Magic ring or chain 2?

Both start a circle. "Chain 2, then work into the 2nd chain from the hook" is easier to hold but leaves a small hole. The magic ring closes completely, which is why amigurumi uses it.

Why does my ring keep slipping off my fingers?

Hold the crossing point of the loop between your thumb and middle finger and keep the working yarn over your index finger. The chain 1 locks the ring once you have made it.

How many stitches go in a magic ring?

Usually 6 single crochets for amigurumi, but follow your pattern: some rings take 8 or 12 stitches, or taller stitches.

Magic ring (magic circle)

MR in US and UK patterns. German: Fadenring (Magischer Ring).

To make a magic ring, wrap the yarn into a loop with the tail inside, insert the hook, pull up a loop and chain 1. Work single crochets into the ring, over both the ring and the tail, usually 6. Then pull the tail and the ring closes with no hole in the middle.

Step by step

Scroll through the steps and the model follows. Tap a step to jump to it.

Make a loop with the tail inside it, and cross the working yarn over the top.
Insert the hook into the ring, front to back.
Yarn over: catch the working yarn behind the ring.
Pull up a loop through the ring.
Yarn over…
…and pull through: chain 1. This holds the ring.
Now single crochet into the ring: insert the hook into the ring again, under the ring and the tail.
Yarn over behind the ring.
Pull up a loop through the ring. 2 loops on the hook.
Yarn over.
Pull through both loops…
One single crochet in the ring. One loop on the hook.
Work 5 more single crochets into the ring the same way (6 in all).
Pull the tail: the ring closes up tight. Round 1 done.

Names and turning chain

US: magic ring (MR)
UK: magic ring (MR)
German: Fadenring (Magischer Ring) (FR)
Turning chain: –

When you use it

The magic ring (also called the magic circle or adjustable ring) starts anything worked in the round from the center: amigurumi, hats, coasters and circles. Unlike starting with a chained loop, it closes completely.

The stitches you make into the ring are the first round. Most amigurumi patterns begin "6 sc in MR". Close the ring by pulling the tail firmly, then weave the tail in for a few stitches so the ring cannot loosen.

How to count it

After you pull the tail, count the V's around the outside. Six V's means 6 single crochets.

Practice piece

The magic ring feels fiddly for the first three or four tries. Make several in a row and it turns into a habit.

Make the ring, work 6 single crochet into it and pull the tail until the center closes. Leave the round open.
Pull everything out and repeat four more times. Each time, keep the tail on your side of the work so you catch it with every stitch.
On the last try, join with a slip stitch, then weave the tail in along the back of the stitches in the direction you worked.

A finished ring has 6 V's around the top and no hole in the middle when you hold it up to a lamp. If the tail pulls out, you worked over only one strand of the ring; catch both the ring and the tail every time.

No yarn yet? For your first stitches, use a smooth, light-colored worsted-weight yarn and a 5.5 mm (I-9) hook. What yarn and hook to buy.

How it looks in a pattern

Rnd 1: 6 sc in MR (6).

Make a magic ring and work six single crochets into it. The number in brackets at the end is the stitch count for the round. Amigurumi is usually worked in a continuous spiral, so there is no slip stitch or chain between rounds unless the pattern asks for one.

Common mistakes

Pulling the wrong strandOnly the tail closes the ring. If you pull the working yarn, you undo your last stitch instead.
Not going under the tailEach stitch must go around the ring and the tail together. Stitches worked around the ring alone do not close up when you pull.
Leaving the tail unwovenA magic ring can open again when the toy is stuffed. Weave the tail back through the first round in the opposite direction.

Questions

Magic ring or chain 2?: Both start a circle. "Chain 2, then work into the 2nd chain from the hook" is easier to hold but leaves a small hole. The magic ring closes completely, which is why amigurumi uses it.
Why does my ring keep slipping off my fingers?: Hold the crossing point of the loop between your thumb and middle finger and keep the working yarn over your index finger. The chain 1 locks the ring once you have made it.
How many stitches go in a magic ring?: Usually 6 single crochets for amigurumi, but follow your pattern: some rings take 8 or 12 stitches, or taller stitches.