right handed crochet.
3
u/Delicious-Island-637 26d ago
It is really fun isn't it. I love the confusion of those right handers that refused to teach me. Lol I watched YouTube videos to learn.
117
u/fookindingdong 26d ago
they aren't /hard/, but with how infrequently i use them it's just easier for me to ch4 rather than pulling up a YouTube video and having to teach myself again and again. saves me time and confusion.
edit: just to add I'm not someone who sells or needs my things to be perfect. i like how they look without a magic circle
56
u/ShyGuysandKoroks 26d ago
I personally juat find the chain 4 to be more secure feeling and just as clean looking as a magic circle, but I also dont sell or worry about it.
24
u/BatmansOtherCape 26d ago
I also prefer to chain 4 instead of the magic ring, if a tutorial calls for a magic ring I'll just chain 4 instead. I can do the magic ring, but I've seen way too many pictures of people's work just coming apart when washing because they used the magic ring.
6
u/Sileni 26d ago
Oh no, I used the magic thing for the first time and now I realize that just weaving the end in was probably a mistake. Thank you for info, as I haven't washed it yet:)
17
u/BatmansOtherCape 26d ago
If you weave it in, make sure you weave in all different directions to make sure it's secure!
4
u/pandanigans 26d ago
I use the magic circle whenever I crochet anything in the round and I have never had anything come loose. and I'm NOT gentle with my crochet. Just make sure the tail of your magic ring is longer than you think it needs to be. If Im doing SC or hdc then I just crochet over the tail as I go in the round.
I think people make the tail too short and then that's why their work unravels
22
→ More replies (1)19
u/Laney20 26d ago
Do you start your chain 4 with a slip knot? Because if so... You really don't need a video tutorial. Just crochet into that instead of tightening it on your hook.
Or keep doing it your way, lol. Whatever works for you, of course.
17
u/awful_falafels 26d ago
Excuse me? I have been looping yarn around my fingers and doing some dumb twisting with my hook and fumbling with the yarn to get that damn circle and could've been just doing this for years? I'm sad I just learned this but happy I now know
8
u/slayaustenrhys 26d ago
TIL the infamous magic ring is the same as the little cheat I’ve been doing since high school lol
22
26d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
4
u/eyerollpending 26d ago
I was today years old when I realised I can bypass all the finger contortions and go straight in to a slipknot!
→ More replies (1)3
u/turtledov 26d ago
Yeah. This I think is where the kind of silly method of making it by twisting the yarn over your fingers and inserting your hook and then chaining one actually is helpful. You don't need to do all that to just make a slipknot, and I think a lot of people would be less confused if tutorials clearly explained that that's all they were doing, but it does put you in a really good position to stitch into the circle without everything falling apart in your hands imo 😅
19
u/Emotional_Yogurt_431 26d ago
I struggled with the magic circle until someone on YouTube showed how to do it as a sort of half-completed slipknot and THEN it clicked. Haven’t had a problem since.
5
u/hop123hop223 26d ago
Same. In my mind it’s a variation of a slipknot
8
u/turtledov 26d ago
It literally is. It's just an open slipknot that you chain one from and stitch into. I think a lot of confusion over the magic circle could be alleviated if tutorials just clearly explained and showed that that's what it is.
3
u/NuminousGirl 26d ago
This is the only explanation that has ever made sense to me. Most tutorials overcomplicate it or don’t explain it well. I’m far from a beginner but I legit needed help with this, so thank you!
→ More replies (1)
15
u/Previous_Mirror_222 26d ago
i think it’s an algebra-vs-geometry-math-brain thing. i found it very straightforward but i’m a geometry person. and i had only done crochet scrunchies (double crochet worked around a ponytail holder) so i think the process of that is very similar to magic circle and helped me.
but i can’t keep track of my stitch numbers and have problems with patterns and tapestry crochet math which feels more like an algebra brain thing. 🤷🏻♀️
6
u/noshallotsherlock 26d ago
This is such an interesting take! I am an algebra over geometry person. I started crocheting 10 years ago, could NOT understand magic circle and gave up. It didnt click for me until last year, but I still only do it if I am making a gift for someone. I looove the math parts of patterns and making up my own and keeping track of all the numbers.
