Crocheting in the Round

Crocheting in the round is a very important part of making amigurumi. Let’s learn about crochet in the round, how to identify and count your stitches and rows, and how to tell the difference between the right side and wrong side of your project.

There are generally two ways to crochet: working from side to side in flat rows, and working in a spiral. Amigurumi is primarily done by crocheting in the round (spiral).

What is Crochet in the Round?

When working crochet in the round there are often two techniques for moving to the next round in the pattern, joined rounds and continuous rounds.

Joined Rounds

One way to crochet in the round is by using joined rounds. Joined rounds are achieved by ending one round with a slip stitch, and then moving on to the next round. Each round will then typically start with a chain 1 before starting your single crochet stitches.

In a crochet pattern, this may be written like this:

R1: Begin with 6 SC in a magic ring, join with a sl st to beginning. (6 sts)

R2: Ch 1, 2 SC in each st around, join with a sl st to beginning. (12 sts)

R3: Ch 1, 2 SC in next st, 1 SC in next st, join with a sl st to beginning. (18 sts)

Notice that the above example starts each round with a ch 1 and ends with a slip stitch. This is a good way to identify that the rounds are joined.

Joined rounds will create a line or seam where your rounds are joined. This is generally not ideal when creating amigurumi projects.

Continuous Rounds

The preferred method for crochet in the round when making amigurumi is to work in a continuous round. This means that there is no slip stitch at the end of your round. Instead, you will continue working your stitches around in a spiral.

In a crochet pattern, this may be written like this:

R1: Begin with 6 SC in a magic ring. (6 sts)

R2: 2 SC in each st around. (12 sts)

R3: 2 SC in next st, 1 SC in next st. (18 sts)

Notice that the above example does not include a ch 1 or slip stitch, like the joined rounds above. This is a good indicator that the rounds are worked continuously.

There may also be a note at the beginning of the pattern stating that it is worked in a continuous round, continuous spiral, and/or recommend that you utilize a stitch marker to keep track of your crochet rounds.

Crocheting in a continuous round is typically achieved by beginning with a magic ring or magic circle, and continuing to crochet in a in a spiral. In amigurumi, it is best to work in a continuous spiral, rather than using joined rounds, so as to not create a seam.

Can I Substitute Continuous Rounds for a Pattern with Joined Rounds?

Generally, yes! Especially with amigurumi.

There could be instances where a joined round is necessary or preferred, but when working amigurumi, that is typically not the case. This would have depend on the individual pattern.

Stitch Markers

In order to prevent a seam in your amigurumi project, we will be working in a continuous round, which means there won’t be any true ending (like a sl st) to your round. So how do you keep track of your rounds? With stitch markers!

As you work each round in a pattern, you will insert your stitch marker into the top 2 loops of your single crochet stitch of the first stitch of your round. Then, as you move on to the next round, you will remove your stitch marker, create your next stitch, and replace your stitch marker into the top 2 loops of the first single crochet stitch in that round. You will continue this for the entirety of your project.

Stitch markers allow you to keep track of the beginning of your rounds so that you know when you are to begin the next, without the need to count every single stitch. I’ll show this to you in action a bit later on.

Right Side v. Wrong Side

When crocheting in the round, your single crochet stitches won’t look the same on each side of your fabric, so it’s important to be able to tell which side should be facing out. The side that should be showing on the outside is called the “Right Side”, while the side that will be on the inside is called the “Wrong Side”

The Right Side of your work can be identified with the prominent spiral appearance. The Right Side of a stitch is the side that is facing you as you are crocheting it. The Right Side of the single crochet stitch looks like the letter “V”.

The Wrong Side of a stitch is the side that is facing away from you as you are crocheting. The Wrong Side of the single crochet stitch can identified by the diagonal bar on the back of each stitch.

How to Count Crochet Stitches

It happens to the best of us, whether you miscount, missed a stitch, added too many stitches, and you need to go back and double check the count on your crochet stitches.

You might look at your crochet piece and think, how in the world am I supposed to be able to tell what my stitch count is? How do I count my stitches after they are already worked?

Each single crochet stitch will look like the letter “V”. Each “V” is 1 single crochet stitch. There will be times where you may work 2 single crochet stitches in one space, but you will still see a “V” for each stitch. In the image below, you can see where I’ve marked a patch of single crochet stitches in red.

If you want to count the stitches of the row that you are currently working, you may want to count from the top of the stitches. The top of each stitch includes a front loop and a back loop for each single crochet stitch. In the image below, I’ve identified 4 stitches with their top loops (red, orange, green, and blue).

How to Count Crochet Rounds/Rows

When you are working in the round, each line of stitches is referred to as a round. When you are working a flat piece, each row of stitches is called a row. In either scenario, you might need to count your rounds or rows to ensure you are on track with the pattern.

After you’ve learned how to identify the single crochet stitches with the “V” shape, identifying the rounds is a lot easier. Each line of single crochet stitches is a round. If you start at the very center of your piece, you’ll find the magic ring. The first round are the stitches that were worked in the magic ring. The red dot in the center of the photo below shows the very center of the magic ring.

Right above those stitches in the magic ring, you’ll find the next line of V’s, which is your second round. Directly above that round is another line of V’s, which is R3, and so on.

The row counter comes in handy when crocheting in the round. After you complete a round, you can just tap the button on your row counter so that you don’t lose track. This way you won’t have to remember the round you are on in your head, or continually count to know which round you just finished if you’ve lost count.

Alternatively, you can keep track of your rounds with tally marks on a sheet of paper.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this post on crocheting in the round! Crocheting in a continuous round is a technique that can be found in all of my free amigurumi patterns. Or check out my other crochet tutorials to learn more!

More Crochet Tutorials and Resources