Tips and Tricks for Crochet Amigurumi and Best Amigurumi Patterns

This post contains affiliate links. 


Amigurumi is any object that has been crocheted and stuffed. Some examples would be crochet food, crochet animals, crochet cactus. 

Amigurumi Basics

1. It uses a smaller hook to create a tighter stitch, so the stuffing stays inside. 
It is crochet in the round.
2. It uses increase and decrease stitches throughout the pattern to give desired shape.
3. All pieces/parts/limbs are crocheted separately and attached.

You can be as creative as you wish when making an amigurumi. You can add emotion to your shape adding eyes, cheeks, and more. 

Are you a visual learner, sign up for an online class through Craftsy to learn how to make an amigurumi.  Other classes available include How to Design Your Own Amigurumi Monster. 

I saw it on Craftsy Learn from the Best: Kristi designer of Crochet Owls on Craftsy

Some examples of amigurumi projects: 

What do you need to make an amigurumi?

Amigurumi Basic Supplies

• You will first need Basic Crochet Supplies, see this post to see them. 

Additional Supplies to Crochet Amigurumi


 


Add character to your amigurumi food and animals using safety eyes. Get even more creative using different eye colors!

& 

 

 


Create eye expressions using embroidery floss. Use your bent edge needle to weave in amigurumi.

 



Use the poly-stuffing to stuff amigurumi. It will make the new crochet toys extra squishy and soft.

Cotton Yarn

Related: Best places to purchase yarn online. 

 




Cotton yarn will be the softest and most durable yarn to use for making an amigurumi.

& 

  

Free Amigurumi Crochet Patterns 

Use an amigurumi pattern to make a new project. Some FREE patterns from my blog:

Food Play - Butter Toast Amigurumi 

Food Play - Empanada Amigurumi

Paid Amigurumi patterns I have tried and loved:

Whale Amigurumi 
Pip the Hippo Lovey Amigurumi
Hot Cocoa Amigurumi

Amigurumi Pattern Books

 


Beautiful pattern collection of amigurumis!!!!! What will you make first?

& 

   

Have you made an amigurumi? 

What have you made? 

What amigurumi will you make?

Basic Crochet Supplies for the Beginner and Experienced Crocheter Everything You Need to Crochet

When you have decided to crochet, you will realize you actually need very few crochet supplies to make beautiful hats and scarves or crocheting garments.  Below I am sharing my favorite hooks, brands, and what I recommend using. 

I am only showing you products that I have used and have loved. This is my personal opinion on what I think are the best crochet supplies for someone who is a beginner in crochet or someone who is advanced in crochet. 

In a hurry --> Find this complete crochet kit here. 
This post contains affiliate links. 

See this post for What Do You Need to Crochet an Amigurumi?

10 CROCHET SUPPLIES FOR THE BEGINNER OR EXPERIENCED CROCHETER 

Crochet Hooks 

Crochet Hooks: I have used Boye Aluminum hooks for a long time. A J size Hook is a great place to start. A few months ago, though, I needed to get a G size hook for an amigurumi project which required a smaller hook. That is when I came across Clover’s Crochet hooks.  Oh my. My crocheting experience has been forever changed. 

Clover hooks are very comfy, soft, and easy to maneuver. 

See these projects where I have used a G crochet size hook. 

I have personally tried and used these crochet hooks for years. Boye and Clover hooks are excellent to crochet any project!!!!

& 

    

Stitch Markers will help you keep track of your first stitch and your last stitch. It is especially helpful when crocheting a hat in the round or when crocheting an amigurumi project or when you need to make a color change in a blanket.  This set of stitch markers will last you a long time, it is very durable. I still have my set and it has been well-loved!  


 
These crochet stitch markers are my favorite. I have used them in MANY projects.

The stitch markers do not break, stay on the stitch, do not come off. I can leave them on for weeks at a time on a stitch until I can get back to my project and the hooks are still there. I strongly recommend getting a set of this to keep!

