All About Ami
a blog about me and my love for amigurumi
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I have been receiving some e-mails recently from people asking how to read amigurumi patterns. I always assumed it was straight forward enough, but I often forget what it was like when I first started crocheting. Trying to interpret patterns can seem like trying to understand a foreign language with all the symbols and abbreviations! And so, I thought I would take the time to explicitly and clearly describe how to read amigurumi crochet patterns as I find it very exciting that people are getting inspired to learn how to crochet after seeing my amigurumi. I want to make the learning process as easy as possible so everyone can make their own stuffies!
Please reference my “Amigurumi for Beginners” blog post to see videos on how to do the basic stitches as well as materials you will need to make your own amigurumi. Here is a chart showing common abbreviations that you will find in some of my crochet patterns (see more extensive list here):
Next, I will go through one of my patterns (e.g. Teddy Ornaments) and explain what the instructions mean, row by row.
Translation: Work six single crochets in a magic ring. The “R” stands for “Round” because we are crocheting in the round in a continuous spiral (could also be denoted by “Rnd”). The “R” could also stand for “Row” (when working in rows, you usually turn your work at the end of each row and work back across the top of the previous row for a square or rectangle). The number in brackets at the end shows you how many stitches you should have completed during that round. I always count how many stitches I’ve completed to double-check my work compared to the pattern to ensure I haven’t skipped a stitch or accidentally done one too many. [Note: in my earlier patterns, Round 1 often looked like this: “R1: Ch 2, 6 sc in second ch from hook. (6 sts)”- this is interchangeable with the R1 above as I was not using the Magic Circle back then.] See how to do the Magic Circle here.
[Note: Please IGNORE the number of stitches in each round and the number of rounds in these photos as they are not accurate. I will be using the pictures for reference to show how many single crochets should be worked into each stitch.]
Translation: Work two single crochets in each single crochet around. Since you are crocheting two stitches in each stitch around, you are doubling the stitch count (from 6 to 12) so that your circle expands outwards. Patterns that say “inc in next st all round” mean the same thing.
Translation: Work one single crochet in the next stitch. Then work two single crochets in the following stitch. Repeat the pattern in asterisks 6 times.
Translation: Work two single crochets in the next two stitches (one in each). Then work two single crochets in the following stitch. Repeat the pattern in asterisks 6 times.
Translation: Work three single crochets in the next three stitches (one in each). Then work two single crochets in the following stitch. Repeat the pattern in asterisks 6 times.
You keep following this general pattern for the rest of the rows as your ball expands outwards (e.g. Rows 6-8 in the Teddy Ornaments pattern), doing one single crochet in each stitch and then doing two single crochets in the next stitch every once in a while. Eventually, the ball will need to keep its shape for the middle part without expanding or decreasing, and it will look like this in the pattern:
Translation: Work one single crochet in each stitch all around. As you can see, there is no increasing or decreasing and no asterisks.
You keep doing one single crochet in each stitch all around for a number of rows (R9-20 in the Teddy Ornaments pattern), maintaining the same number of stitches in each row until it is time to decrease and close up our ball (in this case, 48 stitches).
Translation: Work six single crochets in the next six stitches (one in each). Then decrease over the next two stitches. Repeat the pattern in asterisks 6 times. I highly recommend doing the “Invisible Decrease” to ensure that there are no holes or bumps in your amigurumi. Check out my blog post here to see how to do “The Invisible Decrease”.
Translation: Work five single crochets in the next five stitches (one in each). Then decrease over the next two stitches. Repeat the pattern in asterisks 6 times.
You keep decreasing the number of stitches row by row by doing a number of single crochets, and then doing an invisible decrease every so often. Eventually, your ball will close up. Along the way, you will add safety eyes, perhaps embroider a nose or a mouth, and add stuffing.
