May
Getting Started With Amigurumi
So amigurumi is basically just crocheting stuffed toys in the round, mostly with single crochet stitches. I made my first one back in spring 2022 when I was stuck at home with covid and needed something to do besides watch The Office for the millionth time. It was supposed to be a bear but looked more like a potato with ears.
The main thing you need to know is that amigurumi uses continuous rounds instead of joining each round like you might do with a flat circle. You just spiral around and around, which means you gotta use a stitch marker or you’ll lose track of where your rounds start. I use those little plastic safety pin looking things but honestly a piece of yarn in a different color works fine.
Yarn and Hook Sizes
Most patterns call for worsted weight yarn (that’s the medium thickness stuff) and you want to use a smaller hook than you normally would. Like if the yarn label says 5mm, you’d probably use a 3.5mm or 4mm hook. The whole point is to make your stitches tight enough that the stuffing doesn’t show through. That was super annoying to me at first because my hands would cramp up trying to keep everything so tight, and I kept thinking I was doing it wrong but nope, it’s just supposed to be like that.
I’ve used Red Heart Super Saver a lot because it’s cheap and comes in a million colors. Hobby Lobby’s I Love This Yarn is pretty similar. For nicer projects I like Caron Simply Soft because it’s got a better texture and doesn’t feel as plasticky. Lion Brand also makes good stuff but it costs more.
Basic Techniques You Need
The magic ring is like the foundation of everything. You make a loop with your yarn, crochet stitches into it, then pull it tight so there’s no hole in the middle. There are videos online that show it better than I can explain it in words. Some patterns call it a magic circle or adjustable ring, same thing.
Single crochet is your main stitch. That’s it. Like 90% of amigurumi is just single crochet in various increases and decreases. An increase means you put two single crochets in one stitch. A decrease means you crochet two stitches together to make them into one stitch.
The invisible decrease looks cleaner than a regular decrease. You insert your hook through the front loops only of the next two stitches, then yarn over and pull through both loops, yarn over again and pull through the two loops on your hook. It makes the decrease less visible from the outside of your work.
Reading Patterns
Patterns look confusing at first but they follow a pretty standard format. They’ll say something like “Rnd 1: 6 sc in magic ring [6]” which means round 1 is 6 single crochets in the magic ring and you should have 6 stitches total when you’re done.
Then you’ll see stuff like “Rnd 2: inc around [12]” which means do an increase in every stitch, ending with 12 total stitches. Or “Rnd 3: (sc, inc) x 6 [18]” means single crochet in one stitch, increase in the next stitch, and repeat that pattern 6 times for 18 total stitches.
The number in brackets is always your stitch count for that round. Count your stitches every few rounds or you’ll end up with a lopsided thing. I learned that the hard way making a bunny that had a head that was way too big because I miscounted early on and just kept going.
Common Pattern Abbreviations
sc = single crochet, inc = increase, dec = decrease, st = stitch, ch = chain, sl st = slip stitch, rnd = round, rep = repeat. Most patterns include an abbreviation guide at the beginning but these are pretty universal.
Some patterns use UK terms instead of US terms which is super confusing because a UK double crochet is a US single crochet. Usually the pattern will specify which terms it’s using. If something seems off, that might be why.
Beginner Projects
Start with something round. A ball, an egg shape, whatever. Don’t start with something that has a bunch of tiny pieces like a dragon or a person with fingers. I’m serious, fingers are the worst.
A simple octopus is actually a great beginner project. It’s just a ball for the head and eight rope-like tentacles. You can’t really mess it up that badly and even if the tentacles are different lengths it kinda looks intentional.
Mushrooms are also good starter projects. Round cap, cylindrical stem, done. I made like five of these in summer 2024 when my cat kept knocking them off my shelf and I had to keep remaking them because she’d carry them off somewhere.
Basic geometric shapes teach you the fundamentals. A sphere teaches you how to increase evenly to make it bigger, then decrease evenly to close it up. Once you can make a decent sphere, you can make heads, bodies, all sorts of stuff.
Stuffing Your Work
Use polyester fiberfill, not cotton or anything else. The cheap stuff from craft stores works fine. Don’t overstuff or your stitches will stretch out and look weird. Don’t understuff or it’ll be floppy and sad looking.
Stuff as you go, especially with narrow parts. If you try to stuff a long thin arm after you’ve finished crocheting it, you’re gonna have a bad time. I use the back end of a crochet hook or a chopstick to push stuffing into tight spaces.
For pieces that need to be firm, like if you’re making something that needs to stand up, you can put a wire armature inside or use pipe cleaners. Just make sure the wire won’t poke through the yarn.
Intermediate Skills
Once you’re comfortable with basic shapes, you can start combining them. Bodies with heads, adding arms and legs, that kind of thing. The trick is figuring out where to attach everything so it looks balanced.
I usually assemble pieces with the same yarn I used to crochet them, using a yarn needle. Pin everything in place first with straight pins so you can see how it looks before you commit. I’ve sewn arms on backwards more times than I want to admit because I didn’t pin first.
Safety eyes are those plastic eyes with the washer backs. You push them through your work and snap the washer on the inside. They’re permanent once you attach them, so make sure they’re positioned right before you click that washer on. The general rule is to place them on rounds 10-12 of the head, about 6-8 stitches apart, but it depends on the size.
