Amigurumi Basics: An Introductory Guide (Includes Pattern)

[Laialda]

While not as popular as cross-stitching, the use of crochet to make video game or fandom related items has been growing in popularity over the last two years or so. A quick internet or etsy search will present you with many examples of the growing diversity and creativity of the crafters out there. Now, if seeing these things inspires you with a drive to give it your own try then you’ve come to the right place!

As with any new hobby though, you’ll want to have a firm grasp of the basics before leaping straight into things. So, before we start talking about how to crochet your own adorable little plushies, I have one important question for you.

Do you have any experience crocheting?

If you do, great, you’re already ahead of the game! Even if that first scarf you tried to make seemed to magically grow and shrink in width, that’s okay. This at least means you’re familiar with some of the basic things like how to hold your crochet hook, and some basic terminology.

If this is your first attempt to crochet, that’s fine too! It’s a rewarding hobby that lets you make anything from gloves and dresses, to cute little stuffed dolls and you’re never too old or set in your ways to learn a new skill.

Now, you could fall into a third group with this question where not only are familiar with crochet, you excel at it and are just looking to learn a new venue to expand in. It’s good to have you on board as well, and I only ask that you give the following a read thru to make sure you are familiar with all the techniques and skills required to make crochet plushies (also known as Amigurumi).
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Getting Started: The Basics of Crochet

Similar to knitting, crocheting is a type of weaving where a single needle (crochet hook) is used to turn spun yarn into things such as clothing and blankets. Varying the needle size or thickness of the yarn being the main two factors into how large your piece will become. The easiest way to see an example of this difference is to compare something like a sock, to an afghan. The sock has a tight weave to help keep your foot covered, while using a thin yarn so as to allow your foot to still fit in your shoe. Where as the afghan is often made with thick yarn and has a much looser weave; both qualities allowing for air to be trapped in for warmth while also giving the blanket a soft over sized feel to it.

Since the overall goal of this guide will have us making things with a tight weave, I recommend making sure you have a size G-6 (4.25mm) or smaller. Personally, I prefer the size E-4 (3.5mm). The only hooks I will not recommend are the ones with the interchangeable head sizes as I don’t trust them, but other then that just pick crochet hooks made from whatever material you or your budget feel more comfortable with using.

Now that you have a hook, let’s get some yarn! While I can’t speak for how it is in countries outside of the US, most yarn makers in the states use the same weight system for how to measure their yarn thickness; with numbers ranging from 1 (Super Fine) up to 6 (Super Bulky). Super Fine yarn is commonly used for things like socks and babies, and Super Bulky for Blankets and Afghans.

For making Amigurumi, we want to use something about middle of the road weight/thickness wise so I recommend using yarn with a weight of 4 (Medium). This type of yarn is commonly called worsted weight and is one of the more commonly available thicknesses that you’ll find in the store. Some fairly popular brands that I often use that carry yarn in this weight are Red Heart, Loops & Threads, Vanna’s Choice, and Lion Brand - but don’t feel you have to limit yourself to them. If the yarn is the right weight and has a nice feel to it, feel free to use that one instead.

Okay, so we’ve got our yarn and our crochet hook, we’re ready to start some practice squares. Why practice squares and what are they?


(Image from knit-a-square.com)

Well, they’re just what they sound like. Little squares that you’ve made to practice a certain crochet weaving technique – referred to as a stitch – and to make sure you are keeping a consistent tension with your work so that your work comes out nice and even looking. Admittedly, tension can be fudged somewhat when making Amigurumi as you can adjust the size elsewhere to compensate, but that can get you into advanced techniques so it’s best just to make sure your work is nice and consistent from the start.

So to start our squares, we’re going to make a slip knot. Your slip knot can be made over your hook or separately and then putting the hook through the loop after. I prefer to do the former, but to each their own. The end result is to have your crochet hook through the loop of your slip knot.

Image of a slip knot being made over the hook.

Image of making a slip knot separately.

