How to Crochet Amigurumi

Amigurumi is the Japanese art of making crocheted or knitted stuffed animals. The crocheted amigurumis are made using single crochet stitches in rounds. The rounds are not joined, instead they are crocheted in spirals.

To make a cute crocheted amigurumi one need to know the crochet basics, like making chain stitches, joining the chains to form a ring by slip stitch. And, of course you need to know how to single crochet too.

Once you master all the basics mentioned above, it will be easy to make crocheted amigurumi. This How to Crochet Amigurumi page has valuable information about making crochet amigurumi. It has been created with the assumption that you know how to increase and decrease in single crochet. The traditional amigurumi has large head on cylindrical body, with cylindrical hands and legs.

To give eyes to your amigurumi, you can use safety eyes or beads. You can alternative create facial features with embroidery. Using pieces of felt cut in appropriate shapes will also fashion a cute face on your finished doll.http://www.onehourcraft.com/?p=146

The crocheting of amigurumi starts with a crocheted ring, or round. A simple doll can be made with only the head and body. Make sure to create the head comparatively larger than the body.

The ring must be small to keep the filling inside as well as to make an aesthetically pleasing doll.

It is easiest to make an adjustable, or amigurumi double ring to begin the pattern. This will help you tighten the loop after the first round of single crochet stitches and prevent the doll having a hole on its head. If you are not comfortable with those methods, then you still can make a small length of crochet and slip stitch to the beginning to make it round.http://crochetme.com/amigurumi-double-ring

Once the beginning round is made, begin single crocheting on the ring, following the pattern.

Begin filling the amigurumi once you are at half way to the head/ body. Overfill the parts. http://crochetme.com/amigurumi-deconstructed

An amigurumi is created in parts and finally joined together. So when you finish each part do not weave in the yarn tail. Leave a long yarn tail so that it will be easy to join the pieces when all the parts are finished. The whip stitch can be used for joining. When you do the joining, all the yarn ends will get hidden inside the doll. http://www.videojug.com/webvideo/how-to-whip-stitch-or-bind-when-crocheting-amigurumi

If you are changing color, be sure to secure the yarn so that it won't come loose. It is better to do a double knot there. Then insert the ends of the yarn inside the amigurumi so that it will not be visible.

Use a yarn needle or tapestry needle to sew the parts together. Then bring the end of the yarn through the other end of the body and pull tightly before creating a knot. The end will be pulled into the body and will not be visible. You can do the same with any embroidery thread you use on the amigurumi,http://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/doublestartknot.htm http://www.hookandneedles.com/2008/03/22/amigurumi-tutorial-1/

The video demonstrates the creation of an amigurumi mouse. The project begins by chaining 3 and joining with a slip stitch to start a round. On round 1, six single crochets are made in the ring. The work continues in a spiral pattern. On round 2, 2 singles crochets are made on each single crochet. Round 3 is one single crochet in each single crochet in the previous round. Round 4 is one single crochet each in next two single crochet, 2 single crochet in the next and repeat this till the end of the round, i.e., 18 single crochets in this round.

Rounds 5 to 11 are comprised of making one single crochet in each of the single crochet. Round 12 is done by making single crochet 2 together in next two single crochets. The single crochets are decreased to 9 in this round. The next round is also a single crochet decrease. Now use a yarn needle and stitch to close it up.

The video also describes how to make the ears and tail of the mouse. Black buttons are used to make eyes in the video.

The face is the important part of an amigurumi. There are many ways to make the face look cute. You can embroidery the eyes and lips using embroidery floss in appropriate color. You can make small marks to the place where you are going to embroider. Make sure you hide the end of the thread inside the amigurumi.

Some dolls will look pretty with buttons or beads for the eyes. Some people will like to use felt pieces cut in appropriate shapes to create a cute face. If you are going to use glue, make sure the glue will not make marks on the doll. Also be careful to choose the fabric glue, which can attach the felt to the head of the amigurumi.

Since buttons and beads can cause chocking hazard, please don't give such amigurumi to small kids for safety reasons. http://www.mahalo.com/crochet-amigurumi-patterns