Crochet stacking toy pattern: six pieces, 74 rounds, four graduated rings
This is a free crochet stacking toy pattern. Assembled it stands ~14 cm tall with the largest ring ~10 cm across, worked on a 4.0 mm hook in five colours over about four hours. All four rings begin the same way — chain 18, join it into a loop, then 18 single crochet worked into that chain — and they differ only in how far they are let out before they turn back: 48 stitches for the large ring, 42 for the medium, 36 for the small and 30 for the top, which is what makes the steps between them read evenly. All 74 rounds are written out below across six pieces, and each one shows the stitch count it finishes on.
Maths verified, not yet made. Every one of the 74 rounds was checked against the round before it by machine — the counts, the increases and the decreases all add up. What nobody can promise you yet is how it sits in the hand.How we check
6 of 8 checks ran on 2026-09-04
- 1 format and stitch chainscripts/validate.py — 113 patterns, all counts chain.
- 2 catalogue auditscripts/audit-patterns.py — 113 audited, 0 errors, 66 warnings.
- 3 geometrygeometry-check.py — 113 checked, 0 errors, 4 warnings.
- 5 not a duplicate113 distinct display names across 113 patterns
- 6c target on the recordseo.headKeyword, confidence and demand present and cross-checked by scripts/validate.py
- 8 page readinessscripts/check-completeness.py --gate — 0 required fields missing, 114 editorial flags, 0 unearned claims.
Not yet checked
- 4 render matches the pattern — no image has been compared against its own prompt, so a render showing a piece the rounds do not make would not be caught here. Nothing has counted how many do.
- 6a recognisability — provenance.recognisability is empty in every pattern, so there is no feature list to check the parts against.
Why it is rated Medium
Medium for the seaming: every ring is a stuffed tube closed onto its own first round, and the four peaks have to step down evenly or the stack reads crooked.
Sell what you make. Anything you crochet from this pattern is yours to sell — any quantity, no fee, no credit required.
00
00What you need before you start
CollapseExpand
What you need before you start
Yarn — five colours, all weight 4
~20 gWorsted (aran) cotton, worked tightly
~15 gWorsted (aran) cotton, worked tightly
~12 gWorsted (aran) cotton, worked tightly
~10 gWorsted (aran) cotton, worked tightly
~15 gWorsted (aran) cotton, worked tightly
Tools
5 you probably own, 1 to buyYou likely have
Tapestry needle
Scissors
Stitch markers
Pins
A chopstick or similar for pushing stuffing into the post
You need to buy
Polyester toy stuffing (~50 g), washable and non-toxic
Optional
Row counter
A stitch marker in a contrast colour for the round start
Gauge and finished size
the last check before you cast onTension
Not critical to the finished size, but critical to the fabric: work tight enough that no stuffing shows between the stitches. A looser hand makes a larger set, which is fine as long as it stays dense.
Finished size
~14 cm tall assembled, largest ring ~10 cm across
Worsted cotton worked tightly is what keeps the stuffing out of sight. A larger hook grows the whole set together and it still stacks, so long as every piece is worked on the same one.
How to make the baby stacking rings, piece by piece
Switching rewrites every round:US6 sc in mrUK6 dc in mrWork a US sc as a UK single crochet and the fabric comes out looser and taller.
1
01The base
A flat disc out to forty-eight, a short straight side, then a dome…18 RNDS
starts in cream· magic ring· Piece 1 of 6
First six rounds[6] [12] [18] [24] [30] [36]
The flat bottom
RND 1–81[6]
2[12]
3[18]
4[24]
5[30]
6[36]
7[42]
8[48]
Turning the corner, then straight
RND 9–119[48]
10[48]
11[48]
Doming in and closing
RND 12–1812[42]
13[36]
14[30]
15[24]
16[18]
17[12]
18[6]
US termsmrmagic ringchchainscsingle crochetincincreasedecdecreasebloback loops onlyst(s)stitch, or stitches
When this piece is doneStuff it firmly while the last rounds are still open, then close the final six stitches and pull the tail through to the inside.
2
02The post
A narrow tube from a magic ring at the top, running straight down for…20 RNDS
starts in mustard· magic ring· Piece 2 of 6
First six rounds[6] [12] [12] [12] [12] [12]
1[6]
2[12]
3[12]
4[12]
5[12]
6[12]
7[12]
8[12]
9[12]
10[12]
11[12]
12[12]
13[12]
14[12]
15[12]
16[12]
17[12]
18[12]
19[12]
20[12]
US termsmrmagic ringchchainscsingle crochetincincreasedecdecreasebloback loops onlyst(s)stitch, or stitches
When this piece is doneStuff it lightly — enough to stand up, loose enough to give when a hand pushes it over.