You will also need a Tapestry Needle to weave in the loose ends from your project. This will be the yarn from every place where you cut it and will need weaved in.



   



The bent edge of this needle will help you weave in the ends of your yarn through your stitches at ease. It will work much better than a flat edge.

The best part about getting to crochet is choosing the yarn for your crochet project.  There are many places where to purchase yarn in craft stores and also online.

See this post: Best Places Where to Purchase Yarn Online 

My favorite yarns to crochet with have been Vanna's Choice, Caron Simply Soft, I Love This Yarn, and Bernat.  Caron Cakes Yarn is also a very popular option, especially for making blankets. 


These yarns are very affordable, yield really great results. You can use them for all sorts of projects such as hats, scarves, blankets, amigurumi, dishcloths, etc.

& 

     

Crochet Patterns and Books will be very helpful to make new projects. Some of my favorite patterns online come from Etsy, Craftsy, Moogly, and Kim Guzman.

This post includes my Crochet Books. 

Sharp - Pointy Edge Scissors will be great to have. You will want one that you can easily take with you wherever you go. This one is a small size.

You will need a Pouch to keep your hooks and small things with you. How about a pouch like this one?


 
This pouches or pencil cases will be the right size to fit your crochet hooks, needle, and small supplies that you will need to keep with you while you crochet.

& 

 

Last but not least, you will need a Measuring Tape. It will be very useful to measure your gage to compare it with the pattern. This type of tape measurer will fit in your pencil bag.


 






Use the measuring tape to check your gage, to measure head sizes, or to measure the length of a desired project.

Last but not least a wooden crochet bowl has been amazing to have!!!!

 




This wooden yarn bowl is so functional. Set your yarn there, carry it with you. The yarn will stay in the bowl the entire time while you crochet your project until you run out. It looks very pretty, too.

Wooden Yarn Bowl

Daily Crochet Inspiration: Fusion Blanket

Waterproof Patio Furniture Covers for more information on furniture covers.

Use your fabric scraps or fat quarters, join them with crochet to turn them into a Fusion blanket, table runner, home decor.  Love the look! Use contrasting fabric and yarn color to create a new design like the photo above. 

All you need is one simple tool,  a crochet edge skip stitch blade. These 45 mm blades can be used with most cutters (Olfa, Clover, Dafa, Fiskar). The blade gives perfect spacing to create holes in the fabric that you will then use yarn to crochet around and join. 

Crochet Resolutions for Everyone who Crochets

This post contains affiliate links.

Welcome to 2018! May this be your best year yet!   I am so excited about this new year with new crochet goals! Today I am sharing my list of 10 crochet resolutions that I have for the new year. This coming year, 2018, I am looking at my crochet with a bigger lens. I am looking at it with the perspective of advancing, improving, getting better, GROWING my skill.  

Recently I have been working on writing down my skills, talents, and also my passions. Crochet is at the top of my list because it is an enjoyable way to pass time at the end of the day that helps me wind down after all the daily-adventures in our home. I want to invest in crochet with quality time with specific goals that will help me GROW...

The following is the list of ways that I am looking forward to using to GROWING in my crochet. Let me know in the comments how you plan on growing in your crochet this next year. Or really, just what your goals are! 


Crochet Resolutions 2018: 

1. Strengthen your skills - This is at the top of the list. I am looking at growing and sometimes that growth means receiving education in an area that needs growth. A few years ago I took a Craftsy class, Beyond the Rectangle, and I honestly learned so much from it. I was able to watch it at my own pace! I have been able to apply what I learned through several of my projects not just by crocheting a sweater.  This coming year I want to take: Professional Finishing for Perfect Crochet and Crochet Cables. There are so many classes to choose from!!! I am looking at ones that will help me design, use more techniques that will eventually take my crochet to the next level! 

