magic circle??

[donna873]

I used this technique on an afghan, all the centers came loose. What did I do wrong?

[LolitaChase]

lol, I've been doing magic for years without realizing it!

[boo1]

Thanks for the link-I need to try this!

[Krakovianka]

I thought the magic circle sounded great and tried it on a current project. It was great...until I decided I wanted to loosen the circle a bit. It all came loose...I had stitches attached to nothing...and I had to redo the entire thing.

 

Now, this was my fault, I suppose, for pulling the circle tight and cutting the tail (as I have always done with centers made with chains). Next time, I'll know...leave the tail long and weave it all in. Cut at your own peril!

 

I share this just in case any other magic-circle newbies need a warning.

 

For those more experienced in using them...would you say that magic circles don't really loosen up very well in general, or can it be done if you've left the tail long?

[newthingcrochet]

Well, I've never tried to loosen it on purpose, but I usually leave 6 inches or so and have never had trouble with it coming completely undone. When I'm done with my project I usually have to pull it tight again but once I weave it in it stays put.

[adagio]

I haven't tried to loosen one, either. But I have frogged 'em, as long as I haven't finished the square. I've never had one came apart, either. Once the motif is done, I'll tighten it one last time, then weave in about 2-4 inches of the tail.

[Julia from NorCal]

I usually don't use the magic circle method with my hats. Now that I'm learning to make thread doilies I've been trying the magic circle more. Perhaps because I'm used to the other method I'm not fond of the new way. I have difficulty tightening the center with the magic method and I had particular trouble when I was trying to do a single crochet as the starting stitch. (I prefer double crochet).

I was afraid to try a doily without the magic circle but after reading your posts I guess it's just a matter of preference.

Can't wait to start a new doily!