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Amigurumi for beginners: how crochet toys are made
Amigurumi are small crocheted toys made in single crochet, worked in a continuous spiral from a magic ring. You increase to grow a round piece, decrease to close it, stuff it firmly and sew the parts together. Use a hook a little smaller than the yarn label suggests so the stuffing does not show.
Step by step
- Start with a magic ring: Work 6 single crochet into a magic ring and pull it closed.
- Work in a spiral: Do not join the rounds. Put a stitch marker in the first stitch of each round and move it up as you go.
- Increase to grow: Work 2 sc in the same stitch to increase. Spreading the increases evenly (for example 6 per round) makes a flat circle that becomes a ball.
- Decrease to close: Use the invisible decrease: insert the hook through the front loops of the next 2 stitches, yarn over, pull through both front loops, then finish like a single crochet.
- Stuff and sew: Stuff firmly with fiberfill before the opening gets small. Sew the parts on with the yarn tails and a yarn needle.
Questions
Are safety eyes safe for babies?
For toys for children under 3, embroider the eyes with yarn instead of using safety eyes or buttons.
Why do I see gaps between my stitches?
Use a smaller hook than the yarn label suggests, and keep your tension even.
Learn it on video, step by step. CrochetStep shows every step with a photo and the exact moment in the lesson. 7 days free, then $9.99/month.