Amigurumi is the Japanese art of making stuffed animals by crocheting or knitting. Crocheted amigurumis are made using single crochet in rounds. This type of single crochet is referred to as the spiral crochet method. Usually each part of the doll, such as the head, hands, legs, body, ears, etc. are crocheted separately and sewn together later to complete construction of the doll. The eyes and nose can be embroidered once all of the other parts are attached, or indicated by fastening beads or buttons in the appropriate places. http://www.crochetme.com/amigurumi-dudei

To follow a crochet amigurumi pattern, one has to know how to make crochet chains, slip stitch and single crochet stitches in the spiral pattern. To read an amigurumi crochet pattern, one must be familiar with the crochet language for patterns, e.g., ch represents chain, sl indicates slip stich and sc stands for single crochet.

One can find many books about amigurumi. While following the pattern, the size of the doll can be varied by both the type and weight of the yarn being used, as well as the size of the crochet hook. The thicker yarns and larger-sized hooks will result in a larger finished product and vice versa.

In addition to the yarn and crochet hooks, one needs a pair of scissors, yarn needle, filling materials, and embroidery needle and thread to complete each step of an amigurumi crochet patterns. Stitch markers will be helpful to mark the end of each round.

The filling material can be purchased bags of poly fill. Some crafters prefer to use plastic pellets, potpourri, rice, or lentils. When using rice or lentils as filling materials, be sure to place them in a bag to prevent the materials from falling through the crochet stitches.

If the doll is going to be given to a small child, the amigurumi should not contain any small pieces that can cause choking. For small children, it would be best to embroider eyes and other facial features instead of using beads. Since children's toys require frequent washing, use washable yarns and filling materials. http://www.fullamigurumi.com/en/?page_id=5http://www.hookandneedles.com/2008/03/22/amigurumi-tutorial-1/