I hope you found this blog post helpful! Please feel free to add any suggestions and tips, and do pass this post along to your friends who are just learning how to crochet or wanting to make amigurumi! I’ve linked this post to my “Amigurumi for Beginners” post here, and I’ve also updated it by adding some resources that can help you learn how to attach and sew your amigurumi parts together since I’ve received some questions about it. Don’t hesitate to e-mail me or leave a comment if you have any further questions. I’m so happy that people have been inspired to try my patterns after seeing my designs, and I hope that this will be a helpful resource for you all! Happy crocheting :)
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I had never participated in an art trade before, but I jumped at the opportunity to work with Kim Rountree of Oborocharms when she suggested that we do one (read about how I got to know Kim here). I had a difficult time choosing what I wanted to ask Kim to make as her shop was full of adorable charms and stuffies. What stood out to me in particular were her custom charms that were incredibly detailed. I thought it would be so special to have little custom charms made based on my original amigurumi designs. I e-mailed Kim, listing some suggestions of custom charms I would love to have, including Chinese New Year Doll, Valentine Teddy, Sweetheart Bunny, and Dragon. I also told Kim that I completely didn’t mind choosing items that were already in her shop (non-custom) if it was too much trouble. Kim was so gracious and generous as she immediately replied, saying she wanted to make ALL of them! I knew it would be a challenge, but there is nothing that Kim can’t handle!
As I excitedly began to work on Snuggles the Penguin for Kim based on one of her charms, I was treated to “sneak peeks” of my charms through Kim’s facebook page. Kim periodically posted photos of all her work in progress, and Ryan and I had a blast seeing our charms being made along the way and trying to figure out which ones were for us! Can you identify any of my amigurumi designs in the photo below? The next series of photos are all courtesy of Kim from her facebook page!
I thought I’d point them out to you just in case you couldn’t see them all! From left to right, we have Dragon, Sweetheart Bunny, Valentine Teddy and Chinese New Year Doll. Haha, I don’t blame you for not being able to identify Chinese New Year Doll since she’s flopped over! You can see the bun in her hair ;)
Next, Kim posted a photo of her charms drying after she had painted them! Kim does such fine detailed work, and her painting is impeccable. Here you can spot Dragon, Sweetheart Bunny, Valentine Teddy and Chinese New Year Doll too!
I was so excited when Kim posted this photo of the Dragon charm, as was everyone else on her page! Kim had yet to add some more detail, but he was looking super cute already!
Here is the Dragon charm all finished, complete with his scaled body and tiny fang!
Kim drew a sketch of this baby dragon six years ago, and now he’s an amigurumi AND an adorable charm :) This charm seems to be very popular as Kim has been making so many of them! I love how you can have them in any colour you want too- check out that blue dragon! You can order your own Dragon charm by clicking here.
Kim also posted a photo of the finished Valentine Teddy charm! Look how tiny he is compared to a penny!
When Kim posted this picture of all four of my completed charms, I absolutely could not stop smiling and staring at the screen! They were all SO CUTE and accurate, and I was so thankful that Kim had made all four for me :) I asked her if she would attach them onto a bracelet for me as she had recently added a custom charm bracelet option to her shop. Kim happily obliged and attached them onto the bracelet in the order in which I had designed and created them. I was so excited when Kim told me that she had officially sent the bracelet off in the mail!
Kim also has a youtube channel here, and in this video she took the time to describe some new charms she had finished. Kim talks about the charms she made for me between 0:43 - 1:34, and you can see what they look like from all different angles (Sweetheart Bunny and Valentine Teddy both have cute little tails and Dragon has some horns along his back). I loved being able to see them “in action”, which of course got me even MORE excited for my bracelet to come in the mail!
I excitedly checked the mail everyday and practically squealed with joy when I saw that my package from California had arrived! I waited for Ryan to come home so we could open it together! Inside the package was this adorable litttle box that contained my charm bracelet PLUS some cute pinback buttons that Kim had thrown in as an added bonus :) Her strawberry octofruit, owl and baby narwhal are all popular items in her shop! Don’t my charms look absolutely adorable all huddled together in their little box?
I immediately took out the bracelet and examined each charm carefully one-by-one. I could not believe how tiny and detailed they were!
Here is the order in which we designed and created these little guys: Chinese New Year Doll, Valentine Teddy, Sweetheart Bunny, and Dragon!
I thought I would show you what each charm looks like compared to my amigurumi creation in case you’ve never seen them! For the Chinese New Year Doll, I was really impressed that Kim even included the tiny chopsticks in the charm’s hair, complete with the yellow and grey decorative balls. Her little bun, side part, rosy cheeks and winged lashes are all perfect!
