May
okay so continuous rounds are basically how you avoid that annoying seam
You know when you’re making amigurumi or a hat and there’s that stupid visible line where each round ends? That’s what we’re trying to get rid of here. I figured this out back in spring 2022 when I was making this little octopus thing and I was so mad about how the color changes looked with joined rounds. Like why would I want a diagonal line running up the side of something that’s supposed to look smooth?
So the deal with spiral rounds is you literally just never slip stitch to join. You keep going around and around like you’re on a merry-go-round that nobody told you how to get off of. Which honestly is part of the problem but we’ll get to that.
What you actually do
Start with your magic ring or chain 2 (I do magic ring because it’s tighter but whatever works). Make your starting stitches – usually 6 single crochets for amigurumi. Now here’s where it’s different: instead of slip stitching into the first stitch and chaining 1 to start the next round, you just… keep going. Put your next stitch right into the first stitch of the previous round.
The thing nobody tells you at first is YOU NEED A STITCH MARKER. Like this is not optional unless you have some kind of supernatural ability to remember where your rounds start. I use those little plastic ones from Clover or sometimes just a piece of yarn in a different color. Move it up every time you complete a round by taking it out of the first stitch and putting it in the new first stitch you just made.
Counting becomes weird
This is the part that annoyed the hell out of me – counting rounds gets confusing because there’s no clear break. When you’re working joined rounds you can literally see “okay that’s round 5, that’s round 6” but with continuous spiral you’re just going up and up and you gotta actually count or keep a tally. I use my phone notes app now or sometimes those row counters but I always forget to click them.
What I usually do is put the stitch marker in the first stitch of a round, work all the way around, and when I get back to that marker I know I’ve done one complete round. Take the marker out, put it in the loop of the stitch you’re about to make (which becomes the first stitch of the new round), and keep going.
increases and decreases in spiral rounds
Okay so when you’re increasing – like going from 6 stitches to 12 stitches – you just work the increase pattern (usually 2 sc in each stitch) continuously. The marker helps you know when you’ve gone all the way around. Same with any increase round like (sc, inc) around or (2 sc, inc) around.
The pattern might say something like “Round 3: (sc in next st, 2 sc in next st) 6 times – 18 sts” and you just work that continuously. The “6 times” part tells you how many times to repeat that pattern as you spiral around.
Decreases work the same way. When you get to the top of an amigurumi head or whatever and you’re closing it up, you’re doing decrease rounds in a spiral. (sc, dec) around, then (dec) around, stuff it, close it up.
The jog problem
Here’s the annoying thing I mentioned earlier – even though you’re avoiding the seam, you still get this subtle jog when you change colors. It’s less obvious than with joined rounds but it’s there. The spiral creates this step-up effect where the color change isn’t perfectly horizontal.
Some people do this thing called a jogless join where you slip stitch into the first stitch of the new color or move stitches around but honestly I usually just… live with the small jog? For amigurumi it doesn’t matter that much because the stuffing and shaping hide it. For hats you can position it at the back.
There’s also a technique where you work the last stitch of the old color and the first stitch of the new color differently but I can never remember it and it seems like too much – wait actually I think you’re supposed to work into the stitch below or something? I tried it once with some Red Heart Super Saver (the burgundy color) and honestly couldn’t tell if it made a difference.
changing colors in continuous rounds
When you want to switch colors just work up until the last yarn over of the last stitch before the color change. So if you’re doing single crochet, you insert the hook, yarn over and pull through (2 loops on hook), then yarn over with the NEW color and pull through both loops. That completes the stitch in the new color.
Drop the old color (you can carry it along the inside if you’re coming back to it, or cut it and weave it in later). Keep working with the new color. Move your stitch marker up as usual when you complete the round.
I was making this striped coffee cozy thing during summer 2024 while watching The Bear season 3 and getting increasingly stressed by both the show AND trying to keep my stripes even. The continuous spiral made the stripes look better than joined rounds would have but I still had that little jog at the color change.
when to use joined rounds instead
Honestly sometimes joined rounds are better. If you’re doing a lot of color changes or stripes where you really want clean horizontal lines, joined rounds with a jogless join technique work better. Also for flat circles like coasters or the base of a basket, you kinda have to use joined rounds or it gets wonky.
I use continuous spiral mostly for: amigurumi, simple hats, sleeves, anything tubular where the slight spiral doesn’t matter. I use joined rounds for: flat circles, careful stripe patterns, granny squares (obviously), anything where I need the structure of a clear round ending.
the actual physical spiral effect
Your work will literally spiral upward slightly. If you look at the stitches they create this diagonal line going up instead of stacking in horizontal rows. For most projects this is totally fine and you won’t really notice it in the finished item. But if you’re doing something where stitch alignment matters – like if you’re trying to line up color blocks or create a specific pattern – you need to account for this spiral lean.