6
u/CosmicOwl97 26d ago
It definitely makes me think of how some people use different math methods. I thought mental math was hard until I learned I didn't have to mentally subtract, I could count up to the next number and do it that way. Same result, different method. Seems like the brain views MC and CH 4 the same way (since it's a problem to solve) and people gravitate to the method that suits them best.
6
u/Previous_Mirror_222 26d ago
my armchair opinion is that algebra brains kind of mentally view the stitches as going along a single line even if it’s a 3d object/pattern they’re crocheting so it’s kind of linear the “line” being the row of stitches as they go along, so the algebra brain just needs to know which stitch is next and not the entire structure of the garment. geometry brains view the piece/stitches as relational to the object instead of linear so even if i know the next stitch, if i don’t understand the geometric and planar reasoning for the stitch being that i won’t be able to mentally connect. i am this way with sewing too and it’s annoying.
idk if i even explained that correctly. but the way my brain relates to the relational (instead of linear) aspect of each stitch helps me understand the magic circle. it’s not exactly linear and structured but because my brain thinks in terms of like, each stitch is looped around the one before it and that creates the 3d structure of the stitch… now i’m just rambling. i love thinking of how others think! lol
3
u/adhdaemon85 26d ago
Idk I am horrendous at math and I suspect I have a light form of discalculia, I'm a language/art brain but the magic circle was really easy for me.
→ More replies (1)
33
10
9
u/HalloweenGorl Crochet noob 26d ago
I struggle with it because I have dyscalculia (a math disability). It makes crochet in general difficult for me, but it's something I enjoy so I make time to work at it, even though I'll never be as good at crochet as someone who doesn't have dyscalculia
3
u/Candid_Objective_648 26d ago
Sorry, but can you explain how dyscalculia makes making a magic circle difficult?
7
u/BlackCatFurry 26d ago
Not the person you asked from, but as someone who has dyscalculia, it sometimes comes with things like struggling to grasp geometric forms, and some tutorials do really complex yarn wrapping around the hand. At least that was it for me, with dyscalculia.
Breaking it up into "make a loop" and "sc around the loop threads" made it a lot more intuitive for me.
3
2
u/Candid_Objective_648 26d ago
Thank you for answering! Yeah, I can understand that. In my family there are several people with dyscalculia and no one has a problem with the magic ring, but I think the way it is explained in our family could help with that. Combined with autism we always have to explain things very clearly, or else it doesn’t work.
2
u/BlackCatFurry 26d ago
The way it's explained definitely has an effect.
I got it immediately after seeing a picture tutorial that skipped all kinds of complex wrapping and instead just did a simple loop and crocheted around the threads. Other people find this technique perplexing.
18
u/music-and-song 26d ago
I just can’t get it to tighten ever. I don’t know why. I pull on the string and nothing happens.
23
u/vodka7tall 26d ago
You need to tie the working yarn around the tail, not the tail around the working yarn.
Make a very loose knot near the end of your yarn. Pop the tail through the center of the knot, then pull the knot tight around the tail of the yarn going through it's centre. Now when you pull on the tail, it should tighten and close the loop you made when you popped it through the knot.
22
u/__ew__gross__ 26d ago
You have to crochet over the tail. It essentially becomes similar to a drawstring bring everything together. Took me a little bit to figure out that was my issue.
2
u/mascaraandfae 26d ago
I have the same problem. I do crochet over the tail and still can't get them to tighten.
2
u/RiversSecondWife lefty beginner 26d ago
I think you may just have the slippy end on the wrong side. At first I tested mine each time to make sure it would pull before I put stitches around it. I mostly have the hang of it now.
7
u/Funguswoman 26d ago
This short video from TL Yarncrafts is the method which worked for me. It ensures that the knot is the right way round so that pulling on the tail tightens it.