Valentine Teddy has his dapper little red bow and the stitching on his feet too!
Kim did such a great job with the Sweetheart Bunny, from her detailed floral bow to her pretty pink jumper and her perfect little heart!
And of course, here are the two Dragons based on Kim’s drawing from 6 years ago! They both have their little wings, rosy cheeks, scaled bodies and sweet little fangs!
Here are all four of the charms that Kim made for me with their crocheted counterparts! They’re all so sweet!
After examining each of the charms, I immediately asked Ryan to help me put the bracelet on! Kim spaced each charm out perfectly so that I had a lot of slack left-over…I don’t like bracelets that are too big since they always feel like they’re going to fall off!
I absolutely love my one-of-a-kind charm bracelet, and it’s neat to think that I’m the only one in the whole wide world who has it! I wore it out already, and I couldn’t help but smile when looking at it. This bracelet reminds me of all the hard work we’ve put into our amigurumi creations, how people all over the world have crocheted their own versions, and how much fun my collaboration with the talented Kim of Oborocharms has been.
Even though we sent off our packages on different days, would you believe that Kim and I both ended up receiving each other’s art trade items on the exact same day? Kim posted this picture of the crocheted Snuggles I made for her with the little charm Snuggles sitting atop his head! Snuggles looks right at home at Kim’s place, and I’m so happy that he made it there safely!
I hope you’ve enjoyed getting an inside look into our art trade! The whole process has been so much fun, and it’s a little sad that it’s over. We’ll definitely try and do another one in the future though :) You can crochet your own Snuggles by following the pattern here or crochet your own Dragon by following the pattern here. You can also purchase a Snuggles charm here or a Dragon charm here. If you have any custom charms that you would like made (e.g. your pets, favourite foods, favourite animals, etc.), be sure to contact Kim! Her custom charms would make very meaningful gifts either for yourself or for your loved ones! Thank you so much again for my personalized, beautifully-crafted charm bracelet, Kim :D
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Sneak peek of upcoming blog post: Charm bracelet made by Kim of Oborocharms for our art trade, featuring Chinese New Year Doll, Valentine Teddy, Sweetheart Bunny & Dragon!
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Since this past Tuesday was the first official day of Spring, I thought I would do a Crochet Corner post on my Spring Bunnies! I’m hoping the weather will be Spring-like, but we’re known to have unexpected blasts of winter where I live *fingers crossed*. It was also exactly one year ago when my first pattern for CRAFT got published on their website. I was beyond thrilled when former editor-in-chief Natalie Zee Drieu commissioned me to design a Spring project even though I had only been blogging for two months. After it went live, Natalie told me that the Spring Bunnies pattern was extremely popular, and I’ve seen more final pictures of the Spring Bunnies than any of my other amigurumi designs! So, without further ado, let’s check out some Spring Bunnies that have been popping up all over the world!
First up, we have Grace of Craft by Grace from Indonesia. It’s neat because Grace used my “Amigurumi for Beginners” post and the Spring Bunnies project to teach some people to learn how to crochet! She started from the very beginning, teaching the basic stitches and how to read a crochet pattern. Below is Grace’s first Spring Bunny.
Grace taught Erni how to crochet, and here is her first ever amigurumi project! They took this picture during their last class together. Great job, Grace and Erni! You make a wonderful teacher-student combo!
Oraflana made this beautiful pink Spring Bunny. I love how everyone chooses their favourite fabric for the lining of the ears, so each Spring Bunny looks very unique. What a lovely bunny!
Christine of Oh So Pathos from Montreal, Canada made this bunny for her mom. Her mom was going through a rough period at work and wanted something ”comfy and warm-hearted” to remind her that her job wasn’t everything and that there was more to life. Christine made her mom this bunny so that she could take a moment to breathe and relax whenever she saw it. I’m sure Christine’s mom loves her handmade bunny and is always reminded how much her daughter loves her too! I love the funky fabric that Christine used and how black, white and pink contrast so nicely together.
Hilary of Buzz & Lola from Ireland made her own Spring Bunny and plans to make him a smaller friend once she masters using a smaller crochet hook! People are always surprised to hear what a tiny crochet hook I actually use, but that’s how I get those tight, small stitches :) I love the colours that Hilary used with the grey felt and pink nose on his cream body. He looks very snuggly and cute!
