Circles in Double Crochet…

Those of you who read my post from a couple of weeks ago https://coastalcrochet.com/2016/12/02/diploma-update/ will know that I have been trying to perfect a crocheted circle in double crochet (US single crochet) stitches. Well, having received feedback from my latest sample submitted for the crochet diploma, I think I’ve mastered it and will share a little of what I’ve learned with you…

Something I’ve learned early on in doing the International Diploma in Crochet and what Pauline Turner herself says is that “there are no rules in crochet, only good and bad ways”. So if you’re happy doing circles a particular way then please carry on!

I needed to submit a circle in double crochet, not a spiral. Spirals are perfect for amigurumi crochet when the circle will be used as part of a bigger project but it won’t produce a perfect circle…

As you can see above a spiral will always have a step at the end.

In the past when I’ve followed patterns I have crocheted a circle with the right side always facing and simply continuing round and round. What I’ve learned is that a neater result can be achieved if you turn the circle on every round, just like if you were crocheting ordinary rows. By doing this the circle is definitely flatter as you can see below…

The circle on the left has been turned on every row and is laying completely flat. The circle on the right is crocheted without turning and is curling in ever so slightly.

Also when crocheting without turning the seam drifts out at an angle which you can just about see below…

Turning on every round as below keeps the join moving out in a straight line…

When crocheting a circle in double crochet there has to be an increase of 6 stitches on every round. A crucial element to achieving the perfect circle is where to put these increases on every row so that it is a circle which is created and not a hexagon. If the increases are crocheted in the same place on each round then a hexagon shape will be achieved. So they need to be staggered.

I already knew this but on my first attempt which you can see above I staggered the increases on every other row which I’d seen recommended by many people online. The feedback I received for this was…

“you have staggered the increases, but in a logical 2-round repeat way. The circle as it gets larger will then become anything but a circle”

You can see the straight lines beginning to form already!

So on my second attempt I came out of my comfort zone of logical and organised thinking and staggered the increases in a random way, paying attention to where the increases are on the rounds below to avoid going in the same place…

My second attempt is on the right above and as you can see it’s definitely more of a perfect circle. The pattern for this is here:

circle-in-double-crochet

So there you have it- a little of what I’ve learned in my quest to achieve the perfect circle in double crochet…

If you have any thoughts on this or any other suggestions then I’d love to hear them…

🙂 🙂