2. Build a Crochet library - There are several crochet books I have really, really enjoyed. Some have patterns that I would love to try. There are a lot of European crochet books that are just jaw-dropping inspiring. Here's a post with books on my wish list. Take a look. 


3.. Crochet a blanket for that special person - I have made baby blankets for my babies while I was pregnant with them. They have outgrown them now, yet they still hold a special place in their baby box. These serve me as beautiful priceless keepsakes! Now that they are getting bigger, they need a new blanket to grow with them. This year would be the perfect time to crochet each of them a blanket that they can grow into. 

4. Treat yourself to new yarn - never tried before: These are some of the yarns I have seen being used by other bloggers all over the world! They look amazing in all kinds of projects. 

•  Stylecraft Special DK, looks sooooo beautiful, soft, and comes in a variety of colors!!!! I am a big fan of The Patchwork Heart, Heather there uses this yarn which is how I came to know it. I would like to make a rainbow granny square blanket with this yarn that way I could really take advantage of all the colors available. 

• Rico Cotton DK, would be so nice to try out this cotton yarn as an alternative for Sugar n Cream. 

• Cashmere: Ah Cashmere, where do I start? Hmm. Probably the most important fact: SOFT, very, very soft. Ideal for shawls, scarfs, socks, sweaters. I would really, really love to get my hands into this! 

• Alpaca: Alpaca yarn are soft, can be found in fingering weight which make them ideal for crocheting socks, baby animals like amigurumis or baby sweaters. 

• To find new places to purchase yarn, check this post. 

5. It's a new year, go ahead and pick 3 of your WIP and finish them! You will be so glad you did! I have a couple of granny squares I made about 3 years ago with the intention of putting a baby blanket together. Well, when I was expecting during that time, I decided to make him a brand new blanket. So those squares are still in the drawer. I think it's time to put them to use and practice joining squares with different methods. 


6. Teach someone to crochet: I have been teaching my daughter and it has been so much fun! She really likes to make a long chain and comes up with several uses for them. Maybe there is someone in your family, at work, or at your church who would like to learn a new craft this year. Maybe they know something you would like to learn. How about you connect and learn something new together? This book has some really good pointers and pictures that could help you along the way as you teach a friend to crochet. 


7. Start a crochet-tea time club with your friends, at church, or family. Start a mom's or women's group in your local area and plan a time to get together with some appetizers and crochet time or knitting! It can be very easy to sit at home by yourself to crochet, but honestly, this is your time!!! GATHER, reach out, hang out and enjoy your craft together. 


8. Seasonal decor: This is something I actually started for Christmas 2016 that I plan on continuing in 2017. Recently, I made a pillow cover in Christmas colors to go along with our decorations. It is a quick project in which the cover can be easily switched out to reuse the cushion.  What I like about it is that it speaks home, warmth, love, and dedication. Only you know the amount of time and thought that goes into each crochet project, but getting to share it with our loved ones in our own home is an amazing feeling.

9. Invest in quality hooks: Your hands will thank you! Depending on the length of my project, I like to use Boye aluminum hooks carried at pretty much every craft store and grocery store. For amigurumi or any project where I need to use a G hook or smaller size, I prefer to use Clover Armour hooks since it has cushiony handle. That's my favorite for crocheting multiple rows of single crochet. For more information check my post on crochet essentials.

10.  Document your projects and progress: Really, take pictures of your projects as you go along and make up some collages with your pictures. It is so fun to see the progress made in your projects! Plan before and after photos. Take a picture of where you were crocheting, who you were crocheting with, take pictures of your crocheting group! Start an Instagram account or share in your favorite Facebook group. 

Have fun crocheting! Whichever goals you pick will be the ones that you will remember for years to come! 

Make 2018 a year of growth, development, of progress. 

Take your crochet to a new level this new year! 

What kind of crochet resolutions have you set for 2018? Let me know in the comments! 

Happy crocheting!