3
03The large ring
Chain eighteen and join it into a loop, then work eighteen single…12 RNDS
starts in blush· picked up· Piece 3 of 6
First six rounds[18] [24] [30] [36] [42] [48]
Opening out to 48
RND 1–61[18]
2[24]
3[30]
4[36]
5[42]
6[48]
One round across the outside
RND 7–77[48]
Back in to 18
RND 8–128[42]
9[36]
10[30]
11[24]
12[18]
US termsmrmagic ringchchainscsingle crochetincincreasedecdecreasebloback loops onlyst(s)stitch, or stitches
When this piece is doneStuff the tube lightly as you sew round twelve to round one, working around the hole until it closes.
4
04The medium ring
The same eighteen-stitch loop to start, with one increase round…10 RNDS
starts in softSage· picked up· Piece 4 of 6
First six rounds[18] [24] [30] [36] [42] [42]
1[18]
2[24]
3[30]
4[36]
5[42]
6[42]
7[36]
8[30]
9[24]
10[18]
US termsmrmagic ringchchainscsingle crochetincincreasedecdecreasebloback loops onlyst(s)stitch, or stitches
When this piece is doneStuff and seam it the same way, and set it beside the large one to check the step down between them.
5
05The small ring
Three increase rounds this time, out to thirty-six and straight back…8 RNDS
starts in dustyBlue· picked up· Piece 5 of 6
First six rounds[18] [24] [30] [36] [36] [30]
1[18]
2[24]
3[30]
4[36]
5[36]
6[30]
7[24]
8[18]
US termsmrmagic ringchchainscsingle crochetincincreasedecdecreasebloback loops onlyst(s)stitch, or stitches
When this piece is doneIt takes very little stuffing — a pinch at a time, worked along as you seam.
6
06The top ring
The smallest of the four. Two increase rounds to thirty, one straight…6 RNDS
starts in mustard· picked up· Piece 6 of 6
First six rounds[18] [24] [30] [30] [24] [18]
1[18]
2[24]
3[30]
4[30]
5[24]
6[18]
US termsmrmagic ringchchainscsingle crochetincincreasedecdecreasebloback loops onlyst(s)stitch, or stitches
When this piece is doneStack them largest to smallest over the post and look along the edge — the steps should read evenly from bottom to top.
You are here
Ten notes on the baby stacking rings
Read themClose
01An original Crochet Genie design.
02Worked in a continuous spiral throughout — nothing to join at the end of a round, nothing to turn.
03Every piece is plain single crochet. The fabric comes out smooth all over: there is no ribbing, no raised texture, no openwork and no gaps anywhere in it.
04Round 9 of the base is worked in back loops only. It is still 48 single crochet — 48 stitches in and 48 out — the back loops only make a crisp fold where the flat bottom meets the side.
05Each ring begins on a joined chain loop rather than a magic ring: ch 18, join into a ring, then work round 1 into those 18 chains. That is why the rings are marked as starting on existing stitches.
06All four rings start on the same 18-stitch loop, so the holes match and any ring drops over the post. Only the outer round changes: 48, 42, 36 and 30.
07Finish each ring by stuffing the tube lightly and sewing the last round to the first, all the way around the hole.
08Made for a baby: no beads, no safety eyes, no buttons, no glue, no rattle insert, no wire and nothing rigid anywhere inside. Sew every seam closed with the same yarn and weave the ends deep into the stuffing.
09The post is soft on purpose and leans a little when the rings go on. There is no dowel, tube or wire in it, and that is the point.
10Work tightly and stuff firmly — a toy that will be chewed should show no stuffing between its stitches.
Four questions this pattern answers
Not questions anybody asked. Each one is written from this pattern's own record, and every answer is read off the fields it names.
How many pieces make up the baby stacking rings?
How much yarn will the baby stacking rings take?
What hook will the baby stacking rings need, and what is the finished size?
How long will the baby stacking rings take to crochet?
A round that will not add up?
Tell us the piece and the round number — the stepper already knows where you are.There is nowhere to send one yet.
Put the laptop down mid-round
The iPhone app keeps your place — piece of 6, round of — and hands it back where you left it.
