Hold the yarn in your hand as if to crochet normally, but take the yarn tail and wrap it around your forefinger so that it crosses over the yarn coming from the ball.

Hold the tail and loop on your finger firmly, insert your hook under the loop, pick up the yarn coming from the ball and pull through the loop on your finger.

To secure the loop in place, make a chain and then carefully slip the loop off of your finger. You can now work the stitches of the first round of your pattern into this loop. (Remember you have already made the first stitch of the starting chain.)

Once all the stitches of the first round have been worked into the loop, take the yarn tail and pull on it firmly until the centre is as small as you like, or has disappeared completely. You can then make a slip stitch into the starting chain to close the round.