Color Changes
When you need to change colors, you do it on the last yarn over of the stitch before the new color starts. So you’d insert your hook, yarn over with the old color and pull through, then yarn over with the new color and pull through both loops. The new color becomes your working yarn.
For stripes, you can carry the unused color up the inside of your work. For color changes that only happen once, cut the old color leaving a tail to weave in later.
Weaving in ends is tedious but important. I use a yarn needle and weave the tail through several stitches on the inside, then double back through different stitches. Cut close to the work but not so close that it’ll come undone.
Advanced Techniques
Surface crochet lets you add details on top of finished work. You hold your yarn on the inside, poke your hook through from the outside, grab the yarn, pull through, then poke through the next spot and pull up another loop and through the loop on your hook. It’s good for adding stripes or patterns after the fact.
Working in the back loops or front loops only creates a ridge. If you crochet through just the back loop of each stitch, it leaves the front loop sticking out as a horizontal line. This is good for making ribbing or texture changes.
Bobble stitches and popcorn stitches add texture. A bobble is usually 5 double crochets worked in the same stitch but not finished, then you yarn over and pull through all the loops at once. They stick out and look bumpy, which is good for things like sheep wool or flower centers.
Following Complex Patterns
Advanced patterns might have you working multiple pieces simultaneously, or working into previous rounds to create layered effects. Roses and flowers often do this where you work petals into the center piece.
Some patterns use thread crochet or very fine yarn with tiny hooks. This is like… way more tedious but the results can be really detailed. I made a tiny octopus once with size 10 thread and a 1.5mm hook and it took forever but it was cute enough that it was almost worth the eye strain.
Amigurumi dolls with poseable limbs usually have wire inside. You can use floral wire or pipe cleaners, but make sure they’re fully covered with stuffing and yarn so they don’t poke through. The wire needs to be long enough to anchor into the body.
Troubleshooting Common Problems
If your circles are warping or ruffling, you’re increasing too much. If they’re cupping or turning into bowls, you’re not increasing enough. The standard increase pattern for circles is round 1: 6 stitches, round 2: 12 stitches, round 3: 18 stitches, increasing by 6 each round.
Gaps between stitches usually mean your tension is too loose or your hook is too big. Go down a hook size and try to keep your stitches tighter.
Lumpy uneven surfaces happen when your tension isn’t consistent. This gets better with practice honestly, there’s no quick fix except making more stuff until your hands figure it out.
If pieces won’t stay attached, you’re probably not sewing them securely enough. I go around each attachment point at least twice, and I make sure I’m going through both the piece and the body, not just catching surface stitches.
Tension Issues
Everyone’s tension is different. Some people crochet tight, some loose. That’s why the same pattern can turn out different sizes for different people even using the same yarn and hook.
If you’re between hook sizes, try both and see which gives you better fabric. You want it tight enough that stuffing doesn’t show, but not so tight that your work is stiff and hard to shape.
Taking breaks helps with tension consistency. If you crochet for hours, your hands get tired and your tension changes. I usually work on something for 30-40 minutes then do something else for a bit.
Pattern Resources and Finding Designs
Ravelry has thousands of free amigurumi patterns. You can filter by difficulty level, which is helpful when you’re starting out. Some patterns are better written than others though, so check the comments to see if people had issues.
Etsy has paid patterns that are usually more detailed and better tested. They range from like $2 to $8 usually. The advantage is they often include step-by-step photos and more thorough instructions.
YouTube has video tutorials for specific techniques and full patterns. I find videos helpful when I’m learning a new technique, but I prefer written patterns for actually making things because I can work at my own pace.
Modifying Patterns
Once you understand the basics, you can modify patterns pretty easily. Want a bigger head? Add more increase rounds. Want longer arms? Add more rounds of even single crochet in the middle section before you start decreasing.
You can mix and match parts from different patterns. Use the body from one pattern, the head from another, whatever. Just try to use similar yarn weights so everything’s proportional.
Changing colors is the easiest modification. Most patterns work with any color scheme. I’ve made the same cat pattern in like ten different color combinations.
Tools Beyond the Basics
A yarn bowl or bag keeps your yarn from rolling around. Not necessary but nice to have.
Stitch markers are essential. Get the locking kind, not the ring kind that slip off.
A yarn needle with a bent tip makes sewing pieces together easier. The bent tip helps you get under stitches at weird angles.
Small scissors are better than big ones for cutting yarn close to your work.
Pins for positioning pieces before sewing. Regular straight pins work fine.
A row counter can help track rounds, but I usually just use a piece of paper and make tally marks. Whatever works.
Workspace Setup
Good lighting matters more than you’d think. I have a desk lamp that I angle toward my work because overhead lighting creates shadows that make it hard to see your stitches.
Keep your current project in a bag or basket so pieces don’t get lost. I have a cat who steals safety eyes if I leave them out, so everything goes in a zippered bag when I’m not working on it.
Pattern printouts or your phone/tablet for digital patterns. I mark off rounds as I complete them so I don’t lose my place.
That’s pretty much it for the core stuff you need to know. The rest is just practice and making things until you figure out your own preferences for yarn brands, hook sizes, and techniques that work for you.