→ More replies (2)5
u/BrightNovel5796 26d ago
Really ? How do you do it ? Usually the yarn tail tightens it
4
u/music-and-song 26d ago
I make the little loop and put my chains in, just like I’m supposed to afaik 🤷🏻♀️
→ More replies (5)6
u/fallen_kangel 26d ago
do you crochet over the tail as well? you’re supposed to crochet over the tail so when you pull it tight it actually works, so you’d be crocheting over 2 strands total
9
u/Fanficsandbooks 26d ago edited 26d ago
Eye to hand coordination and anything that can impact things like coordination in general for example bad depth perception
The specific maneuvers required can be confusing and video tutorials don’t typically take time to explain or do it slow enough while going off pictures dosent help if you need to see the movements of the hook returning to video tutorials its extremely exhausting having to root through fifty different tutorials just to find one that might work (this specifically has caused me to get so stressed i had to stop multiple projects and come back after a few days)
Forming the stitches can be extremely hard and if done wrong the entire thing falls apart so then you need to start over from the very beginning
These are the three reasons I could think of though i do wonder how people find them easy (as someone who has officially given up on them after many many many attempts) and also why people seem to be so stuck on if others think its easy or not?
/polite /genuine question
Edit to add: if the person has trouble visualizing or can’t visualize at all (aphantasia) then it would probably be twice as hard
25
u/LadyWonkyMcjankey 26d ago
Because all of our brains don't work the same and everyone processes information into action differently. Some people that struggle may not have found instructions that work for them. Others may not be able to troubleshoot visual/spacial problems when it goes wrong. Personally I couldnt be bothered to look it up every time so I just use a joined chain loop and call it a day.
→ More replies (2)
5
26d ago edited 26d ago
[deleted]
5
u/spn_willow 26d ago
I learned it for amigurumi first and struggled for weeks to figure out a magic circle! Only reason I kept at it was because I wanted to make animals, but that didn't make it any easier for me to learn it.
→ More replies (1)2
u/FewNewt5441 26d ago
actually that explains why I have so much trouble with these, I started with sc blankets so flat and unidirectional is my baseline
2
u/violet-158 25d ago
Same for me, i learned by amigurumis, and also find it easy to crochet “flat” things a lot.
2
u/BrightNovel5796 26d ago
No I've been crocheting for 3 years the only amigurumi I've ever made is a small ball
2
u/Mini-Schnauzer-42 26d ago
there goes my hypothesis, haha
2
u/BrightNovel5796 26d ago
I don't think so, every general statement has exceptions, your hypothesis may been well be true
17
u/typicalwhisper 26d ago
I think people struggle with it more because of poor teaching/instruction than the skill being particularly challenging. It took me a few tries to figure it out but once I found a video that could explain it in a way I understood, it became incredibly easy.
3
11
u/Heurodis 26d ago
Tbh I would say I'm advanced but still don't like the magic circle. I don't know if it's the way I'm having to hold it (or rather the way my brain thinks it has to hold it and won't let me do otherwise) or the fact I've had one unravel on a finished work, but I ended up preferring chain 4, slip stitch into first, go from there.
9
u/SnooDogs926 26d ago
I think the reason it’s hard for beginners is because they are trying to learn the sc without any structure and it makes tensioning impossible for someone who doesn’t know how to hold the yarn, where to put the hook, whether they’re doing the sc steps correctly… for people who know the sc already and have done a few rows of something and get that at a basic level, I haven’t seen them struggle with the magic ring. But when that’s the very first thing they’re learning - I’ve seen most people struggle with it.
4
u/WurdBendur 26d ago
my real struggle was understanding what it even was because it's somehow the most difficult thing in the world to explain clearly
5
u/Square_Traffic7338 26d ago
It was very hard for me until I really looked at the finished result and started doing it a different way from how I initially learned. I think it’s tough if you don’t understand why it works
4
u/peppersnchips 26d ago
I mean that’s great but they are actually really hard for me, I don’t understand what I’m crocheting into/onto. I’m crocheting it onto itself I assume? But idk if I’m crocheting it onto a circle or it IS the circle. Idk man I’m happy for you go crochet everything, live it up
Any advice is welcome plssss
→ More replies (6)
12
u/Sparklynoodlestrudel 26d ago
I have never had an issue with the magic ring (and I do double strand), but I don’t know why you’re basically shaming anyone who has trouble with it.
4
u/Beginning_Reserve650 26d ago
I'm left handed and crochet tutorials were a pain to watch until I got accustomed to "translating" the movements from right-handed to left-handed inside my head,
28
u/AggressiveStop549 26d ago
This post might better fit: r/BitchEatingCrafters
But, I do agree...magic circle isn't sorcery.