Bogee made her own Spring Bunny with both a flower and a carrot- lucky bunny! Bogee found it difficult to sew the felt on the feet and ears, so she actually sewed the stitches on the felt pieces first and then used fabric glue to stick the felt pieces onto the crocheted pieces. What a great trick! This bunny looks very well-made, and the stitching looks so even :) Great work, Bogee!
Kitty of Belgium used my Spring Bunnies pattern for her very first amigurumi project. She made a pair of bunnies and used yarn for the eyes. Kitty says that working on these bunnies made her fall in love with crochet all over again. I’m so happy to hear that your love for crochet has been reignited, Kitty :)
Candy from Singapore crocheted some bunnies and donated them to the Rabbit Society who is helping abandoned bunnies. I think it’s very sweet how these plush bunnies are helping their live counterparts in Singapore :) Candy did a wonderful job with her pink bunny with ears sticking straight up! So adorable!
And here is Candy’s floppy-eared bunny. Love the dainty floral fabric she used for the lining of the ears. What a sweetie!
Victoria of YarnRoundHook from the UK made these two Spring Bunnies, Flower and Petal, for her two children. Victoria writes that they are so well-loved that some stuffing is even escaping! She also points out that Flower turned out bigger than Petal- it’s interesting even how a little difference in the weight of the yarn can make a difference in the overall size of the amigurumi. They both look very well-made and very cute, Victoria! I’m so happy to hear that Flower and Petal are getting so much love from your children!
As always, I have many more pictures of Spring Bunnies to show you, but I’ll save them for a future post. Be sure to check out my Spring Bunnies step-by-step blog post here and download the free pattern on the CRAFT website here. Keep sending me your pictures on facebook, twitter and e-mail! I hope your Spring has been off to a great start and that you’ve enjoyed reading about all these amigurumi bunnies who’ve been brightening up people’s days all around the world :)
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Who can resist Snuggles the Penguin with his sweet face all bundled up in his removable scarf? Crochet your very own and he’ll make a great friend every season of the year!
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Let me give you the background story of how Snuggles the Penguin came to be! Back when we were researching cute images of dragons for Chinese New Year, we immediately fell in love with this adorable drawing:
I couldn’t find the source of this image, but I went ahead and crocheted my amigurumi Dragon based on it.
Luckily for me, an astute tumblr follower recognized the artist of the drawing and directed me to Kim Rountree of Oborocharms. I immediately tried to contact her, letting her know that I had made an amigurumi dragon based on the baby dragon she had drawn six years ago. Kim was very quick to get back to me, and she was incredibly gracious, stating that she absolutely loved him and my blog! We developed a friendship from there as we checked out each other’s work: Kim is a very talented artist who makes kawaii stuffies and beautiful charms! Check out her store here!
As we continued communicating with one another, we thought it’d be a great idea to do an art trade, particularly since both of us love everything cute and our mediums of art are so different. I had never participated in an art trade before, but I’m so thankful that my very first one was with Kim! And so, we sent each other some suggestions of items we wanted the other person to make. Kim sent me three images of charms she had designed, allowing me to choose which one I wanted to make into an amigurumi. After carefully examining and thinking about the logistics of making each one, we went with this cute penguin wrapped in a scarf:
It’s always a fun challenge turning an image/drawing into a 3-D amigurumi! I already had white and yellow yarn at home, but we went out to find the perfect blue colour for his body and reddish-pink yarn for his scarf. Then, we delved right into crocheting his head/body! I crocheted around a series of chain stitches to begin with an oval shape and expanded outwards. He kind of looks egg-shaped as he is more narrow at the top and wider at the bottom.
Before closing up his body, I crocheted this round white piece for his belly. We attached this white part onto his body and then attached his safety eyes as we wanted them to be halfway on the blue and halfway on the white (as in the picture). Attaching the white belly was tricky as it ruffled up along the bottom. We ended up attaching the majority of the white belly (along sides and top), attaching the eyes, stuffing the body, closing up the body, adding some stuffing between the body and the white belly, and then attaching the rest of the bottom of the belly.
