About Amigurumi

Amigurumi is the Japanese word for crocheted stuffed toy. The word ami meaning crocheted and nuigurumi, meaning stuffed doll. The simplest designs of amigurumi are crocheted in spirals and have tight stitches. The different parts of the dolls are usually sewn together with a yarn needle and a whip stitch. They are stuffed with polyester fiber-fill or plastic pellets to give them a life-like weight. Amigurumi are typically categorized as being cute and therefore are created with over-sized heads and small body shapes, but plenty of amigurumi crafters have broken out of this trend.

Typical Amigurumi Supplies
  • 4-ply worsted yarn
  • crochet hooks (E 3.5 mm, F 3.75 mm, G 4.00 mm)
  • yarn needles
  • ribbon of various sizes
  • felt (white, black, misc.)
  • needles
  • thread (white and black)
  • buttons
  • black safety-backing eyes (6 mm, 8 mm, 12 mm)
  • embroidery thread (many colors)
  • scissors


Beginners Guide

If you are interested in crafting amigurumi I highly suggest buying a book. I learned how to crochet and make amigurumi by doing this. I recommend Ana Paula Rimoli's book Amigurumi World: Seriously Cute Crochet for starters. If you are unable to get a book to start with there are always sources on the internet. Ana also provides free patterns on her blog here Free Patterns by Ana Paula Rimoli. For free information on how to crochet stitches visit: http://www.hassdesign.com/StitchLegend/. Another wonderful site to visit is this one with video tutorials http://www.hookandneedles.com/2008/03/22/amigurumi-tutorial-1/.


Advice

Everyone has their own learning level, so if you find yourself getting frustrated with learning how to make amigurumi try to go easy on yourself. I remember when I first started I had to redo a simple head 10 times before it even looked right and it felt like it took forever! But it will get easier with every project you dedicate your hard work to and you will see improvement the more you work at it. I personally have created over 20 projects over 7 months and see a huge differences in my understanding of crochet and my ability when I first started. Remember to go easy on yourself and that it will come to you eventually if you keep practicing. 

More Examples of Amigurumi

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