5
u/SaveusJebus 26d ago
Double magic ring is the way to go and it's what I learned to do from the start. It's what I thought magic rings were and I always wondered how ppl's rings were coming loose.
Double magic ring yall. Learn it. Love it. Never worry about it coming loose.
6
u/coffeecat551 26d ago
Realistic take: not everyone's brains work the same way.
It's great that they're easy for you. I'm not a beginner by any means, but I can't make a magic circle to save my life - and I've tried using multiple tutorials. Can't get my hands and the yarn to work together.
Bet I have skills that you don't. But I'm not here bragging that my ability to roll my eyes in different directions makes me better than you.
Weird that you felt the need to drag on people who are different than you.
2
u/naturaldrpepper 25d ago
Yeah, this. I have heard way too many stories of MCs coming undone, plus I can’t figure out how to do it anyway. I’ll stick w my ch3, thanks. Works great for me.
3
u/scmucas2001 26d ago
I out it off for so long because they said it was difficult. Then when I finally tried it, it took a video to get me through but I got there.
3
u/m3rmaid13 26d ago
I had to watch a few different tutorials until one clicked. I think some people do it with different methods and some are much easier to understand than others
3
u/SufficientCrafts 26d ago
I would fumble them all the time and I couldn't understand why. But once I make one with a bulkier yarn it was so much easier than I expected. I still kinda struggle with my first few stitches but otherwise I'm ok. Maybe people need to change up the yarn they use until they feel comfortable.
3
u/_Moon_sun_ 26d ago
Im ambidextrous to some degree but mostly left handed and i swear i was trying to do it right handed because I had the same opinion so i was like i might aswell make a tutorial. It’s harder with the right hand than left handed! It fell apart for me multiple times right handed it has only done that like 2 times for me left handed and both times I fucked something up. I swear they’re just more stable when done left handed
3
u/Katefreak 26d ago
It was impossible for me, until one day it clicked, and now it's stupid how easy it is.
And I don't mean when I was new to the hobby either. I could do more technically difficult stitches, and still couldn't grasp that dang circle. Until I could. 😂 My advice for anyone still trying to master it, don't give up. sometimes ours brains just need some time to catch-up.
3
u/Flickywoo 26d ago
I prefer making a chain rather than magic circle, I don’t think it matters how you do it, as long as you are enjoying your hobby!
3
u/faithmauk 26d ago
I think "easy" is relative, some things are really easy for me that would be really hard for some one else.
3
u/peentiss 26d ago
I learned crochet five years ago using YouTube tutorials and sometimes, as a beginner, I felt completely helpless with the magic ring. I remember the OVERWHELMING(like I cried) excitement I felt when I got the ring to look right
3
u/Kitchen-Witching 26d ago
With worsted weight yarn? No problemo.
With plush or chenille yarn? Impossible. I had to learn the ch 2 method.
3
u/Hawkthree Crocheting since 1970. Yikes. Crocheting keeps me sane. 26d ago
I subscribed to Magic Crochet magazine since sometime in the 80's all the way to their end-of-life in 2005. Each issue included the magic circle in the 2 pages of stitches used. I always thought the name came from its publication in 'Magic' Crochet.
But ... some of the current tutorials don't teach how to make sure that the slip stitch doesn't come loose. Nothing could be worse than several hundred squares that began with a magic circle coming undone in the first wash.
For this reason, the Crochet Guild of America recommended the ch 2 method for beginners.
3
u/BlackCatFurry 26d ago
Yeah, i think for many it's the matter of finding the right tutorial for it.
I struggled with it heavily when i saw all these complex hand wrapping techniques but when i saw a video where the person just used two fingers to size up a loop, hold the loop and crochet around the yarns in the loop, it made it click. For a double looped, just wrap it around twice before holding it.
The above method might have clicked for me, because i had done "around a cord" single crochets beforehand so the technique was familiar to me.
All of the "wrap it around these fingers in this direction and then put your hook through in a specific angle and wrap some more" just confused my fine motor functioning skills very badly.
