Amigurumi & Why You Should Try it Now
This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on the links and buy the item, I may earn a small commission. But don’t worry, it doesn’t affect the price you pay and I only recommend products that I have used myself.
I love amigurumi. I love how cute the little makes are, how each one you make has its own personality, how versatile it is, and, believe it or not, how simple it is!
Yes, simple.
I know that when you are reading the patterns or looking at the finished items that others have made, you look at it and the last thing you think is that this could be simple. Right?
Don’t get me wrong – there are some really advanced amigurumi patterns out there but the actual building blocks of this technique are incredibly straightforward – the trick is what you do with them!
But first – the basics!
What is Amigurumi?
Amigurumi is a form of crochet originating in Japan, from the ‘kawaii’ trend for all things cute – think ‘Hello Kitty’ for example. The word amigurumi comes from the Japanese words for crochet and stuffed doll and it is pronounced like THIS.
What Equipment do I need for Amigurumi?
All you need for amigurumi is your hook and your yarn! Just make sure that they’re the right size and weight for the pattern you are using and you can get started with just that. Generally, you can use any type of yarn – acrylic, cotton, etc. I recommend trying different types and seeing which you prefer to work with and which you feel gives you the best results.
As you go along, there may be other items that you might find useful to have but these aren’t a necessity when you get started:
- Tapestry needle
- Embroidery scissors
- Stitch markers (although I tend to use a bit of yarn to make my place)
- Toy stuffing (or you can use yarn scraps)
- Safety Eyes (again, the right size for the pattern)
- Pins
- Pen and paper to help with all the counting
- Some patterns may have posable parts or need support to stand. You can use all sorts for this but pipe cleaners and floristry wires work well
What Techniques will I need?
One of the main reasons I describe amigurumi as simple is that it is all built on the humble double crochet (single crochet in US terms). This is one of the first stitches any new crocheter will learn and is incredibly versatile. Of course, there are others, but this is one of the main ones.
Other techniques include:
- Magic Circle – I’m hoping to get a video for this on to my YouTube channel soon, but this one by Bella Coco is excellent
- Chain stitch
- Invisible decrease – again this tutorial from Bella Coco is a good one
- Increase
- slip stitch
- Joining pieces together – here’s a good tutorial from Planet June
- Embroidery – don’t worry, you don’t need any advanced embroidery skills. There may be times when you will embroider on features such as eyes, noses, mouths, etc.
Finally, just enjoy it. Amigurumi covers so many different types of things that you can make and is joyful to do.
Have you tried amigurumi before? Do you have any particular designers or patterns that you particularly love?
