How to Crochet a Perfect Circle (aka JOIN)

Have you ever tried to crochet a perfect circle? The most common technique for crocheting round shapes is called crocheting in the round. When you crochet in the round you create a spiral going out as you increase. But you never get to the point of finishing a circle or closing it to make it nice and neat.

So, it's time to learn how to crochet in joined rounds! (Abbreviated as JOIN in my patterns)

Have you ever tried to crochet a perfect circle? The most common technique for crocheting round shapes is called crocheting in the round. When you crochet in the round you create a spiral going out as you increase. But, when you want to change color…

Like stripes? Even better, do you like perfect stripes? Crocheting a beanie or toy in joined rounds creates a project that is about as close to perfect as you can get in crochet.

Observe… the Perfect Stripe Beanie!

When I first learned, I found this a little bit harder than simply crocheting in the round, but I got the hang of it with a little practice.

When you crochet in the round, you simply crochet around and around in a circle going out like a spiral. In joined rounds, Each round begins and ends rather than going on continuously.

In a single crochet project, you make joined rounds by starting each round with a chain and ending each round with a slip stitch. In my patterns, I use an abbreviation for this procedure, JOIN. 

Check out the video below for a step-by-step demo.

Crocheting in joined rounds is the best way to crochet perfect stripes in a beanie! Practice your JOIN with the One Hour Triple Stripe Crochet Beanie Pattern.


How to Crochet a Beanie: Fasten Off and Weave in the Ends

Hi Happy Hookers!

It's time to fasten off and weave in the ends! Guess what!? If you've made it to this step, then you're almost done with your beanie! Hooray! 

In case you missed them, click the links below for the previous videos and steps to making your beanie:
Magic circle/ring - mc/r
Single crochet - sc
Increase - inc

In this video, you will see my favorite tips and tricks for fastening off the beanie to make the edge nice and smooth. I know, everybody hates the part where you have to weave in the ends, but here I'll show you 2 different techniques to make weaving quick, easy and as painless as possible.

Did you like this video? If so, please comment below and share it with your crochet friends!

If you'd like to make the striped beanie that's featured in the video, please visit my pattern store here.

How to Crochet a Beanie: Increase

Today you're going to learn one of the most important steps in crocheting a beanie, the increase. An increase does just what the name implies, it makes the beanie bigger. You use increases to make the top of the beanie about as big as the crown of your head (or the head of the lucky recipient of your handmade awesomeness). Then, once you've reached the desired size, you stop increasing, turn on your favorite TV show and tweedle away until your beanie is finished perfection.

So, check out the video below and learn how to do this important step and you're on your way to crochet greatness.

When you master the increase, you can use it in all of my crochet beanie patterns:

Click here for beanie patterns

With this video I'm drinking red clover blossom tea, and I mentioned that I had a funny story about this tea. 

I bought the tea when I was doing a health cleanse, because it's supposed to help clear out your system. I ordered it online because I couldn't find it in the store and I wanted to buy the loose leaf variety. Little did I know that when you buy a pound of loose leaf tea it comes in a huge bag! Check out the picture below. I've been drinking this tea for 4 months and I've barely put a dent in this huge bag of tea leaves. So, if anyone wants to try some red clover blossom tea, I've got plenty!

Loose leaf tea in a mason jar

Loose leaf tea in a mason jar

One huge bag of tea leaves!

One huge bag of tea leaves!

 

How to Crochet a Beanie: Single Crochet

Welcome to Step 2 of crocheting a beanie, the single crochet. In crochet patterns, single crochet is abbreviated as sc.

I love to make beanies with single crochet. The stitches look smooth, tight and beautiful. (Hmmm, that sounds a little dirty, but I'm talking about crochet here! ;) Anyway, single crochet is a basic, easy stitch and it creates awesome results. I use it in most of my patterns so once you nail this stitch, you'll be on your way to making tons of fun projects.

To start your single crochet beanie, you first need to make a magic circle. Now you're ready to do some single crochets into the circle to start the very top of your beanie. See the video below for step-by-step details.

For some people. the magic circle and the first single crochet stitches are the hardest part of the entire beanie. So, take your time and don't get frustrated. Watch the video a few times and follow exactly what I do. Rest assured that your effort is worth it because your beanie is going to look awesome! And, once you've got this part down, the rest of the hat will be easy peasy.

How did it go? Were you able to successfully execute a single crochet stitch? Tell me about it in the comments below! ;)

How to Crochet a Beanie: Magic Circle/Magic Ring

How do you start to crochet a beanie? Never fear, your question is answered here. I'd wager this is the hardest step of the whole process, so be a bit patient with yourself if this seems difficult at first.

Even though this might take some practice to learn, it will be worth it and you'll see why in my video. Using the magic circle makes your beanies look awesome!

In my patterns, I write this step with the abbreviation mc/r. In some patterns, you'll also see MAL, which stands for Magic Adjustable Loop. These two techniques are the same, so this tutorial can help with whichever pattern you're working with.

In this video tutorial, you’ll learn how to start a beanie without making a hole in the top! It’s called the magic circle or magic ring and it’s awesome. When I first started to crochet beanies, I didn’t know how to crochet a magic circle and all of…

The magic circle/magic ring technique will result in a beanie with no hole at the top! It really is magic. Use this to start all of your beanies for a clean, neat appearance with no odd hole in the top.

 

The first step to starting your crochet hat

How did it go? Were you able to start your beanie with the magic circle? Let me know in the comments below!

Want to try your hand at using the magic circle to crochet a beanie? Grab my FREE Mens One Hour Beanie Crochet Pattern here.