How to Crochet a Stacking Ring Toy | Part 1 (Free Pattern)

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I got a request to crochet a stacking ring toy. Actually, it was for 8 sets, to be used as wedding favours for some special little guests.

I remember years ago when my children were toddlers, they had the Fisher-Price stacking ring toy that was made out of plastic. A crocheted version is nice as it is easy for little hands to grip and doesn’t hurt or damage anything if thrown or banged against something.

The stacking ring toy consists of 5 rings of differing sizes and a stand, in which they go on. The stand consists of a pole and a base.

As this is quite a detailed description of the construction, I’ve divided it into 2 separate posts. This is the first which talks about the construction and design of the rings, as well as the patterns.  A separate post will discuss the stand that the rings go on. You can find that pattern here.

I wanted to use bright, fun colours for the stacking ring toy. Loops & Threads Impeccable yarn comes in a variety of bright colours for this project.  This yarn is a category 4 yarn in terms of weight and is made of acrylic.  This yarn is easily found at Michaels. I wanted the toy to be machine washable, as I consider that to be one of the top criteria when it comes to baby things.

You can certainly substitute any other comparable yarn for this project. There are many other brands out there.  A lighter weight yarn will result in a smaller final product and a thicker or bulkier yarn will result in a larger final product.  My final product was 8 inches tall.

The yarns I chose for the rings are so bright and cheery.  You only need 5 colours as there are 5 rings, but since I was making multiple items, I wanted to use up all the bright colours that I had. This is what I used:

Upon scouring the internet for a pattern, I came upon one in which the rings were constructed from the centre out – gradually increasing until the desired diameter was met and then gradually decreasing.  For my first test, I didn’t really like how it came out. I find that when decreasing (sc tog), it leaves gaps in the item and this needed to be dense in terms of coverage. You could see the stuffing peeking through. I took out some of the stuffing (to see if I had overstuffed it) but it still stretched out and you could see the stuffing. I wanted the rings to be firm and substantial enough to withstand a lot of play.

So I needed a new pattern.  I recalled a crocheted doughnut pattern that I had made a while back. This pattern consisted of two parts (both the same), that were sewn together both on the inside, as well as the outside circumference. The pattern begins on the inside and gradually increases.  The sc inc stitch creates dense coverage and so there is no worry of having the stuffing peek through.

I also sized down to a 4mm hook – since I was doing so many of these sets, I wanted a big enough hook so that it worked up easily and quickly. I typically use a 3.5mm or smaller when it comes to making amigurumi – which results in a nice, tight exterior, but I didn’t want to spend forever making these since I had to make so many and I was on a time frame.

I consider myself to be somewhat of a loose crocheter and the 4mm worked well in that I did not have any stuffing peeking through.  If, as you make these, you find that the stuffing peeks through, you may wish to consider sizing down to a 3.5mm hook. You could go up a size in hooks if you feel more comfortable with that – just make sure the holes in between the stitches aren’t too big. Whatever hook size you use, just make sure it is the SAME size hook for ALL the rings – otherwise, they’ll be out of proportion and it won’t look right.

The concept of the pattern is repeated for each size of ring – you simply don’t do as many rows so that it is smaller.

EDITED TO ADD:  I just added an inexpensive, easy-to-follow, complete PDF version of this pattern in My Crochet Pattern Shop, my Etsy store (found here) and on Ravelry (found here).

Ring Patterns for the Stacking Ring Toy

These patterns start with the largest ring (Ring 1) and slowly get smaller until you reach the smallest ring (Ring 5). Together, with a base, this creates the stacking ring toy.

These are worked in rounds – I use a stitch marker to mark the beginning of each round so that I can keep track.

For each ring, you will make 2 halves.

Ring 1 – Largest Ring

Make 2.

Ring 2 – Second largest ring

Make 2.

Ring 3 – Middle Ring/Medium Sized Ring

Make 2.

Ring 4 – Second Smallest Ring

Make 2.

Ring 5 – Smallest Ring

Make 2.

Assembling the Rings

Lay one half on top of the other – wrong sides together.

With the long yarn end, sew the two pieces together around the interior circle. Thread your yarn end to the inside to hide it.

So the inside is now attached.

With the long yarn end, sew the two pieces together around the outside/exterior circle. Stuff as you go along – I usually get a quarter of it sewn, then I stuff. Then I sew another quarter and then stuff, and so on. Be careful not to overstuff – it doesn’t look good when you can see the stuffing poking through in between the stitches. Weave in the end.

It is best to complete all 5 rings prior to making the base.

As mentioned, the second part of this pattern is the pattern for the base that the rings sit on. You can find that post here.

Want to remember how to crochet this stacking ring toy? Be sure to save this to your favourite Pinterest board.