The beginning of 90% of all crochet patterns start with making a base chain that you build all of your rows on top of. Since many people out there have relayed how to do this much better than I, I instead refer you to the follow few sites and videos for how to get started with making your chain.
Lion Brand Yarn Learning Center, The Knit Witch on Youtube, Crochet for Dummies (Has images from a left handed perspective, but does not show how to hold the yarn)

Once you've practice making that chain a few times and become familiar with it, I think 15 is a good number for a practice square so you'll want to chain (ch) 16. That's not a typo, you do want to go one more. This is because that first chain will count as a stitch, and also serves to bring you up to the proper height. Now it's time to start our first row of stitches. The most common stitch used in Amigurumi making is the single crochet (sc) so that's what I want you to become familiar with first. Just like above with how to make a chain, here are some quick links on how to make a single crochet.
Lion Brand Yarn Learning Center, Expert Village on Youtube, Crochet for Dummies (again, picked for the use of left handed images)

When you reach the end of your row, just chain (ch) once and flip your piece over to magically have your row going the right way again! For your practice square, I want you to just make several rows (Approx. 12-18 depending on the thickness of the yarn you chose) of just single crochet (sc). Make sure you count as you do each stitch to make sure you're not skipping over (dropping) and of them or adding any on accident. Continue doing this until you feel comfortable with the stitch.

As you're working on these, you'll also notice that factor of tension I mentioned before popping up. The best tension is one where your hook can slide easily into the loop of your stitch and your hands are not tense. This is something that just comes with practice practice practice, but will certainly save you from cursing at your work later when that last row was done so tightly that you now have to fight the yarn just to push that stupid piece of metal through

Why yes, yes I do speak from experience on this, how ever did you know?

Make as many squares or rows as you need until you can get a decent consistency with your stitches. If you want to save your yarn and use it for an actual finished project, just pull on the string still connected to your ball of yarn and you sill slowly pull out all of your hard earned work. If you want to keep what you've done as a reminder of what things should look like, make sure you're at the end of a row and cut your string off from the main ball, leaving a few inches of yarn (tail) left over to pull all the way through that last loop on you hook.
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Abbreviations and Reading Patterns

As with almost any hobby/craft, there are abbreviations used to keep patterns or instructions from becoming bogged down with too many words and therefore hard to read. I started by slowly introducing them in parenthesis in the above section, but here is a quick list of the commonly used abbreviations found in Amigurumi patterns:

sts - stitches
ch - chain
sc - single crochet
slst - slip stitch
dc - double crochet
hdc - half double crochet
tog - together
inc - increase (an increase of one stitch is always assumed unless otherwise stated)
# sc in next sc - Another way of saying increase where the number of stitches is specified
dec - decrease (a decrease of one is always assumed unless otherwise stated)
sc#tog - another way of saying decrease where the number of stitches is specified
rep - repeat
Row# - The number of the row you are currently working on
Rnd# - The number of the round you are currently (used instead of Row when you're working in a circle)

Knowing that those are the abbreviations, see if you can read the lines of instructions here:

Row 1: Sl st in 2nd ch from hook, hdc in next ch, *sl st in next ch, hdc in next ch; rep from * across – 34 sts at end of this row.
Highlight to show answer: Slip stitch in 2nd chain from the hook, half double crochet in next chain,* slip stitch in next chain, half double crochet in next chain; repeat from * for the rest of the row - You should have 34 stitches at the end of this row

Rnd 3: *2 sc in next sc, sc in next sc; rep from * around - 18 sc total at the end of this rnd.
Highlight to show answer:* 2 single crochet in the next single crochet; repeat this instruction from the * for the rest of the round - You should have 18 single crochet stitches at the end of the round

Reading patterns can take some getting used to so don't feel bad if you need to re-write the pattern with all the abbreviations fleshed out until you can get used to reading them. It can also help some people to use a plastic marker so that they can easily see where the end of a row or round is, and also so that they don't have to count as they work/finish a row or round.

[Laialda]

Amigurumi Basics

Alright, so you've read all the above and now have a basic familiarity with crocheting, so lets talk about making Amigurumi!

The word it's self is Japanese in origin and literally means crochet/knitted stuffed toy. It's also one of the few branches of crochet projects that serve no real end goal besides looking cute...though I have thought about making little web comics/stories by taking pictures of mine.