Some people hate this and only work in joined rounds. I think it’s worth it to avoid weaving in all those ends from slip stitches every round but that’s just me.
starting the spiral
So you’ve got your magic ring or foundation chain. Work your first round of stitches (let’s say 6 sc). Now you have two options for starting the spiral:
Option 1: Don’t pull the magic ring tight yet. Place your stitch marker in the first sc you made. Pull the ring tight now. Make your first stitch of round 2 directly into that first stitch (the one with the marker). This is what I usually do.
Option 2: Pull the ring tight after the first round, place marker, chain 1 (but don’t count it), then work into the first stitch. Some patterns tell you to do this but I skip the chain 1 most of the time because it doesn’t seem to matter?
Then you just keep going. Round after round. Moving that marker up every time you complete a round. My cat keeps trying to steal my stitch markers which is a whole separate issue but anyway.
ending the spiral
This is where it gets slightly awkward. You can’t just cut the yarn and pull it through because you’re in the middle of a spiral. What I do:
Work until you complete the final round you need. So if the pattern says 20 rounds, work round 20 until you get back to your stitch marker. Now you’re at the beginning of what would be round 21. Work one more slip stitch into the first stitch of the current round (where your marker is). This creates a little transition. Cut yarn, pull through, weave in the end.
Or you can just cut and pull through wherever you are and weave in the end strategically to hide it. For amigurumi that’s gonna be stuffed this works fine.
Some patterns will say “work until piece measures X inches” for continuous spiral items like sleeves or the body of a sweater. Just measure as you go and stop when you hit the right length, then finish off.
tension stuff
Your tension needs to be consistent with continuous rounds because any weird tight or loose stitches will be visible spiraling up the piece. With joined rounds you get a little reset at the end of each round but here everything flows together. I usually crochet tighter than most people (learned from YouTube videos not actual classes so my tension is probably weird) but as long as you’re consistent it’s fine.
If you notice your work starting to lean or twist, that’s usually a tension issue or accidentally adding/skipping stitches. Count regularly. Like every 3-4 rounds count all your stitches to make sure you still have the right number.
patterns and continuous rounds
Most amigurumi patterns are written for continuous rounds. They’ll say something like “work in continuous rounds, use stitch marker to mark beginning of round” at the start. Then each round is written as a set of instructions with the total stitch count at the end.
If a pattern says “join with sl st to first st, ch 1” at the end of rounds, that’s for joined rounds not continuous. You can usually convert joined round patterns to continuous by just ignoring the joining instructions and working in a spiral instead, but double check that it won’t mess up any stitch patterns.
I used Lily Sugar’n Cream for a kitchen scrubby thing once and tried to do it in continuous rounds but the pattern was really meant for joined rounds and it came out weird and lopsided. So sometimes the pattern really does matter.
troubleshooting the marker
Sometimes the stitch marker falls out or you forget to move it or you move it to the wrong stitch. If this happens and you lose track of where you are: look for the yarn tail from your starting magic ring or chain. That’s your round 1. Count the rounds up from there by looking for the subtle spiral line. It’s annoying but you can figure out where you are.
Or if you really can’t tell, just pick a spot, put the marker there, and call it the beginning of the round going forward. As long as you’re consistent from that point on it’ll be fine. This is why I try to leave a longer tail at the start so I can always find my reference point.
Also sometimes people put the marker in the wrong place – like through both loops of the stitch instead of just hanging it in the front of the work. I hang mine on the front loop or just let it sit in the fabric of that first stitch. Makes it easier to move.
practicing this technique
Honestly just make a simple tube. Use worsted weight yarn (Red Heart, Caron One Pound, whatever you have) and a size H or I hook. Make a magic ring, 6 sc in the ring, place marker. Then work (2 sc in each st around) for round 2 – you’ll have 12 sts. Round 3 work (sc, inc) around – 18 sts. Round 4 work (2 sc, inc) around – 24 sts. Then just work even (sc in each st around) for like 10-15 rounds.
This gives you practice with increases in a spiral, working even rounds, and moving your marker. You can see how the spiral forms and how the marker helps you track rounds. Then practice decreasing by working (2 sc, dec) around, then (sc, dec) around, then (dec) around until it closes up. Stuff it if you want. Boom, you made a practice blob and you understand continuous rounds now.
The main thing is just getting comfortable with that endless spiraling feeling and trusting your stitch marker. It feels weird at first compared to the clear structure of joined rounds but you get used to it fast.
