A magic loop, also called a magic ring, magic circle, adjustable ring, or adjustable loop, is the preferred way to start crocheting in the round. It’s considered magical because the result has no hole in the middle.
However, the magic loop can be tricky to master so if you’re having a lot of trouble with it, you can start a round piece with a chain instead.

Making the magic loop step-by-step (with photos)

1. Turn your left palm to face you. Hold the yarn tail in your right hand and place the yarn in front of your left palm.	2. Wrap the working yarn once around your pinky, so that the yarn tail ends up behind your hand.	3. Bring the yarn tail up the back of your hand until you can drape it over your pointer finger.	4. Loop it once around your pointer finger, so it crosses in front of your finger.
5. Hold onto the intersection with your left thumb and slide the loop off your finger using your right hand.	6. Insert the hook through the middle of the loop, from the front to the back.	7. Rotate the hook so the tip is facing away from you, and grab onto the working yarn.	8. Pull the working yarn back through the loop, while rotating the hook so that the tip faces you again, to draw up a loop. If you need more tension in the working yarn, move your middle finger away from you.
9. The hook should be in front of the working yarn.	10. Yarn over. Pull the yarn through the loop on the hook. There should be one loop left on the hook.

Single crochet in a magic ring (step-by-step with photos)

Now that you have a magic loop you can safely let go of, feel free to rearrange your grip to however you normally hold yarn.

1. With your left hand, hold onto both the left and right sides of the magic loop and the yarn tail. Keep the yarn tail on the left side of the magic loop.	2. Insert the hook through the middle of the loop, from the front to the back. The hook should look like it’s under the left side of the loop and the yarn tail.	3. Yarn over. Pull the yarn back through the loop, under both the left side of the loop and the yarn tail, to draw up a loop.	4. There should be two loops on the hook.
5. Yarn over. Pull through both loops on the hook. There should be one loop left on the hook. This completes one sc.	6. Repeat steps 2–5 until you have as many sc as the pattern calls for.	7. When you’re done, put the hook down. With your right hand, hold onto the top loops of the stitches you just made. With your left hand, pull on the yarn tail until the magic loop disappears.	8. To start the next round, put the hook under the top loops of the stitch to the left.

TIP

Make it easier to find the first stitch of the magic loop later, by putting a stitch marker under the top loops of this first stitch the moment you make it.