Crochet

Amigurumi for Beginners: What You Need and Where to Start

By JamSumStore

Amigurumi — crocheted stuffed toys worked in the round — looks complicated from the outside, but every plush you have ever admired is built from one stitch: the single crochet. Here is how to start without wasting money or patience.

The short supply list

You need medium (worsted) weight yarn, a hook one size smaller than the yarn label suggests (this keeps stitches tight so stuffing doesn't show), polyester stuffing, safety eyes or embroidery thread, and a yarn needle. That's it.

Learn three things first

The magic ring, the single crochet stitch, and the invisible decrease. With those three, you can make spheres, and every amigurumi body part is a sphere that got shaped. Our Amigurumi for Beginners Handbook walks through them with illustrations.

Pick a forgiving first project

Start with a small, round, single-color design — no limbs, no color changes. A ghost is perfect: the Emotional Support Ghost is one of our most-loved beginner makes for exactly that reason. Mini pumpkins (the Mini Pumpkin Patch set) are a great second project.

The two beginner mistakes to skip

First, counting: use a stitch marker in the last stitch of every round, or your sphere becomes a mystery shape. Second, stuffing too late: add stuffing gradually as you close, not all at the end.

Finish one small plush and you will understand 90% of every pattern in our Crochet Patterns collection. The rest is just confidence.