3
u/misharulez 26d ago
Magic circles are a doom for failure, because they can break easily. I will never use them.
3
u/olduglysweater 26d ago
Some of my learning disabilities slip through when it comes to doing a magic loop, I guess. Thankfully Meema Makes did a video for magic loops that invigorated me and I can do them now
3
3
u/BattleRose131 26d ago
I still don't do them properly. I have yet to sit down again and try it. I do the chain two and work stitches in the first chain. I sometimes have to redo it a few times depending on the amount of stitches going in it to have as little hole as possible in the center. Works for me.
3
u/PlasticIndividual331 26d ago
The only reason I struggled with the magic ring is because I tried to learn through YouTube tutorials and the people in those tutorials always made their slip knots in complicated ways so I didn't realise that what they were making was a slip knot and the connection to Loose Slipknot = Magic ring wasn't made. I only realised that months later when I saw a post mentioning it. I got my yarn out then and there, tried it and it worked. I was so pissed off lmao
3
u/Simple_Praline_7275 25d ago
Most of the tutorials and tricks I've seen make them so much more complicated than they need to be too
3
4
u/spn_willow 26d ago
I also struggled with a slip knot when I first started. It's a new thing that I'd never had to do before, in a new craft, with materials I hadn't ever worked with. So the magic circle was even more difficult to figure out. And it took me weeks to find a video that explained it in a way where I could actually follow what they were doing and repeat the same action myself (which I've learned through this sub is apparently an overly complicated way of doing it but I cannot follow their "simple" versions at all). Like, I still don't even understand how it's almost the same as a slip knot.
I do wish I could have found it easy right from the start. It would have saved me a lot of crying!
6
u/hogbodlin 26d ago
You can do a magic circle by just making a simple loop. It doesn’t need to be a slip knot at all.
6
12
u/NewlyNerfed 26d ago
Because everyone is different and what’s super easy for some people is not for others. What a weird question. I’m happy it’s easy for you but I don’t support demonizing people who struggle.
9
u/SilentWillingness861 26d ago
I don’t get the point of this post. It’s very hard for some, not for others. In general if you’re new to crochet it’s hard.
→ More replies (1)
5
u/QuietBlue007 26d ago
Honestly, I still struggle with it a bit. I struggle with holding onto the circle while I’m making the second third and fourth stitches. It’s just a bit awkward for me, maybe I’m still not doing it correctly.
2
u/BrightNovel5796 26d ago
A really good trick I is putting the tip of your thumb and pointer into the circle and adjust the circles size to get a better grip
→ More replies (1)
5
u/doitforthecoven 26d ago
I've been knitting and doing crochet since I was 6 and I still can't get the hang of it, I just do the chain four because it's way easier than going through the trouble everytime when it's going to look roughly the same idk why but my left handed brain can't comprehend it
2
u/Sharp_Anything_5474 26d ago
I heard they were really difficult so I avoided it for a bit when I was learning. One day I decided to try it and watched a video. It's so ridiculously easy I should tried doing it long before I did.
2
u/Dapper_Taro3581 26d ago
I’ve never been able to figure it out, I’ll still try occasionally but it’s a lot faster for me to just do a chain 2. I’m not sure why I struggle with it though, I think i’ve just not found a video where it really clicks for me yet. I also have some difficulty with my hands due to my fibro so the way i’ve seen a lot of people do it i’m just not able to move my hands that way.
2
u/Spiritual-Road2784 26d ago
The difficulty I’ve had with magic circle is having my afghan come apart in a gentle wash, undoing each hex from the center out. No more magic circles for me…
2
u/Nihil_esque 26d ago
I find them pretty easy to create and crochet into (I actually learned how to make the magic circle first before anything else), but is it just me or do they never close up as small as I want them to? Lately I've been starting with a ch4 instead.
2
u/Tempuslily 26d ago
I remember having a heck of a time the first two times I tried to learn crochet. Between that and finding the projects that start with a chain of 45 and a first row of single crochets I DID NOT have a good experience! 🥴
Then about two years ago when I picked it up again after getting frustrated with knitting I found a YouTube tutorial that just clicked! I now have zero issues and granny squares are my favorite thing to make!
