You often start regular crochet projects in a magic ring, so why try to begin a Tunisian crochet project in a magic ring?
In this detailed photo and video tutorial I will show you how to start a Tunisian crochet project in a Magic ring (also known as Magic circle, not to be confused with a Magic loop, which is a knitting term).
You will use this technique for various projects, for example if you want to make my Fiery opal shawl or any other shawl in the same collection.
You will also use this method when working projects flat in the round with a double ended hook, such as in a square or a hexagon or a circle shape.
You can also work sideways into a magic ring and put the ends of short rows into this loop, but I demonstrate how to do that in a separate tutorial about the leaf potholder that you can find here.
Contents
Video tutorial for starting Tunisian crochet in the magic ring
Right handed tutorial.
Left handed tutorial.
Written and photo instructions for starting a project in the magic ring
In this photo tutorial I will be showing you how to make the beginning of a half circle shawl.
This is both the beginning of the Fiery opal shawl and the Sunny citrine shawl, as they both have the same number of starting stitches.
To start the magic ring, we start with the working yarn and we make a loop, putting the tail on top of the working yarn.
We insert the hook through this loop and pick up a loop from the working yarn.
Chain one, and this will be our first stitch, the one we don’t usually count when making stitches in a row, but we count when we count the loops.
This is known as First stitch (Fs) in some patterns and it is not part of the stitch pattern in the row.
In the pattern we have to make nine Tunisian simple stitches in the magic ring.
To do that, we insert the hook through the magic ring and we pick up a loop.
We can’t just leave it like this on hook, because if we pick up the next loop, then we will have just a yarn over on the hook.
After we pick up the loop, we chain one. This makes the first Tunisian simple stitch in the magic ring.
We do this nine more times, and this is the end of the row.
In a regular row, you would have a last stitch to make, but in this case the last stitch we picked up counts as Last stitch (Ls).
Now we have to do the return pass.
If you were using a double ended hook, you would attach the yarn at the other end
and do the return pass from the beginning of the row.
Since we’re using a regular hook, we’re just going to chain one.
Then repeat “yarn over, pull through two” until we have only one loop left on the hook, so we chain one and then we yarn over, pull through two, and repeat this to the beginning of the row.
This is the first row of the pattern and we don’t pull on the tail to close the magic ring because we need to be able to work into these stitches.
Next row we will have a repeat of one Tunisian simple stitch and one yarn over.
We repeat this eight times “one simple stitch, one yarn over”, and this creates the increases that will create the rounded shape of the shawl.
After eight repeats, we have to do the last stitch, and now we will insert the hook
behind the two vertical bars at the end of the first row, pick up a loop.
To do the return pass, chain one and repeat “yarn over, pull through two” to the beginning of the row.
This finishes the second row that we worked in the magic ring.
From here on out it will be much easier for the next row to be created, even though the fabric is slightly rounded.
You can pull a little bit on the magic ring, just don’t close it completely.
You continue working in pattern around this (1 Tunisian simple stitch in each stitch), but now it will be much easier for the fabric to gather up on the hook because there’s enough length here for the fabric to not pull at the magic ring.
This is what the work looks like after the third row.
You can pull on the tail to completely close the magic ring now.
From here on out you can continue working with the magic ring closed and you should not have any more trouble with working around the project normally.
Starting a project in the round in a Magic circle
If you want to start with a Magic ring, but make a project in the round with a double ended hook, you can also do that in a similar way.
Except you close the magic ring much earlier.
In the example below, I am making a very simple square for which I will have a tutorial here on the blog, but it starts with 8 stitches in the Magic ring.
In this case, we will be using all 8 stitches, as it is done when working in the round.
Just like before, we start with the working yarn and we make a loop, putting the tail on top of the working yarn. The Tunisian crochet hook is double sided in this case.
Pick up a few stitches in the Magic ring, just like before, chaining after you pick up each loop. In my case, I picked up 5 loops.
Bring the loops to the other end of the hook and bring the second yarn for making the return pass.
You can start with a slip knot on the hook, which you use for the first “yarn over, pull through 2”, or just begin with the yarn as is.
Flip the project and repeat “yarn over, pull through 2” until you have 3 loops left on the hook.
Then flip the project back to the original orientation and pull the loops back to the first end of the hook.
Continue picking up loops until you have the needed number. In my case, it’s 8 stitches or loops on the hook.
Flip the work and do the return pass until you have 3 loops left on the hook.
Flip the work back to the right side and pull the tail of the magic ring to close it. It is time to start the second row.
Pick up a few stitches in pattern.
Then flip the work and do the return pass. Flip back to the right side. Continue around in this manner.
Place stitch markers in the first stitch and the important stitches where you’ll make increases.
Continue in pattern to create your item, be it a square or a hexagon or a circle. Weave in the end of the magic ring securely.
Final thoughts
If you enjoyed this tutorial, here are more tutorials related to Tunisian crochet that you might enjoy.
- Shawl shapes in Tunisian crochet
- Tunisian crochet in the round with a double ended hook
- 6 different types of Tunisian crochet ribbing
- Stop Tunisian crochet projects from curling
- The most elastic Tunisian crochet ribbing
Here are some Tunisian crochet shawl patterns that can be done in a Magic circle.
Some of them include a capelet option, but also a shawl option that works with the Magic ring.
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