Next I crocheted a small yellow beak and attached it halfway on the blue and halfway on the white belly (just like the safety eyes).
Then we cut out two circular pieces of pink felt and added them for the cheeks! What a sweet face :)
I loved the luxurious scarf that Kim had placed around her penguin charm, and it looked somewhat tube-like. Thus, I decided to crochet around a ring to give a thick, sturdy scarf: it also made changing colours easier as I could hide the ends in the tube and make sure the colour changes were on the side of the scarf not showing. I switched between red and white yarn every five rows.
We actually wrapped the scarf around Snuggles and sewed the overlapping parts together.
Then I crocheted some little wings for Snuggles the Penguin. Rather than stuffing the wings, I flattened the pieces and sewed the open ends together. We attached them onto the sides of his body under the striped scarf.
Here is how our Snuggles the Penguin turned out! Do you think he looks like the charm that Oborocharms made?
Here is a side view…
Ryan got creative with the fiberfill stuffing as he photographed Snuggles in the “snow”! As we mentioned in the sneak peek, don’t pick a snowball fight with a penguin, because you’ll lose from cuteness overload! Haha, whenever I think of snowball fights, the scenes from “Elf” and “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” always bring a smile to my face :D
It’s nice that Snuggles’ scarf is removable as he might get too hot with Spring around the corner. And the solid scarf still holds its shape when removed!
Next up are some close-up shots of Snuggles. I looove this next photo of Snuggles’ sweet face!
Here you can see Snuggles’ wing and how it is concave, curving upwards and out!
Snuggles’ beak is attached halfway on the blue and halfway on the white belly!
I don’t think Snuggles appreciates having his bottom photographed like this, but we had to do it… As mentioned above, attaching the white belly was a challenge as it curves downwards along his body. We had to attach a flat white piece to a round body, so it definitely was not perfect.
As you can see, there is some bunching at the bottom. Ryan ended up inserting some stuffing between the belly and the body to decrease the ruffled appearance.
Ryan also had some fun posing Snuggles creatively with his scarf! Doesn’t he look like a sushi chef here?
And with his scarf rotated, Snuggles looks like a little rebel with his bandana…
And those of you who have been reading my blog for a while know that Snuggles is not the first penguin I’ve made! Back in May 2011 (almost a year ago!) I made this little penguin (free pattern linked to in blog post) that required switching between black and white yarn for the face that posed an interesting challenge. Snuggles is much bigger!
And just to give you more of an idea of Snuggles’ relative size, here’s a pic of me holding him!
It’s always a little sad parting with an amigurumi you’ve worked hard on, but I’m so happy that he’s joining Kim’s family of kawaii stuffies!
Since I had extra red yarn left, I thought it’d be special to make Kim a Knotted Headband so she could match with Snuggles! I know it doesn’t get very cold in California, but hopefully you’ll find some occasion to wear it, Kim!
Ryan and I had a lot of fun turning Kim’s penguin charm into an amigurumi! What do you think of Snuggles? ***The FREE pattern for Snuggles can be found HERE.*** I’m so excited that I got to participate in this art trade with Kim of Oborocharms, and I can’t wait to show you what she made for me! If you follow me on facebook and twitter, you probably already know, but I will be doing a full blog post on it too. Be sure to check out her shop as she has oodles of cute items (if you end up crocheting Snuggles, it’d be cute ordering a matching Penguin charm!). Thanks for everything, Kim, and I hope you like your amigurumi Snuggles :)
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Do you all remember the Minion we made back in October? Well, I have some exciting news for you all: Kevin the Minion has actually moved to London, England and he’s even started a blog documenting his adventures and plans to take over the world! Check out “A Minion Life” to keep up-to-date with Kevin’s shenanigans and to see more cute pics of him in action :) It was sad having to part with Kevin after we made him, but we’re so happy to see he’s doing well over in the U.K!
And did you hear that “Despicable Me 2” is coming out on July 3? SO EXCITED! Check out the trailer here. We just might have to crochet some more Minions and bring them to see the new movie with us too! See the making of Kevin the Minion here and make your own Minion with our free pattern here!