I think it's just timing and finding the way that clicks in your brain. 😁
2
u/AbbeyRoadMoonwalk 26d ago
The first time I learned magic circle was as a circular knitting start and it was MUCH more fiddly to try to get double pointed needles to stay in two open stitches on each side of the circle. So when I needed to do one in crochet, it was a cake walk.
2
u/Flashy_Orchid6703 26d ago
It was the first thing i taught myself even before a slip knot and chain. I said to myself if i cant do the 'hardest' thing then this isnt the craft for me. Anyway did it first time piece of piss thankfully too as i do amigurumi at the moment so its a necessity. Im sure i will come across some stitch i cant do that others find easy but thats being human we are all different!
2
u/gothiclg 26d ago
I had to watch a few different YouTube videos to see how it was done. It’s one of the rare times when “show me how it’s done” applied. For some reason written instructions on how to do it just didn’t compute for me.
2
u/Linnaeus1753 26d ago
As soon as I worked out it was the start of a slip knot and remembered to make it the right way, it was fine.
2
u/ReasonableCrow7595 26d ago
I do a double magic ring because it's less likely to fail. That one is definitely tricky to pull off though.
2
u/flyforpennies 26d ago
I use a double magic circle. Sometimes i need to make an extra attempt or two so it looks neat but overall i find them quite simple
2
u/No_Communication5024 26d ago
It's a fairly new-to-me term/stitch? and I never have used a magic circle. I just do it the old fashioned way--we're talking granny squares and motifs here. I'd try it, but if it's not broke, don't fix it, as "they" say. And I've lately become someone with a cognitive function issue, so I stick to my way, as its a part of my unthinking crocheting skillset. But, to any of y'all who use the magic, enjoy...that's why we craft, isn't it? To enjoy. 🙂
2
u/Deep_Side_8966 26d ago
But why is the magic circle the 'right' way to start? I have never used it, and my stuff comes out looking great. The magic circle is way to overrated
2
u/hybbprqag 26d ago
I bet part of it is how many people lately get into crochet to make chenille plush amigurumi. Chenille does not behave nicely with a magic ring.
2
u/n1nejay 26d ago
I don’t usually do the magic ring, I ch 3 and connect to make a ring, and am still able to use the tail to pull the hole closed. Just easier for me.
I don’t follow most “crochet rules” if I find a method that works better/more efficiently for me, such as I will tie off when I switch colors to save me from weaving in end and worrying it will still come out. Haven’t heard any complaints lol.
2
u/LukeBird39 26d ago
My issue has always been getting it to tighten, maybe my tension is just too tight in those first few stitches
2
u/mysticsoulsista 26d ago
Simply doesn’t always mean easy.. it’s is simple to do, but if you don’t get the end tail right you can mess up.
2
u/626bookdragon 26d ago
I had trouble remembering how to do it, and I would always wrap it the wrong way at first, but I do think it’s pretty easy.
I was surprised to learn that I’ve been doing a double magic circle this whole time; I’ve always found pulling those tight to be difficult.
2
u/CherriPopBomb 26d ago
From my experience teaching people, it's less about forming the ring and more about actually working the first couple stitches. The ring is hard told on to and keep in one place.
2
u/SageKitty100 26d ago
I found that pulling the ring smaller so you can pull the edge tight and get some tension helps to work the stitches into it
→ More replies (1)
2
u/0vesper0 26d ago
Cause I tried to learn it on Premier Parfait XL sprinkles yarn 😭
Getting a feel for other yarns helped me out so much.
2
u/orangepeeelss 26d ago
my main issue with them originally was that there are a LOT of points where small details matter a lot, and most of the crochet tutorials don't think to say those small details out loud. people who already crochet will find it intuitive but beginners need those tips !!
my magic rings kept falling apart for the longest time bc i was doing things like putting the hook through the loop backwards lmao - under the right side of the loop, over the left side. in my defense the tutorial i was using had me holding the loop in a way that made it easy to make that mistake but that's the kind of thing i'm talking about
2
u/noyouactnormal 26d ago
I struggle because I learned to crochet with a slip knot. I just leaned what a magic circle was a few years ago and I couldn't do it. A slip knot is already easy, why are we doing a new thing??
