My 5 Helpful Amigurumi Tips for Crocheters

Sharing is caring!

Amigurumi is defined as the Japanese art of making cute, small stuffed toys. Described as “kawaii”, meaning cute, these figures, also known as ami for short are fun crochet projects. They can be any size. I have made numerous ami – ranging from Hello Kitty to Star Wars and the Marvel Series. After making all those I consider myself to be pretty experienced. Along the way, I have encountered some challenges and so I’ve come up with 5 helpful amigurumi tips for you.

If you want to see some of my ami work, I have done a number of ami projects as seen in the following blog post. Feel free to check them out.

• Star Wars Round up
• Star Wars and More (Lucy Ravenscar)
• Marvel Universe Crochet – Part 1 and Part 2
• Otto the Dog (my own design)
• Wizarding Trio (Harry Potter – my own design)
• Chinese New Year Zodiac
• Barry Westie Ami (my own design)

Patterns

There are a number of sources for crochet ami patterns. Books and kits are always a good start. Check out your local library for books to get ideas and to try things out. For me, I’ll consider a book worth buying if there are a number of patterns in it that I want to make. There are also a number of paid and free patterns on various websites like Etsy and Ravelry. Also, a number of blogs, including my own, have a number of patterns.

Materials

Most ami typically use anywhere from a 2mm to a 3.5 mm hook. My personal comfort zone is the 3.5mm hook. It yields tight stitches without it feeling like I’m working really hard. So if you’re just starting out, a 3.5mm hook is a good starter hook.

That said, there are numerous patterns that also suggest a 2mm or a 2.5mm hook. If you are a tight crocheter, you may find the smaller hooks to be challenging. It’s not easy pulling a tiny hook through a tight stitch. The stitches need to be tight enough so that your stuffing does not show.

Here are some options at various price points found on Amazon.

I use mainly category 4 weight yarn for all my ami as it is readily available. My go-to store for yarn is Michaels, where I have easy access to several yarn brands. My favourite brands for ami tend to be Red Heart Super Saver, Impeccable and Vanna’s Choice. Between those brands, I can pretty much find any particular colour or shade that I need.

That said, I will say that when colour is crucial in the design (like the Marvel series), I will choose colour over a brand. So I don’t necessarily favour one brand over the other.

My 5 Helpful Amigurumi Tips for Crocheters

Are you more of a visual or aural learner? Check out this video I made of my 5 amigurumi tips. You can watch and follow along as you read.

TIP #1 – The Magic Ring

Most ami start using the magic circle. I find it easier to delay the tightening of the circle until after 2 or 3 rounds are done. I find that if I tighten the circle immediately, it is harder to find that first stitch, and it’s also easier to “miss” a stitch in the second round.

Bonus Tip: Speaking of magic circles – if your pattern says ch2 and sc into the first chain – you can do the equivalent in a magic circle – just don’t forget to ch 1 first and do the same number of sc’s.

TIP #2 – Use a Stitch Marker

Many ami are constructed in the round – meaning one continuous spiral and so using a stitch marker is not only handy but necessary. Ideally, I would be able to crochet undisturbed and count my stitches and rows out loud, and so maybe I wouldn’t need a stitch marker. But the reality is that the phone rings or someone asks me a question, and so I get interrupted.  I prefer to use the sliding stitch markers (as opposed to the locking ones) since I am constantly reapplying them. 

That said, I have had to “guess” where my row starts because it has slipped out – but it always seems to work in the end. The locking stitch markers come in handy when you need to put your work down – I slip it through the loop, instead of leaving my hook in it, because my hook always seems to come out, and then I lose a stitch. I’ve also used paper clips when I’ve forgotten my stitch markers, and I am out crocheting. A bobby pin works just as well, too.

Here are a couple of options on Amazon. The locking ones work too – remember, you don’t have to actually lock them.

TIP #3 – Use a Row Counter

Similar to the stitch marker, a row counter also comes in handy. Ideally, in a perfect world, I would crochet and never be interrupted, but that is not the case. A row counter will help you remember where you are.

Row counters are also handy when you have to do a bunch of continuous rounds with no increases or decreases. It’s easy to lose track of which row you are on, and so a row counter can be handy. Row counters are great, not only for amigurumi but for many crochet and knitting patterns.

Row counters can be manual or digital. Here are both kinds on Amazon.

TIP #4 – Embroider Early

Many ami patterns have you embroider at the end, once it is stuffed. Personally, I find it much easier to do it earlier.

For instance, I find it easier to embroider the face while the head is still empty (unstuffed). Since you are putting the eyes in, you might as well embroider. I also find that doing it while it’s empty is handy because you can keep the ends inside and simply tie them. If you wait until after the fact, you have to weave those ends in.

TIP #5 – Don’t Overstuff!

If you’re like me, it’s easy to be overzealous and therefore, over stuff. The trouble with that is that there is a bit of stretch to your ami, and you can easily distort the shape of the item.

If anything, I prefer to understuff a bit. By doing that, I can still shape and manipulate the item to make it look right. If you’ve overstuffed, you can’t really fix it. Make sure there is a bit of give and take still. If it’s stiff and firm because of stuffing, take some out!

Stuffing is a good way to also get rid of those little yarn bits that you’ve trimmed after weaving in ends. Just make sure that your stitches are nice and tight and that it is not overstuffed – otherwise you will see all the coloured yarn that you’ve stuffed inside.

The item in my demo is a Porg from Star Wars: The Last Jedi. It is a free pattern from the Geeky Hooker. You can find it here. For the pattern, I used a 3.5mm crochet hook. The colours I used are white, Red Heart Super Saver in Cafe Latte (for the light brown), Red Heart Super Saver in Buff (for the wheat) and Lion Brand Vanna’s Choice in Rust. Also in my demo is Princess Leia from Lucy Ravenscar.  You can find my review of her pattern book here

Want to remember these 4 helpful amigurumi tips? Be sure to save this to your favourite Pinterest board.