The Magic Circle
Now, most amigurumi are made from one continuous piece, switching colors to differentiate between heads/bodies as they go (More on changing colors below). Typically used in combination with that is the technique of making pieces of the person/creature you are creating and then sewing them together. Either method you chose, the amigurumi maker's best friend is the magic circle. This is a starting technique that allows you to work continuously in rounds instead of having to join each row together, giving the piece a much better seamless quality. It can be a bit tricky to get started if you've never done one before, but it is well worth it in the end.

You begin the magic circle by making a loop with your yarn. Then, using your hook, pull through a loop of yarn (making sure you've grabbed the correct strand running from the ball (source yarn) and not the tail end). With the new loop fully pulled through your original loop (very much resembling a slip knot), grab the source yarn once more and pull it through as if you were making a chain stitch; making sure to pull it so that it is secure in the end to help keep your original loop from coming apart. Now with this circle, you are going to single crochet around it, making sure to work over both the tail yarn and source yarn. You do this by inserting your hook through the center of the circle, grabbing the source yarn, pulling it through to the front, grabbing a loop of source yarn from over the top of the circle, and then pulling it through the loop on your hook.

In case my typing that out made little to no sense (no offense taken) here is a youtube video that illustrates the technique nicely.

Now I'm sure you're wondering what exactly makes this circle so magic. Well, that's simple. Unlike the other method of working in the round where you start by doing many stitches in one starter chain, this technique eliminates any holes at your base; which unless you want the stuffing to show/come out of your doll, is something you don't want. To close up your starting hole is incredibly easy. Remember how I said it resembles a slip knot? All you have to do is pull the tail yarn and, using it's slip knot starting point, the circle should easily and securely close up. Leaving you with a nice round circle of yarn.

From here, you will increase your stitches as the patterns see fit to make anything from circles and ovals, to limbs and ears!
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Changing Colors

As mentioned above, changing colors in the middle of a piece is an important part of making amigurumi. While it is most often used when changing from the head to the body of a larger doll, it can also be used to add details such as stripes and dots without having to sew additional layers onto your doll. While it may seem odd or not very secure, the method of changing colors is actually very simple.

When you're ready to change to your new color, work your last stitch until there are only 2 loops left on your hook. Leaving a good length for the tail, cut off that current color from the source yarn. Then, draw up a loop of the new color through the 2 loops on your hook, continuing on for as long as you/your pattern indicates. That's it! As I said, it might not seem very secure at first but as you work on, you'll find it fits rather seamlessly in with all your other stitches. The only thing you'll need to do at then end when using this technique is to use a large yarn needle and sew in the ends of each color on the inside or 'wrong' part of your amigurumi.
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Recommended Supply List

While everyone eventually finds what works best for them with any given craft, years of crocheting and now making amigurumi have shown me that the following items are the minimum of what I need. Feel free to add to it as you see fit.

Metal Crochet Hooks - I like these over the plastic ones due to their weight, but again, this is different for everyone. I know a fellow crafter who only uses the ones made from carved wood. As mentioned before, I like the size E-4 (3.5mm) hook for my amigurumi work, but if you end up loving the craft, you'll no doubt find yourself wanting a range a sizes to meet your needs. So for amigurumi making I recommend having sizes E through G (3.5mm - 4.25mm) to get you started. If you want to make hair for your dolls for tiny accessories, then you'll eventually want to get a B-1 (2.25mm). Each hook ranges in price depending on material it's made from, with the plastic and metal ones running about $1-3 per hook and the wooden ones somewhere around $10-15.

A zip closure Crochet Hook Case - Often times you'll find this bundled with a set of metal hooks for about $20 and I honestly think it's a great investment if you're just getting started. It has little sections to hold your hooks and a few yarn needles, while also having enough space to toss in a tiny pair of embroidery scissors. I consider mine the crochet version of a sewing kit. If that is out of your price range at the moment, a zip closure pencil case will due the job alright as well.

