How to Make Amigurumi Animals
Amigurumi animals come from a Japanese tradition of making crocheted dolls using tight single crochet stitches. These dolls typically have proportionally large heads and big eyes. The amigurumi process involves stuffing the doll or animal and then adding facial features, ears, and even clothes. Amigurumi are easily constructed since they only require knowledge of a few simple crochet stitches and they are adorably cute. Once you start making them you may quickly be hooked on the process. One of the most fascinating aspects of making amigurumi is seeing how the next one will turn out.
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Things You'll Need
- Small crochet hook
- Yarn
- Yarn needle
- Embellishments for facial features and decorative elements
Instructions
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Crochet Stitches for Amigurumi
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1
Make a circle with the yarn. Wrap the yarn around your circle and pull a loop through the circle. Snug the loop down on your crochet hook. This is your first chain stitch. Place another loop on the hook and pull it through. Continue in this manner until you have the required number of chain stitches for your project.
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2
Stick the crochet hook through the first chain stitch. Grab a loop of yarn and pull it through the chain stitch and the loop on the crochet hook. This is a slip stitch. It is used to close circles and to taper off single crochet stitches before tying off.
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3
Stick the crochet hook through a chain stitch and pull a loop through. You should now have two loops on the hook. The one you had before you started the single crochet stitch and the one you just pulled through. Now pick up another loop and pull it through both loops.
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4
Stitch two single crochet in the same loop to increase stitches in a round.
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5
Skip a previously made stitch to decrease the number of stitches in a round. Increasing stitches in your rounds makes your project larger such as when you are on the small end of a sphere and you want to make the ever widening bands to form the round shape. Decreasing stitches in your rounds makes smaller and smaller bands to close off the spherical object. When you neither increase or decrease you are making a tubular section.
Make Amigurumi Animals
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6
Chain six to eight stitches. Leave a long tail, about four inches long. A slightly larger chain is easier to work with if you are a beginner.
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7
Slip stitch your chain into the first chain stitch to make a circle.
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8
Single crochet around the chain, stitching two single crochet stitches in every other chain stitch. This begins widening your circular base. Continue stitching single crochet in ever-widening spirals.
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9
Single crochet around your project with every other row an increase row. Between the increase rows simply stitch one single crochet into each stitch. This will begin to curve your sphere, making the ball-shape you are looking for.
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10
Single crochet two to four rounds with no increases or decreases when you have reached a half-ball shape. This is the "equator" or center belt of the sphere.
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11
Single crochet around your sphere with one decrease every few stitches to begin closing your sphere. You will need a row every now and then that does not decrease. Just examine your overall shape to determine whether to decrease or straight stitch around it.
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12
With a yarn needle pick up the tail at the bottom of your ball and stitch it through your first six or eight stitches. Pull the tail snug to tighten up the small hole and prevent stuffing from coming out. Tie off the tail and weave the end in to hide it.
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13
Stuff your ball with polyester stuffing, cotton or other material. Close off the top of the sphere with your decreases. Tie the yarn off and weave end into the work to hide it.
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14
Chain six and slip stitch into a circle. Single crochet around the chain making increases every other stitch. Continue as for the head, but make this sphere smaller to serve as the body. When the body is complete, stuff it and stitch it to the head. You can stitch the body to the head without closing the body. Just stitch into each single crochet at the top of the body and into each single crochet at the bottom of the head. The bottom of the head will close off the body and prevent stuffing from leaking out.
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15
Chain six, close chain, and single crochet straight shapes for legs. You may need to use the yarn needle to tighten the bottom of the legs. Stitch legs to body in appropriate locations. Teddy bear type animals have legs at the bottom of the body and jutting out to the sides from the shoulders. Standing animals will have the four legs attached to the bottom of the belly.
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16
Single crochet additional parts using the same process. Make a small chain and single crochet around it to make a muzzle or nose shape. Crochet flat ears for dogs, bunnies, elephants and similar animals. Stitch these additional pieces on. Teddy bear type ears can be a single crochet rectangle gathered and stitched on the head. Triangle shaped ears can be rolled on one side and attached to make perky upright ears.
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17
Decorate your animals with embellishments for eyes, clothes, and other adornments.
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1
Tips & Warnings
You may wish to make your animals all in one piece by simply tapering the neck and then widening the body. This ability will come with more practice making amigumuri animals.
If you are giving the animal to a baby, check that all additions are baby safe. Safety eyes or flat embroidered eyes and adornments are recommended for babies. Make sure all thread ends are securely tied and woven into the work.
References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Polka Dot/Getty Images
