How to crochet amigurumi for beginners
I have been asked a lot this question lately, how to crochet amigurumi for a complete beginner? How to start an amigurumi? What is an ultimate finishing off in amigurumi? How to stop an amigurumi?
Well, let’s go through these questions one by one, and most important, at the end of this article, you will be able to make your first amigurumi successfully! How to crochet amigurumi for beginners?
If you know some basic crochet stitches, you are already ahead! Amigurumi use mostly the single crochet, which is the most basic stitch you have in crochet!
You start the amigurumi toy with a technique called magic ring (or magic circle), and a bunch of rows (or rounds) continuously following the same stitches! But if you are a complete beginner in amigurumi crochet, don’t worry! I got you!
Enough said, let’s begin! How to crochet amigurumi for beginners?
For start an amigurumi, there are five basics things that every beginner must learn for crochet toys. We will go through the five!
1- The magic ring, or magic circle.
I would strongly advise you to repeat and repeat the magic ring until you get it, and not the other easier ways. It is the most neat and professional way to do it, and it makes a total difference! All amigurumi crochet toy starts from there.
Keep training! Make the magic rings a couple of times, try again, and again, it is very common not to get it right for the first time.
To help you, we will go through this technique with step by step pictures and a video at the end. Let’s begin
We are going to use two fingers of your left hand. The index finger and the middle finger. We will give two turns with the yarn around the fingers, that will create two loops
Pass the needle under the first loop, and over the second loop.
Pull the yarn under the first loop.
This will leave one loop on your needle.
Pass the yarn of the second loop of your finger over the needle,
inside the loop on your needle.
That will create the Magic Ring!!!
You can check if your magic ring is correct by pulling the beginning of the yarn. It should slide easily, making the ring smaller, or bigger.
Some beginners have a problem to start a crochet toy because the magic ring is a bit loose, and also for not having a better space to hold while making the single crochet.
So I also wrote down here the position I hold my magic ring while doing the first six single crochet, to help you succeed!
Hold the loop of the ring and the beginning of the yarn with your thumb and your middle finger. It will look like you are holding three strings. That will create tension on the yarn, making it easier and tight, to single crochet.
Continue holding in this position. Always moving your fingers up, closer to the stitches, so the yarn stay strained and tight, while you move forward with the stitches.
Now that you know how to do a magic circle, let’s move on to the single crochet.
2- Single crochet (SC)
This stitch you are going to be using a lot in amigurumi! The most basic amigurumi stitch. There are other stitches used to make amigurumi crochet toys but, the single crochet is the most used to shape your work. This one is basically how you crochet amigurumi for beginners!
You are going to insert the needle in the middle of the stitch.
Pass the yarn over the needle
Pull the yarn through the stitch, having 2 loops on your needle.
Then again you are going to pass the yarn over your needle.
And pull inside the 2 loops of your needle.
That’s it! You made your first single crochet! Easy right?!
Go back to the magic ring lesson and what the full video (if you haven’t yet), there, I teach how to make the 6sc inside the ring and pull it tight together, closing the magic ring.
3- Increase (INC)
To shape the amigurumi dolls, we use the “increase” technique, which is when you do more than one stitch inside the same stitch you are working on.
There are a couple of ways that increase appear in patterns, sometimes increasing more than one stitch, but for now, let’s go with the basic one.
So, here is the detail.
Next stitch I will work 1inc.
I’m going to crochet one single crochet inside the stitch, as usual.
And then again, I’ll make another single crochet inside the same stitch I just worked with.
That’s it! Two total stitches inside!
Super simple right?
4- Decrease (Dec)
Well, if you increase, at some point you will need to decrease! The technique used for amigurumi crochet toys is the invisible decrease, which means, you are going to take only the front loop of your stitch. You will understand better once you see the step by step.
So, here is the detail. I’m going to insert my needle inside the front loop only of the stitch.
And again inside the first loop only of the stitch beside, having a total of 3 loops on the needle.
Put the yarn over.
Pull the yarn inside the first two loops of the needle.
Yarn over again,
At last, pull inside all the loops of the needle.
Here is a final (3sc, 1dec, 3sc, 1dec) row, and you can see the decreases where is the circle.
5- Finishing off
Here is where I share “my secret”. It is not a big secret because I’ve discovered so many people using this technique after I learn. But for quite a long time I was crocheting amigurumi finishing at last row with 6 stitches. Like at the beginning. Makes sense right? But no…the fasten off works like a row, so in the case you finish your toy at with 6sts, when you fasten off you technically will have 3sts closed. What I do instead is, work until 12sts left (or any double the amount of stitch started) and fasten of. Let’s understand what this means in practice.
The biggest secret it’s right at beginning! Instead of finishing with 6SC (last row 6dec), stop your work at one row before the ending (1sc, 1dec total 12sc).
With a sewing needle, insert the yarn in the front loop of two SC. Like when you are doing the invisible decrease
Repeat this process all across your stitches. Inserting the yarn in the front loop of the two stitches. You will make this 6 times (total of the 12sc you have in your work)
Pull tight the yarn once you are done.
Now that your detail is closed. Start making a circle around the last row, inserting the yarn 2 by 2 stitches. This will make the last row a little bit more “fat”, giving a better shape of your row.
Again pull tight the yarn.
Hide the remaining yarn inside the central part of the detail. Cut the leftover, and use your hands to shape your amigurumi detail!
congratulations! You made it! this is all you need to know how to crochet amigurumi for beginners!
Check out some of my free patterns here, pick one, and start today!
They are beginner-friendly, and even if you don’t understand, leave your question in the comment box below, I will be happy to help you finish your amigurumi crochet toy!