Fabi


    

Crochet Bauble Ornament Patterns

Crochet ornaments are the rave. Make them in any color combination or solid using crochet cotton or DK weight yarn like Stylecraft. I just made one in red, green, and white. It is hanging by our Christmas tree.  I love that they are quick to make, fun, a really special keepsake, protects glass ornaments with favorite colors.  I don't think I could ever get tired of crocheting ornaments. 

Just use your favorite crochet hook, I used my G size Clover hook and my yarn. 

Here are some patterns that you might find useful: 


This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for your support!


1. Crochet Christmas Bauble through Craftsy (paid pattern)

2. Little Bits of Christmas Crochet Thread patterns through Leisure Arts

3.

 4. Granny Square Christmas 

Hope you find these useful! 

~ Fabi

    

Sunny Sky Star Stitch Crochet Coaster

This rainy Sunday afternoon I got to sit on my new bed and crochet the afternoon away. It was blissful! My husband was doing some reading on the couch and my children were napping. It was just me, my hook, and yarn.  

I chose Sugar and Creme's Hot Blue color and contrasted with their Sunshine color.  The names of these colors just resonate summer to me. :-) Just like my Summer Breeze dishcloths, this coaster screams summer, sunshine, pool time, and clear skies. 

Once I took the yarn out, I started with the typical slip knot and made a quick chain. I was going to need a quick project, one that I could complete during that Sunday's nap time because *I just needed to crochet. Period.* Ever have those times?

Finally I decided to make something using the Star Stich (Punto Estrella). It creates creates such cute bumps that make this stitch look intrinsic when in reality,  it's really not complicated. :-) 

To make this coaster, I used the following materials:

Lily Sugar n Cream cotton yarn - or your choice of cotton yarn. 

Crochet hook H (Clover hooks are my favorite!)

Abbreviations:

Check: What do the abbreviations mean?

Instructions: 

For this pattern, I changed colors every 4 rows. 

1) Crochet a chain of 25 stitches. 

2) On the second ch from the hook, pick up a loop and in each of the next 4 ch (6 loops on hook), yo and through all loops on hook, ch 1 (this forms the eye of the star), *pick up a loop in the eye of the last star, pick up a loop through the back of the last loop of previous star, pick up a loop through same ch as last loop of previous star, pick up a loop in each of next two chains.  At this point, you should 

have 6 loops on your hook. 

Okay, so now that you have the 6 loops, yo through all 6 loops, ch 1, repeat*. When you get to the last ch, finish with a hdc on the last stitch. 

Turn your work. 

3) Ch. 1, 1 sc in hdc (from previous row), 1 sc in eye of star st, 2 sc in star of each eye across. Finish this row with 1 sc on top of the turning chain.  

Turn your work. 

4) Ch 2, pick up a loop in the front part of the second chain from hook, then pick up a loop in the back part of the same ch, pick up a loop in each of the next 3 sc, yo through all 6 loops, ch 1. *pick up a loop in the eye in the of the last star, pick up a loop in each of the next 2 sc, yo through all 6 loops, ch 1, repeat. * Finish this row 1 hdc in last sc. 

Repeat rows 3 and 4 until coaster measures 5 inches approx. 

Hope you enjoy this pattern! What colors will you make your coaster? 

Have a wonderful day and find some time to crochet, it's good for the soul! 

Fabi 

Pick Your Craftsy Prize Giveaway!

I loooooove Craftsy! I have watched several of their classes and I keep on referring back to them as needed especially because once you get one class you will have it for a lifetime.  

Craftsy is giving you a chance to enter to win a prize of your choice from the Craftsy site, worth up to $100! Giveaway begins 4/2 @12:30am MDT and ends 4/30 @11:59pm MDT. Enter to win a prize of your choice from Craftsy!

Restrictions: Giveaway open to residents of U.S. and Canada only.

Click HERE to enter to win a prize! 

Fabi