Photo Tutorial: How to Complete an Invisible Join

Ever get sick of those little bumps that you get when fastening off a piece you've crocheted in the round?  Through trial and error, I've found a way to join that last round invisibly.

Note: this works best if you're joining each round with a slip stitch throughout the piece.  If you're working in a continuous spiral, it's tough to get a completely invisible join.  I've found that it helps me to place a marker in the first stitch of each round to avoid accidentally adding or dropping stitches along the way.

1.  Work the last round of your piece.  Do not join with a slip stitch.

2.  Fasten off by pulling the tail end of the working yarn through your last stitch.

3.  Using a yarn needle, thread the tail through the first stitch of the last round, from back to front.

4.  Here's what your piece will look like when you've pulled the entire tail through the first stitch.

5.  Using your yarn needle, thread the tail back through the center of the last stitch (the one you fastened off).

6.  Pull to secure, but not too tight.  When done right, your join will look exactly like any other stitch on your outside round.

7.  Weave in the tail end on the back of the piece, and - voila  - you have a completely invisible join!

Thanks for visiting...hope you found this helpful!

'Til next time,

OCB

Photo Tutorial: How to Make a Magic Ring

Hey, y'all!

Many times, a Magic Ring can work to your advantage when you’re starting a work in the round.  Since you can adjust the tension of the original round, it can be as loose or tight as you like.  I’ve found this to be a flawless substitution – even an improvement in many cases – over the “ch 2, work X sc in 2^nd ch from hook” method.

The problem?  It’s kind of a visual thing to learn.  No matter how many times I was told how to do this (verbally or in writing), it never really stuck until I saw it done. 

How to Make a Magic Ring

1. Hold the end of the yarn between the first and middle fingers of your left hand.

2. Wrap yarn down in front of your middle and ring fingers.

3. Loop yarn under ring finger and bring back up to rest between your first and middle fingers (now you’re holding both the end and the working yarn here).

4. Catch the working yarn with your thumb to control the tension. 

5. Insert hook under the yarn in front of your fingers and draw up a loop, yo and draw through that loop.  MR made.

6. Work the specified amount of sc stitches in the Magic Ring (most of my patterns will use 6).

7.  Insert your hook in the first stitch, getting ready for your next round.

8. Pull firmly on the end of the yarn to tighten the Magic Ring.

9. At this point, I usually carry the long end through my next round of stitches to secure it before trimming it off.

10. Continue with your pattern.

Hope you find this helpful!  

'Til next time,

OCB