Diving into the World of Amigurumi

I never knew that I would hold a crochet hook again ever since my failed attempt at crocheting for relaxation. But, many thanks to a friend’s encouragement and sharing her time in answering my queries, I am now diving into the world of amigurumi!

Amigurumi explained

Some say that amigurumi is just the same as crochet, but, there is more to this art than just weaving stitches with yarn and a hook. Based on my research on trusted amigurumi designers and magazines, amigurumi is the Japanese term for crocheting toys. In essence, amigurumi falls under the area of crochet, though it has a niche of its own, which is toys and dolls.

What we need for amigurumi

From what I have read, it is best to start with the 4-ply yarn and a 3.5mm hook. I have acrylic yarns in my craft stash, but I found out that they would be fussy to work with. I decided on buying 4-ply milk cotton yarns (25g), 3.5mm crochet hooks, stitch markers, and plastic darning needles. When I was crocheting back then, I experienced symptoms similar to Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, which I assumed was from using a 2.5mm hook. So, for my amigurumi starter kit, I ordered a hook with a rubber handle this time — for ease of use. I also got the purple aluminum hook as a spare because I would be teaching Kid 1 this wonderful art.

Magic Circle

After watching tutorial videos, and reading blogs and online magazines, I excitedly began my hands-on training. Here’s when I was doing the magic circle, the basic step of amigurumi. I followed a Youtube video*, hitting pause and replay countless times, just so I can make sure that I am following the instructions correctly. The purple thing inserted in the magic circle in the photo below is a stitch marker. It marks the beginning of my first stitch in each round.

Amigurumi Ball

This was when I was almost done with my first amigurumi ball. My worries about wasting this precious yarn disappeared when I was only one round away from finishing this dainty ball!

Ta-da! My first ever amigurumi ball! I forgot to order a bag of fiberfill when I bought my yarns so I had to stuff this cute, pastel-colored ball with cotton balls instead. Kid 2 and I unwrapped each cotton ball before stuffing them into the amigurumi ball — in the same way that it was taught in the video that I was following. I distributed the layers of cotton around the insides of the ball to make sure that it would be a nice sphere when I close it.

I can’t wait to teach my children how to do this soft and cute amigurumi ball! This would be perfect for our homeschool lessons. Most of all, this would also give them a sense of fulfillment from getting a beautiful output after persevering with a task. I hope they would also enjoy amigurumi as much as I do.

Have you tried amigurumi?

*Video and pattern for the amigurumi ball are from Ollie Holly Crochet.