Tip #3: Amigurumi Things

 Hopefully, this will be short and sweet.

If you are an Amigurumi Queen/King, you should know these tips: feel free to skip this blog or add on if I miss anything, which more than likely, I will.

Looking at the very first amigurumi I completed made me realize that there are some things that I need to point out. The first thing about these stuffed things is that you will be crocheting tighter than you've been taught to crochet. It makes sense because amigurumis will be stuffed with cotton/polyfill/whatever you're gonna use to stuff these babies, and you shouldn't be able to see the stuffing. 

If you're not used to crocheting that tightly, your hands and fingers will hurt after a while. Take many breaks.

The next thing to know is use your stitch markers! I hate to yell but trust me: you will need those markers. More than likely, especially the ones that I've worked on, you will be working in a continuous circle and it's easy to lose count. At least for me, it is.

Just... just use your stitch markers, please.

Near the halfway mark of crocheting, start filling with whatever you're using to fill. You can try to wait until near the end but that will make your job a tad bit harder on yourself. Nearing the end of an amigurumi piece, you will be decreasing in order to close the piece off. This means the hole will get smaller and smaller and you will lose the opportunity to stuff it properly. Start a few rows after your project begins to take a bowl-like shape: you don't want to start too early or you'll have to fight with the filling and crocheting.

Do not over-stuff your project. Overstuffing will warp the shape and if you didn't crochet tight enough, the stuffing will be coming out wherever it can.

Do not under-stuff either. Your pieces will not have enough shape! 

If you have several pieces to a project, make sure you leave a working tail. Yes, I hate sewing, it is the bane of my existence. But, you need that working tail in order to sew pieces together. I mean, you could probably do it by regular means but that means cutting an extra piece of yarn to do so. You're attaching said piece anyway, might as well keep a long tail!

Looking over this, I forgot to add: add your eyes, noses, and even eyebrows before you close the headpiece of your project. I made that mistake once and had to improvise on the nose... 

Well... she has a button nose... *ba dum tish* 

I believe that's it. Again, if you're a pro, feel free to make more notes on the tips and tricks!


Happy Hooking and Stay Safe!

Location: Maryland, USA

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