How to Crochet a Flat Circle & Keep a Straight Seam the EyeLoveKnots Way

How to crochet a flat circle with a straight seam the easy way!

I have been using this technique for years, and so glad I discovered it because traveling seams really used to stress me out.

This technique works anytime working projects in the round in which you are joining at the end of your rounds and chaining to begin the next round.

This technique will not eliminate your seam, but it will keep it straight, which definitely helps to hide it if you are able to keep it out of view on the side or back of a project.

For this tutorial, I am using Red Heart Super Saver in Buff and an I9/5.5mm crochet hook, and my nails are Color Street (affiliate link) Bloody Gorgeous.

Step 1 – Cupping

This photo shows what cupping looks like. It’s usually from not having enough stitches in each round, but sometimes, we can’t always add more stitches to the round and still reach the measurements we are looking for, so one way to counter balance this, is to begin with a chain, and work into the first chain in place of making a ring to work into.

I usually always use this technique when I am doing 8 or 9 stitches in the first round, and find that 10 – 12 stitches are the best to lay flat.

In this case, I am working in half double crochet so I will chain 3 – the skipped chains do not count as a stitch. If I were working in single crochet, I would chain 2, and if working in double crochet, I would chain 4 and still not count the beginning chain in the final stitch count (I don’t count chains when increasing a circle).

Make sure to start with a longer than normal tail because the added stitches will take away from the length.

You will slip stitch join to the first stitch of the round as usual. If you are unsure of which stitch this is, count backwards from where your last stitch is counting it as one. In this example, I have 8 stitches.

Round 2

Chain 1. If working in single crochet, chain 1 as well; chain 2 if using double crochets.  

When increasing, you would normally work this round with two stitches into each stitch around. To keep your seam straight, the secret is to split the beginning increase on either side of the beginning chain, as noted by the arrows.

Continuing with the 8 half double crochets I previously mentioned, this looks like: “HDC into the first stitch, 2 HDC into each of the next 7 HDC…”

Here we have 15 stitches, and we just need to add the last stitch to complete the first set of increases, and that goes into the first stitch just to the right of the beginning chain.

And here is what it looks like with the last stitch. Slip stitch as normal to the first stitch.

Round 3

We work in the same manner for however long we are increasing. For Round 3, you typically work a repeat of either (2 stitches, 1 stitch) or (1 stitch, 2 stitches). Here, we will work the first way but with the first increase split, so it looks like: “HDC into the first stitch, HDC into the next stitch, (2 HDC into the next stitch, HDC into the next stitch) 7x…”

Here we have 23 stitches, and we just need to add the last stitch to complete the first set of increases, and that goes into the first stitch just to the right of the beginning chain, noted by the arrow.

Remaining Rounds

All the remaining increasing rounds are worked in the same manner, so the next two would look like this:

Round 4: Chain 1. HDC into the 1st 3 stitches, (2 HDC into the next stitch, HDC into each of the next 2 stitches) 7x, HDC into the 1st stitch. Join. (32 HDC)

Round 5: Chain 1. HDC into the 1st 4 stitches, (2 HDC into the next stitch, HDC into each of the next 3 stitches) 7x, HDC into the 1st stitch. Join. (40 HDC)

Please DO NOT claim this tutorial as your own nor should you sell my tutorial, and DO NOT re-publish my photos as your own. DO NOT copy and paste my tutorial anywhere, link to it instead

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