What is Amigurumi?
Amigurumi
What is Amigurumi?
Amigurumi is a Japanese term that refers to small, three dimensional crochet. Loosely translated it means crocheted stuffed doll/toy! Amigurumi has evolved a lot, probably due to the internet and all the inspiration and creativity that can be so easily shared nowadays.
How is Amigurumi Made?
It just takes a few basic stitches and a little know how to get started! You start by making a ring (see the magic circle in Chapter 3!) and small stitches like a single crochet, and increase and decrease from there. Most start with 6 stitches and go from there. You stuff the tight, dense shapes and it results in a delightful amigurumi toy!
Most amigurumi is made in the round- this means that it is crocheted in a spiral, with no slip stitches to the beginning stitch like you might do in a hat pattern, using stitch markers to keep track of your amigurumi’s stitches. It generally uses a smaller hook and yarn.
What Can You Make with Amigurumi?
The craft has evolved and grown and now you can find a pattern for pretty much everything! I prefer to make little animals and dolls, but I have seen so many other things, too! You can find amigurumi patterns from fantasy creatures, food, cars, planes, and pretty much anything else you can think of! This crochet dinosaur, this llama, and this unicorn are some of my most popular patterns. If you are an absolute beginner I recommend this octopus or this ice cream cone keychain. Both are included in my eBook “The Beginner’s Friendly Guide to Amigurumi.”
What Tools do you Need for Amigurumi?
You need the same basic tools you need for any crochet project. But make sure you have some stitch markers, a comfortable hook, and some polyfil! You can see some of my favorite tools here.
You will also need some patterns to get started! Check out these free ones or purchase this beginner’s ebook to get started!
The pattern I recommend as the perfect beginner amigurumi project is this Friendly Octopus! It is a great way to ease into the amigurumi world. It is such a great gift as well!
My most popular pattern would be The Friendly Unicorn! Perfectly classic and deceptively simple to make.
You might fall in love with this adorable sloth, again free on the blog!
And if you want to try a fuzzy fun llama amigurumi project, this is my best seller on Etsy! But you can find it for free here on the blog.
And a shout out to one of my absolute favorites, the Friendly Monkey!