Yarn Needles - Typically found with the embroidery needles, these needles are about 2-3 times the length and several times the width of their tiny cousins. I stayed away for the longest time thinking I could get by with out them. Don't be silly like me. Seriously. These are worth every penny for the time and energy they save when it comes to finishing your work or sewing sections of your doll together. They run about $3-5 for a pack of 3 I think.

Yarn markers - I have a link to them in the basics of crochet section and these little pieces of plastic are quite helpful if you are working on a large or complex piece. More often then not I use them to mark when my rows start and stop, but they are also helpful to note decreases and increases as well.

Tote Bag - Yes, even if you don't plan on doing your crafting anywhere outside the home, you'll want one of these. It keeps your work in progress in one easy to locate place while also keeping your yarn from rolling all around the floor. I prefer one that is taller than it is wide (think paper grocery bag) that is easy to wash. My current bag I got for free by using my Nintendo points, but you can find them just about anywhere ranging from as low as $1 up to $25.

Small Sewing Kit - Because I don't always want to attach my dolls together with big bulky yarn, I like to keep an assortment of sewing thread and needles in my tote bag. You can find a small container with something like 16 colors of yarn for only $2-3 at most places that sell sewing supplies like Jo-Anns.

Embroidery Scissors - This is going to be one of the more expensive items as I really recommend you buy a good pair. They are nice and sharp, and fit nicely inside most zip pouches so they travel easily. I use a nice swinger pair that I got as a gift many years ago and I love them. If you don't mind having a large pair that just stays in your tote then go ahead with a big pair. In either event, wait for a sale or whatever you need to do to justify buying a nice $15-20 pair of scissors. Every now and then in an emergency I use whatever I can find, but they always make me frustrated.

Sewing Pins - While I don't use them often, they are nice to have on hand if you're making say, a Mario mushroom, and you want to see how the placement of your dots looks. I box of about 75 pins will only run you about $2-3.

Poly-fill Stuffing and Poly-bead Filling - I'm listing them together as they both serve the same purpose of stuff your finished item. The Poly-beads are often used to just add weight to your piece. These are the same things you'd find inside of a Beanie Baby should you ever rip one open. A 1lb. bag typically runs about $8. The Poly-fil is best for your large plushies and is very inexpensive at only $3 for a large 12oz bag.

Yarn - You can make fun of me all you want but sometimes you have to include to obvious. Like I mention in the beginning crochet post, the yarn you'll want to use is weight 4 (medium) worsted weight. I can hold about 6-8 full bundles (skeins) in my tote...but I pack it crazy full. The cheapest I've seen yarn is $1 for extremely course, cheap quality acrylic that was only about 1.5oz. The cheapest quality yarn I will use is Red Heart and even that feels like satin compared to the horrible $1 kind. It's just under $3 for about 8oz of yarn and believe me, that will last you quite a ways.

Speaking of yarn....
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Gauging Your Yarn Usage

The simple truth of the matter is, 90% of the time you will have more yarn then you know what to do with. My stock currently fills a 20 gallon bin to bursting. One skein of flesh tone yarn that I use primarily for making the heads of my dolls will make me something like 50-60 heads. Even the soft smokey yarn I use to make my soot sprites - which is sold in 1.5oz skeins - makes me 6.5 of these little guys, and they're only slightly smaller than my fist.


So if you're trying to buy only the amount of yarn you will need for your one project, then you'll have to venture online to find someone who will sell yarn to you in whatever size skein you need. This will most likely be very expensive and since I'm always designing new dolls, I prefer to have the leftovers.

The only time you really need to worry about not having enough yarn is if you are planning on making a large amigurumi. Take my companion cube for example. Each cube uses about 3oz of dark grey and 2oz of light grey, and ends up being about 6" tall. Typically a single 8oz skein of yarn will be more than enough to be the primary color of any 18" or smaller amigurumi that you are making, unless it's also very wide. It's always best to err on the side of caution and buy too much then not enough as next time you go in, the yarn could very well be from another dye batch and not match up exactly. You can always return what you don't use...though I admittedly can not speak for internet shopping as I like to see my colors in person.

