| | | | |

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

Sharing is caring!

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.

Cricut Cutting Guide – Free PDF
Get my free
Cricut cutting guide

when you join my newsletter.

.

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:

my colour choices from

Loops & Threads Impeccable

  • Red Hot
  • Sunny Day
  • Royal (Blue)
  • Kelly Green
  • Orange Crush
  • Grape Punch

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).


Get the Pattern

An inexpensive, easy-to-follow PDF version of this pattern can be found here.


My Crochet Pattern Shop

My Etsy Shop

My Ravelry Shop

Ring Patterns for the Stacking Ring Toy

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.

stacking ring toy

Ring 1 – Largest Ring

Make 2.

RING 1

Ch 27.  Slst the end to the first ch to make a ring – be careful not to twist.
NOTE:  For one half, leave a long tail to be used to sew the two halves together. For the other half, a small tail is fine.

Round 1 – sc into the same ch that you just did asl st into & sc around (27).

Round 2 – *sc in the next 2 stitches, 2sc*, repeat from * all around (36)

Round 3 – *sc in the next 3 stitches,  2sc*, repeat from * all around

Round 4 – *sc in the next 4 stitches, 2sc* repeat from * all around

Round 5 – *sc in the next 5 stitches, 2sc* repeat from * all around

Round 6 – *sc in the next 6 stitches, 2sc* repeat from * all around

Round 7 – *sc in the next 7 stitches, 2sc* repeat from * all around

Round 8  – sc all around.

Round 9  – sc all around. sl st into the first stitch. Cut yarn – for one half, leave a long enough end to sew it together (about 2 times around, or 2 times the circumference). For the other half, a short tail is fine

Ring 2 – Second largest ring

Make 2.

RING 2

Ch 27.  Slst the end to the first ch to make a ring – be careful not to twist.
NOTE:  For one half, leave a long tail to be used to sew the two halves together. For the other half, a small tail is fine.

Round 1 – sc into the same ch that you just did a slst into & sc around (27).

Round 2 – *sc in the next 2 stitches, 2sc*, repeat from * all around (36)

Round 3 – *sc in the next 3 stitches,  2sc*, repeat from * all around

Round 4 – *sc in the next 4 stitches, 2sc* repeat from * all around

Round 5 – *sc in the next 5 stitches, 2sc* repeat from * all around

Round 6 – *sc in the next 6 stitches, 2sc* repeat from * all around

Round 7  – sc all around.

Round 8  – sc all around. sl st into the first stitch. Cut yarn – for one half, leave a long enough end to sew it together (about 2 times around, or 2 times the circumference). For the other half, a short tail is fine

Now in the shop

Yarn Project Workbook

The Yarn Project Workbook will help you organize, plan and celebrate, your supplies and projects.
Get control of that yarn stash, plan your next project and reflect on your latest project.

Ring 3 – Middle Ring/Medium Sized Ring

Make 2.

RING 3

Ch 27.  Slst the end to the first ch to make a ring – be careful not to twist.
NOTE:  For one half, leave a long tail to be used to sew the two halves together. For the other half, a small tail is fine.

Round 1 – sc into the same ch that you just did a slst into & sc around (27).

Round 2 – *sc in the next 2 stitches, 2sc*, repeat from * all around (36)

Round 3 – *sc in the next 3 stitches,  2sc*, repeat from * all around

Round 4 – *sc in the next 4 stitches, 2sc* repeat from * all around

Round 5 – *sc in the next 5 stitches, 2sc* repeat from * all around

Round 6  – sc all around.

Round 7  – sc all around. sl st into the first stitch. Cut yarn – for one half, leave a long enough end to sew it together (about 2 times around, or 2 times the circumference). For the other half, a short tail is fine

Ring 4 – Second Smallest Ring

Make 2.

RING 4

Ch 27.  Slst the end to the first ch to make a ring – be careful not to twist.
NOTE:  For one half, leave a long tail to be used to sew the two halves together. For the other half, a small tail is fine.

Round 1 – sc into the same ch that you just did a slst into & sc around (27).

Round 2 – *sc in the next 2 stitches, 2sc*, repeat from * all around (36)

Round 3 – *sc in the next 3 stitches,  2sc*, repeat from * all around

Round 4 – *sc in the next 4 stitches, 2sc* repeat from * all around

Round 5  – sc all around.

Round 6  – sc all around. sl st into the first stitch. Cut yarn – for one half, leave a long enough end to sew it together (about 2 times around, or 2 times the circumference). For the other half, a short tail is fine

Ring 5 – Smallest Ring

Make 2.

RING 5

Ch 27.  Slst the end to the first ch to make a ring – be careful not to twist.
NOTE:  For one half, leave a long tail to be used to sew the two halves together. For the other half, a small tail is fine.

Round 1 – sc into the same ch that you just

Round 1 – sc into the same ch that you just did a slst into & sc around (27).

Round 2 – *sc in the next 2 stitches, 2sc*, repeat from * all around (36)

Round 3 – *sc in the next 3 stitches,  2sc*, repeat from * all around

Round 4  – sc all around.

Round 5  – sc all around. sl st into the first stitch. Cut yarn – for one half, leave a long enough end to sew it together (about 2 times around, or 2 times the circumference). For the other half, a short tail is fine

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.

stacking ring toy

So the inside is now attached.

stacking ring toy

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.

CHECK OUT MY POST

How to Crochet a
Stacking Ring Toy
Part 2

This pattern is an original pattern by West Coast Mom, of Too Much Love.  Please do not claim this pattern as your own. If you wish to share this pattern, you may link to this pattern but please do not reprint it on your site. You may keep a copy for your own personal use but please DO NOT sell the pattern or distribute it.

You may sell products made from this pattern but please clearly credit the design to me, West Coast Mom, of Too Much Love, and provide a link to my blog www.toomuchlove.ca    

Permission is NOT granted for mass production or factory manufacturing of any kind. Thank you for being respectful and for your understanding.

Ready to get started?

Find this PDF Pattern and More In My Shop!

Inexpensive PDF Crochet Patterns, as well as my Yarn Project Workbook, can all be found in my shop.

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

FacebooktwitterpinterestFacebooktwitterpinterest

Similar Posts

6 Comments

Tell me what you think.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.