How to crochet flat circles

There are many ways to crochet circles–flat circles, solid

color circles, multicolor circles, circles with continuous
rounds and more. I want to address this, because I get
asked about this all the time. I’m splitting the subject up
into several blog posts, and will post later on how to make
continuous rounds, and how to make invisible beginnings
and ends to multicolor rounds. For this post, I’ll be talking
about how to crochet flat circles with joined rounds in
single crochet, half double crochet, and double crochet.
These flat circles can be the basis of many crochet projects
such as hats, bags, potholders, pillows, afghan squares and
more.
The first step to crocheting a flat circle is to get the right number of stitches in your first round.
What is the deciding factor if you have the right number of stitches? The height of your stitches,
which governs how fast your circle will grow in diameter. To make it easy for you, I’ll tell you what I
use. Start off with either a magic circle or ch 5, join with slip stitch in first chain to form ring. Ch 1
for a sc circle (doesn’t count as a stitch), ch 2 for a hdc circle (doesn’t count as a stitch), or ch 3 for
a dc circle (counts as dc). Then work:
7 sc for sc circles
11 sc for hdc circles
13 dc for dc circles for a total of 14 sts counting the ch 3
A side note: the reason the ch 1 for sc and hdc do not count as stitches, and ch 3 for dc DOES count
as a stitch is because when beginning rounds or rows of sc, you ch 1, then crochet in same stitch so
the ch 1 does not ever count as a stitch. For hdc, it’s a matter of personal preference whether you
count the ch 2 as a hdc or not. If not, you just hdc in the first st and act as though the ch 2 does not
exist–when you come to the end of the round, you sl st in the top of the hdc. If you DO count the ch
2 as a stitch, you hdc in the next st (or in the same stitch to increase) and when you end the round,
you sl st in top of the ch 2. For dc, you always count the ch 3 as a stitch, so ch 3, dc in same st counts
as 2 sts (increase).
You can add a stitch or two to the first round to make your pattern work out mathematically if
needed, but these numbers are what works for my gauge. It’s a good starting point for you if you’re
trying to, once and for all, figure out the perfect flat circle for your gauge. A circle started in this
manner will remain flat for many rounds, whereas if you add stitches, you’ll find that after a few
rounds the piece starts to have extra fabric and starts to ruffle. If you subtract stitches, the piece
will start to cup, which may be what you’re looking for if you’re making the bottom of a rounded
bag or crown of a hat. Flat circles work fine for both hats and bags, though, and are my personal
preference.
So in other words, if your piece cups, add a stitch to round one. If it ruffles, subtract a stitch
from round one.
The second step to crocheting a flat circle is to work the second, third, fourth rounds and beyond.
Here I’ve got some interesting news for you. The round instructions are the same, no matter what
stitch you’re using and no matter how many stitches you put in round one. So once you get this
down, you can use it for any type of flat circle.
For round two, you will always put two stitches in each stitch around. This doubles the number of
stitches you have. Another way to look at it is that it adds the same number of stitches you started
with. That is what you will be doing each round, adding the same number of stitches you started
with, evenly spaced around.
For round three, you’ll work two stitches in the first stitch, then one stitch in the next stitch, then
repeat this sequence around. Again you’ve increased by the number of stitches in your first round.
You are working 3 x the number of stitches you started with for the third round.
For round four, you’ll work one stitch in each of the first two stitches, then work two stitches in the
next stitch, then repeat this sequence around. Why not just start with two stitches in the first stitch?
The answer is the secret to perfectly round circles rather than circles that are somewhat octagon-y.
You don’t want to stack your increases on top of each other. The good news is you can start with
two stitches in the first stitch on every odd numbered round—that way you only have to figure out
where to put the increases every other round. So for the fourth round, you are working 4x the
number of stitches you started with.
For round five, as we’ve established, you’ll work two stitches in the first stitch, then one stitch in
each of the next three stitches, then repeat this sequence around. Fifth round, each repeat is 5
stitches, and you’re working 5x the number of stitches you started with.
For round six, you’ll work one stitch in each of the first three stitches, then work two stitches in the
next stitch, then work one stitch in the next stitch, then repeat this sequence around. This places
the increases roughly in the center between increases on the previous round. Sixth round, each
repeat is 6 stitches, and you’re working 6x the number of stitches in round one.
For subsequent rounds, you just continue in the same manner. Start with two stitches in the first
stitch for odd numbered rounds, and place the increases between increases for even numbered
rounds.
I’ve made a little chart to help.

Remember you can add a stitch or two to the first round and
your circle will still remain flat for several rounds and only ruffle
as the circle gets bigger. So for afghan blocks or smaller circle
items, starting with a stitch or two more is OK. The instruction
rounds are the same either way.