If you have to shop via the internet for your yarn and really need a rule of thumb to go by, you'll do best by figuring out the dimensions of your finished product first - something that should be listed on any pre-made pattern. Once you do, try your best to figure out the surface area. 8oz of medium weight yarn will cover 12" cubed space. If your amigurumi/plush looks to be bigger then order an additional skein.

Now let's say the problem is that you really just don't have the budget to buy all the colors for that piranha plant in a pot you were wanting to make. What do you do? Well, if you know anyone who already knits or crochets you might be able to just get some yarn off of them since you'd only need an ounce or two of each color. Searching on ebay or other online buying sites could allow you to get people selling their leftover stock for a discount as well. Other then that you can try searching online for any stores selling remnant yarn bundles, or maybe 2oz bundles of a color assortment. I've seen a few, but you do take a gamble with buying remnant bundles as you don't know what or how much of any color you'll get. Kind of like those grab bags your mother always warned you against buying... You could also just wait until your local craft/yarn store is having a sale and stock up then. That's typically what I do, and places like Jo-Anns, Michaels, and Hooby Lobby frequently rotate what yarns they have on sale weekly.

[Laialda]

Beginner Amigurumi Pattern

Alright, if you've made it this far then you feel at least somewhat comfortable holding and working with your crochet hook and are confident enough in how the tension in all of your practice pieces turned out. Pat your self on the back fellow crafter, it's time to make your first Amigurumi plush!

Yoshi Egg Plush.JPG (27.4 KiB) Viewed 46492 times

-Yoshi Egg
Materials Needed:
Size Hook: E, 4.0 (3.5mm)
Yarn: White and Grass Green in medium weight
Poly-fil fluff for stuffing

Optional:
Stitch Marker
Sewing Pins

*All stitches should be worked in the back loops only for this project.

Egg Shell
Rnd 1: Make Magic Circle with 6 sc (6)
Rnd 2: Inc. with 2 sc in each sc (12)
Rnd 3: *Inc, sc; repeat from* around (18)
Rnd 4: *Inc, 2sc; repeat from* around (24)
Rnd 5: *Inc, 3sc; repeat from* around (30)
Rnd 6: *Inc, 4sc; repeat from* around (36)
Rnd 7: *Inc, 5sc; repeat from* around (42)
Rnd 8: *Inc, 6sc; repeat from* around (48)
Rnd 9-13: Sc in each sc (48)
Rnd 14: *Dec, 6sc; repeat from* around (42)
Rnd 15-16: Sc in each sc (42)
Rnd 17: *Dec, 5sc; repeat from* around (36)
Rnd 18: Sc in each sc (36)
Rnd 19: *Dec, 4sc; repeat from* around (30)
Rnd 20: Sc in each sc (30)
Rnd 21: *Dec, 3sc; repeat from* around (24)
Rnd 22: Sc in each sc (24)
Rnd 23: *Dec, 2sc; repeat from* around (18)
Rnd 24: Sc in each sc (18)

Stop work to stuff egg, making sure to pack enough poly-fill in so the form is solid. Be careful not to overpack and make the poly-fil visible between your stitches.

Rnd 25: *Dec, 1sc; repeat from* around (12)
Rnd 26: Dec around (6)

Cut yarn from source, making sure to leave at least an 6” tail. Thread tail through yarn needle and sew egg closed; looping through the back row of each sc. Pull tightly to close. Knot yarn and sew end inside to hide remaining tail.

Spots (Make 6)
Rnd 1: Make Magic Circle with 6 sc (6)
Rnd 2: Inc. with 2 sc in each sc (12)
Rnd 3: *Inc, sc; repeat from* around (18)
Rnd 4: *Inc, 2sc; repeat from* around (24)
Finish off spot with a sltp, leaving a 8-12” tail for sewing

Arrange spots evenly around the already finished egg (using sewing pins to keep in place if desired), with the right side showing; there should be no ‘line’ spiraling toward the center. When sewing the circles on to the egg, make sure to use the back loops. Going down into the egg through one and up through another. Finish the tail off by sewing it through the egg/spot and cutting off the excess.