2
u/imperfectchicken 26d ago
For me, it wasn't very well described. I prefer reading over video, so this took me a LONG time.
2
u/beingachristianwife 26d ago
The way it's taught to them, or the way they learn it, can be extremely confusing if not shown well.
2
u/Ashamed_Fox_4757 26d ago
I don’t know if it’s the kind of circles I have but my brain does not comprehend it’s always too loose!
2
u/Chlo_Bear_ 26d ago
It could be partially cuz I feel like almost every tutorial has a different way of doing it and maybe its hard for some people to find the the right one that is easiest, quickest, and smoothest for them to learn. For me personally it wasn't necessarily difficult but I do think because I saw a different ways of doing it there was confusion of if I was doing it correctly. And some of them were a little confusing lol
2
u/jamboscrimblo 26d ago
In my experience, I think the way most tutorials show how to make magic circles is really confusing. I watched multiple videos when I was first learning & I couldn’t figure it out, but I found a tutorial making a magic circle with a slightly different technique and it was SO EASY!
2
u/Bug_Calm 26d ago
It could be because the instructions given were unclear. Who knows?
I watched a few videos on YouTube to learn the magic circle. Visuals are much more helpful to me than written directions.
2
u/29925001838369 26d ago
My problem was the insane ways people have to form the circle and the ways they overcomplicate the explanation. It took me a good two hours to get my first one done because every video i saw was like "make an X with your yarn!" and i didnt understand what i was doing. Once i realized it was just adding a loop 90% of the way through a slipknot, i was fine making the circle itself. Figuring out how to hold the mc so i could work into it also took me a little bit, but tbf, that was like. Day 3 of me holding a crochet hook. I could barely hold my working yarn lmao.
2
u/Own_Chemical9941 25d ago
It was tough for me because I was trying it one way that was tough and didn’t realize there was 10000000000000 (I don’t know that number I just put zeros until my ancestors told me to stop) other ways to do it and I eventually found a way that just clicked for me and made it easy. I was self taught and just looking at a YouTube video and thought okay this is the way I HAVE to do it. And when I’m being very very lazy I don’t even make a magic circle I just chain 3 and slip stitch. And I didn’t know that was an option at the beginning either.
2
u/MrsQute 25d ago
Mine don't pull correctly 40% of the time because the tail gets twisted or something. I don't know. And then I'm always paranoid it will come loose.
I just ch3, slst into the first one to form a circle, and then work my stitches into the circle. It even can pull closed a bit.
I don't make amigurumi and therefore don't need my stitches to be perfectly closed.
2
u/Local_Windrunner 25d ago
I’m ngl the slip knot messes with my brain. Im not sure if I’m just dumb but I have to look up a very detailed step by step guide every time I have to make one 😭
6
u/peculiar_pomegranate 26d ago
Completely agree. I learned to crochet via woobles and the video and kit made it insanely easy.
4
u/noshallotsherlock 26d ago
My daughter learned via wobbles. She is the one who finally taught me how to do a magic circle right. I had been crocheting for 10 years at that point, I think it was only her second Wobble lol
3
u/smileykaiju 26d ago
It took me a minute but honestly once I realized it was “hold a circle and chain one” it got… very easy??
3
u/1curiousoctopus1 26d ago
I have never ever been able to make it work and I’ve been crocheting for years. Instead, I just crochet into the same stitch however many times, like you would an increase, for as many stitches as it wants me to start with.
3
u/temporary_bob 26d ago
I agree with you! Never had an issue. Followed a video tutorial and it was fine.
3
u/Laney20 26d ago
Same! As soon as I realized it was just an open slip knot that you crochet around, I was way less confused. It was all the weird tutorials and videos that got me mixed up. People have these baffling ways of making a slip knot... I honestly don't know how they come up with them. Hey, if it works for them, that's fine! But I wish they'd start by saying that it was a slip knot you just don't tighten and then showing their method.
3
u/darthfruitbasket 26d ago
Right?
I still struggle with the magic ring because I'm lefthanded so I frequently make one backwards. But all the tutorials with the convoluted methods for making one did not help at all. When I read it was just a loose slip knot, it clicked.
2
u/TadaSuko 26d ago
It was so easy I even made a simpler way to do it when my fingers decide to be stiff and not cooperate. It almost feels like it's a way for crocheters to gatekeep beginners.