***Note: Step-by-step blog post and free pattern for “Snuggles the Penguin” have been postponed due to my computer crashing! My computer is currently in the shop, so I’m waiting for it to come back in order to access my photos and the typed-up pattern of Snuggles. Thanks for your patience, everyone!
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Sneak peek of surprise amigurumi for art trade with Oborocharms: Snuggles the Penguin!
**Warning**: Never pick a snowball fight with a penguin….you’ll lose from cuteness overload ;)
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Gather round, everyone! Check out my most recent amigurumi projects if you haven’t so already! We’ve got Dragon, Sweetheart Bunny, and the Teddy Ornaments (who would be just as cute as non-ornaments as well :D)!
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It still amazes me how popular our amigurumi Dragon is, and I can’t believe I was thisclose to not making him. I’m so thankful that Ryan urged and encouraged me to give him a try to celebrate the Chinese New Year! Many moms and moms-to-be have e-mailed me, expressing their excitement of making this crochet dragon for their own dragon babies! I thank all the people who have sent me pictures of their work through facebook, twitter, e-mail, Ravelry and on the blog, and I would love to share some photos of little Dragons who’ve cropped up all around the world in this Crochet Corner post!
Ana, originally from Spain but now living in Switzerland, is a loyal reader and commenter of my blog. She was one of the first people to send me pictures of her finished project, and I was sooo excited to see how other people’s Dragons were turning out. I think Ana did an absolutely wonderful job with the detailing and I love the colour she used. Her Dragon looks very well-made, and I love how she included his shadow in the pic below too! Thank you so much for your continued support, Ana! I really appreciate it!
Sarah posted her cute Dragon on my facebook page, and I love how happy and sweet he looks! She used tan felt for the belly and for the wings on his head, and she included the rosy pink cheeks as well. Adorable!
Kendra from North Carolina made her own little Dragon, and I love how he is really leaning back as though he’s about to blow out a huge puff of fire! So sweet :)
Katka of Katkas Creations from the United Kingdom is another loyal reader who absolutely loves amigurumi and the amigurumi community. I’m honoured that my patterns were the first English written patterns that Katka followed, and I know she’s had fun also making my Spring Bunnies and Teddy Ornaments. Katka opted to use yarn instead of felt and a glue gun for the belly and horns as she made this toy for her son! You can also check out her facebook page here. Thanks for your support and always kind words, Katka!
Mandy of Crystal Panda made this Dragon for some friends who are expecting their first baby! Would you believe that this is Mandy’s first amigurumi? She whipped this little guy up very quickly and says she is happy that amigurumi is very forgiving as it was hard to keep the count correct at times, but he definitely still turned out! I love how Mandy added her own unique touch to the scaling on his body as well. Mandy writes that it’s bittersweet having to give him away, but she might make one for herself in the future!
Lavinia attached a picture of her Dragon to the comments section of my Dragon pattern post. His expression is so unique with his eyebrows and slight, wide smile. Lavinia also crocheted her black horns instead of using felt. What an expressive little Dragon!
Migou writes that she found my pattern easy-to-follow with detailed information. Happy to hear it! Her dragon turned out adorably, and I think it’s pretty awesome that he’s holding a microphone. He could be the next Karaoke Superstar or American Idol!
Amelia made two dragons: a green one and a red one, both complete with adorable little fangs! The detailing looks great, and I love how she posed them with a crocheted red heart in between. Amelia says she’ll be keeping the green one and donating the red one to a craft fair donation. Great job using your skills to help others, Amelia! She’ll also be making a blue dragon for her friend who absolutely loved these two when he saw them!
Puchitomato from Calgary, Alberta, Canada also made two dragons! She used such bright, fun colours! I love the green felt on the purple yarn, and the purple felt on the hot pink yarn. I really love that hot pink…I don’t think I’ve ever seen a hot pink dragon before! These two look very well-made…what a cute pair!
And as a fun surprise, Puchitomato also added some wings to his back! They look awesome :) This will give him some extra help getting off the ground!
If you haven’t already seen my amigurumi Dragon, check out my step-by-step blog post here and the free pattern here. It’s been such a pleasure seeing all your photos, everyone! I still have MANY more photos of yours to include, but I’ll save them for another Crochet Corner post :) Hope your Year of the Dragon has been going well!
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