(The above pattern was made exclusively for the Sprite Stitch forum tutorial and is not allowed to be re-posted/used elsewhere. Thank you.)
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Additional questions? Comments? Concerns? Please comment below and let me know.

[evilcarrot]

I'd like to add that a good resource for free yarn is joining your local Freecycle group. That's also a good place for fabric scraps if you're a quilter/sewer. Also, if you end up with more yarn than you know what to do with, as I always do, that as-seen-on-tv "Shoes Under" thing is a GREAT way to store it all. It'll run you $10, has compartments so you can sort your yarn, and it slides under the bed and keeps dust out of it. I don't remember where I heard that idea, but I ran out and bought three of them and now my only complaint is that I've run out of under-the-bed space for more!

And can your companion cube pattern be found anywhere? I would LOVE to make my husband one for Valentines Day!!

[Laialda]

@evilcarrot - I prefer the one large over lots of small ones, but that is a great suggestion to help save some space. I've also never heard of freecycle but that sounds like a great place for anyone looking to get some small bits of yarn to get started with.

As for my Companion Cube, I do plan on making the pattern available for sale on my etsy site since it's so well received, but I can't say for sure I'll have it up before Valentine's. It all just depends on how much free time I have over the next few days really. Working on making this Yoshi Egg pattern at the moment and I'm only half way done with my commissions from Magfest So yeah...I'll try, but I can't say for sure right now. Want me to send you a note if I do?

[no_need]

I hope it's ok to post this question here - sorry if I'm in the wrong place

I recently decided to learn how to crochet purely so I could make amigurumi dolls, because some of the things people on this site have made are ridiculously cool and I must have them! I think I'm getting along pretty well, except for one thing - I find that holding the hook really hurts my thumb after a little while! It feels similar to, for instance, first playing a guitar and having the tips of the fingers on your fretting hand get sore from contact with the strings. Am I doing something wrong, or do I just need to stick it out and build up a bit of resistance to the hook?

Thanks for any help!

[Ally]

I just started too, and I'm having the same problem! I think it's something you have to get used to. I just want to know how to count! I keep losing count!

[Laialda]

I hope it's ok to post this question here - sorry if I'm in the wrong place

I recently decided to learn how to crochet purely so I could make amigurumi dolls, because some of the things people on this site have made are ridiculously cool and I must have them! I think I'm getting along pretty well, except for one thing - I find that holding the hook really hurts my thumb after a little while! It feels similar to, for instance, first playing a guitar and having the tips of the fingers on your fretting hand get sore from contact with the strings. Am I doing something wrong, or do I just need to stick it out and build up a bit of resistance to the hook?

Thanks for any help!

So sorry I'm only just now getting back to you. I just started my new job this week and I haven't had time to be online. *begs forgiveness*

So, to answer your question it could be one of two things. Depending on how long it takes for your thumb to start hurting, the pain is either from your tension or, as you sort of guessed, muscle strain.
-If your thumb starts to bother you a few minutes into crocheting (less than 20) then most likely your tension is too tight and putting too much strain on your wrist/thumb. This can happen quite often for first time crocheters and it just means you need to loosen up your stitching as the hook should be able o move through the loops with minimal resistance.
-If, however, the pain is starting after a longer stretch of crocheting (an hour or more), then you're correcting in guessing it's muscle strain. As you crochet more and start to build up the muscles in your hand you'll be able to go for longer periods of time, but I recommend taking short breaks every 1-2 hours to help keep strain on those muscles to a minimum.

I just started too, and I'm having the same problem! I think it's something you have to get used to. I just want to know how to count! I keep losing count!

Where do find you have the most problems with keeping count? During increase/decrease? When you're finishing rows? Are you losing/gaining stitches?
Have you tried using stitch markers? It can really help when you're learning (or even working on a complex piece) to help aide you in keeping track of the pattern.

[Ally]

I think it's just that I'm concentrating too hard on my technique! Although I do find it's worse when I'm trying to increase. I was trying to make a Mario mushroom, after increasing I was meant to have 60 sts, and for some reason I had 48! I was so sure I had been counting right too!

[no_need]

Thanks Laialda! Sounds like I just need to stick with it

Good luck with your new job!