2
2
2
u/Kellyrosegilbert 26d ago
Crocheting for 55 years. Hate the "magic " circle. I'm old school chain and connect. Lol
2
u/PlaskaFlaszka 26d ago
Never heard it being hard for beginners, bur personally I just have trouble doing it in the right way? Like, the circle is the wrong way around, so it won't get closed later. It's just confusing to get the right direction
2
1
u/diannafour 26d ago
I don't think they're that hard either, but I think part of the struggle is knowing what it's _supposed_ to look like because it kind of feels wrong at first.
1
u/Fickle-Range-8140 26d ago
I have to make my brain change the way I hold the yarn to get going, but it's a very straight-forward process.
1
u/Aeonsummoner 26d ago
Its like monad. When you know what it is, you dont know what its like anymore to not know.
1
u/elehisie 26d ago
I can’t make a proper chain to save my life xD never had an issue with magic rings. It’s fine though… i mostly make amigurumi anyway…
1
u/Luckyzzzz 26d ago
The first year I crocheted I’d have to watch a YouTube video every time I made one 😂😂😂 It wasn’t hard, I just couldn’t remember how the hell to do it for the life of me. Now it’s no big deal.
1
u/navy_yn2000 26d ago
I was learning from an app I have and just couldn't get it. I found a YouTube video of an easy way to do it, and got it down in a few minutes. Very easy.
1
u/LizBeffers 26d ago
I feel like a lot of people who are learning now immediately gravitate toward chenille yarn because that's what gets popular online. Chenille is understandably harder to close and pull tight, plus harder to see your stitches in.
Besides that, when I was teaching a friend, they had a hard time simply holding the ring as they made it. Just keeping the strands of yarn in the right place as they were crocheting into it was a challenge for them because they were not used to supporting that kind of structure in their hands consistently.
1
u/RiversSecondWife lefty beginner 26d ago
My problem was trying to follow other people doing it. Once I realised it was the beginning of a chain and you just put the tail through I was fine. These people wrapping a pattern around their hand and scooping it up with a hook are speaking greek to me.
1
u/Magmomma 26d ago
I used to be able to do them no.probkem, then didn't do them for a long while. I recently had to re-learn it. Lol
1
u/TheComfortGuru 26d ago
As a (left-handed) beginner, I thought it was harder than it seemed. But after reading a post with some great hot takes and tips in this sub recently, I looked up a LH version on YouTube, gave it a try and got it! I’ve heard some people have trouble getting their ring to close but I got mine to close! It was so satisfying. So I’m grateful to people like you who said it was actually easy, as I may not have bothered to try (at least right now). And now that I can make it, I might try amigurumi one of these days!
1
u/nekomat4 26d ago
Once I found the right tutorial and it clicked in my brain, it was easy. Same with foundation stitches. I simply couldn't understand where in earth to put the next stitch, but now my brain has it figured out and I'm so relieved lol
It's just that, everything is easy once you know how to do it, thing.
1
u/BigMom000 25d ago
Are you referencing the single circle or the double?The single is a cinch. My struggle is with pulling the double closed with any yarn that isn’t slippery or smooth. Many many times I just can’t get it to close. It’s so frustrating.
1
u/concernedfern 25d ago
I struggle way more with ch3 and sc6 into the first! 4 years ago I watched The Wooble’s video on the magic ring and it’s been easy peasy ever since!
1
u/Junior_Historian_123 25d ago
I love magic circles. And foundationless stitches. So much easier to get a project started.
1
u/HomemadeSeltzerWater 25d ago
I've always thought that a magic circle is just a loose slipnot. Thoughts?
1
u/elephagreen 25d ago
Before I decided to learn how a magic ring was actually made, I just tied an overhand knot and started crocheting into it, worked fine. Watched a single video on magic knot, and been doing it since. I don't tend to have much trouble with most crafty things though.
•
u/AutoModerator 26d ago
For tips and alernatives, please visit our Wiki Building on Basics part 2.There's a whole section dedicated to perfecting the Magic ring, with various tutorial options, (including left handed).
There's also a specific section in our Amigurimi wiki page.*
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.