Anyone who has taken an interest in plush toys and has seen pictures online can see the appeal of amigurumi. Crocheted (usually), stuffed toys, some of them with stubby, simplistic features, has lured even those with no yarn work experience into the world of crochet. For the uninitiated, amigurumi is related to crochet (and knitting, but mainly crochet) and is, in poor, over-simplistic way to explain it, 3-dimenssional cute toys and plushies that you crochet instead of sew. Whether or not you have heard of amigurumi before, it is easy to see why amigurumi has become so popular.
For those who never crocheted before, the concepts and patterns might be foreign to you. Even after I had crocheted for around 5 or 7 years, I still found some of the concepts hard to wrap my mind around at first. And if you are at the complete beginner level, things would be much harder than someone who has crocheted before. But that does not mean amigurumi is not for you. At the very least, even if you decide to not crochet, knit, make amigurumi toys, or anything else, you may grasp a further understanding of what work and cost goes into making these kinds of plush toys, and know those who sell finished products have the price the way they do.
For the sake of keeping this article as short as possible, I will suggest if you want bare basics to refer to one of the many sources that are available in books and online about crochet and amigurumi. I will mainly be going over the costs and investment, to help you judge if you want to get into crocheting amigurumi toys as a hobby or other.
Materials
(See our Before You Try Crochet article for more details of the basics. We are going by standards pertaining to the US, and the costs are ranges that are roughly estimated).
Your basics from crochet include yarn, crochet hooks, yarn needle, and stitch markers. Stitch markers are far more necessary in amigurumi than in regular crochet, especially if you are learning something new, using a complex pattern, or making your own amigurumi toy from scratch (including making the pattern). The sizing can be more various for yarn weight and crochet hooks, and the goal is to have the project easy to work with while having the holes of each stitch as small as possible so the stuffing won’t peek (or fall) out. One thing I want note about crochet hooks: I noticed that some different types, shapes, and styles of the same sized hooks are not that uniform as you might think, even though the hook size is labeled in the same millimeter(s).
Besides the basics that are used in crochet, you will also need:
-Toy stuffing or poly-fil: $2 - $15 or even higher depending on sales, how much you get, and the brand.
---Having the stuffing ‘beans’ that are used to weigh down plush toys will require more work and cost, and you will still have to use regular stuffing alongside it. These ‘beans’ range in cost about $3 - $20 roughly estimating. If you want your toys to have these pellets or beans to add weight to you amigurumi, you will need basic skills in sewing, sturdy cotton or simple fabric (costs range from $1 to $10 for something basic and depends on how much you get and what exactly you are getting), thread for sewing ($1 - $6), and a sewing needle(s) if you plan on hand sewing ($1 - $5). If you have a sewing machine, it will be far quicker work, but a machine takes up space and the costs are most always over $70, and that is the most cheap, basic, travel or small-sized of the lot; usually most sewing machines are over 100 dollars.
-A tool (or tools if you need different sizes) to help stuff the amigurumi: This can be the plain end of a larger crochet hook, a wooden stick, or your fingers. In some brands of stuffing, a wooden stick comes with it for that very purpose.
-Embroidery thread: $0.50 - $3 each. Cost depends on brand, seller, type, and more. There are some that surpass this price range, but for starting out, I am sure many of you won’t have to worry about it. This is for added details like the eyes and face, and are far safer if you intended on making amigurumi toys for a child.
-Safety Eyes: $2 - $25. These are optional if you plan on embroidering eyes and other details. You can get whole sets of safety eyes that hold multiple sizes and shapes, or you can get multiple pairs of one desired size. Becoming familiar with millimeters (mm) is useful for knowing what size is the best fit for you amigurumi. If you make a children’s amigurumi toy, and don’t want to embroider the face but use safety eyes, take precautions; they have to be 3 or older, and at that age might need supervision while they play with the toy. Also, always use the backings that come with the eyes to secure the eyes in place. Go a step further by gluing the backings and posts with a safe yet sturdy and reliable glue.
-Tapestry and/or Embroidery needle(s): $1 - $7. There are different sizes, so if you are unsure which sizes you will need, you can get a set that has multiple sizes in one pack. A tapestry needle can be a more durable or sturdy alternative to the yarn needle (as long as you get a large enough size) and both can be used, as where the metal tapestry needle is sturdy and straight, the plastic yarn needle tends to be more flexible. Embroidery needles are only necessary if you plan on embroidering (or ‘sewing on’) details. Both are optional and depend on your own projects and preferences.
-Patterns: There are many free patterns out there, but don’t discount the paid patterns either, even if they seem simple, they are usually worth the enjoyment they bring. Even on video tutorials, knowing how to read and understand a pattern is imperative.
Patterns to Final Results
You do not always have to follow a pattern to the letter. Size and texture can change based off of the type and weight of yarn you use and the crochet hook size. Finished appearances can be altered by colors and details. While the overall structure of the pattern you must follow to achieve that original shape and look, your tension, your experience and skill, and the materials you use impact the result. It can happen by accident, or it can be a deliberate modification to achieve your desired look. All of these aspects can determine if your amigurumi looks like the plush shown on the pattern. As a beginner, know that the newer you are to crochet in general and the newer you are to crocheting amigurumi, the more likely your toy will not look as much like the toy show on the pattern.
If you want to make sure that you get your toy to look like what the pattern intended it to look like, using what’s on the pattern’s material list and going by the pattern, using the same techniques used instead of alternatives, and guessing the proper tension the author of the pattern used to hold the yarn can make the final result more predictable.
Learning New Skills
First off, I strongly recommend that you learn how to crochet and become familiar with crochet before you try amigurumi. It will save time and frustration as well as it requires less costs and requires less supplies. When you learn how to crochet, how to read a basic pattern, how to hold the hook and yarn properly, and more that we discussed in our previous crochet article, you can spend more time focusing on techniques more specific to amigurumi. Having to learn everything all at once is not fun.
In some patterns, and for some shapes, the slip knot and basic chain are used, like for making something that is oval in its shape. But for many amigurumi, the Magic Circle (aka Magic Ring) is used instead, for circular shapes. If you have learned this while crocheting a circle before, then all the more power to you. The Magic Circle is a technique used as a start instead of a slip knot and foundation chain, and is the best option as it provides a more secure and more fully closed finish. There are many ways to begin a Magic Circle, so if you find a tutorial confusing, you can simply go to other tutorials and see how different people make a Magic Circle. It is always the same in the end, but the way you position the yarn and make the circle can depend on what way is easiest or makes the most sense to you. To summarize, don’t panic if you don’t understand at first how to make a magic circle; there are many ways of going about it, and I am sure you will find what way is best for you. You only have to search and not rely on only one source.
The basic single crochet stitch is the go-to stitch in amigurumi, and most all patterns I have seen use this as a main stitch. Do know that in the US it is referred to as a single crochet stitch (abbreviated as ‘sc’ in patterns), and British may refer to it as double crochet (dc). In some countries, diagrams are used for patterns like in many Japanese pattern books. For others, the abbreviations (or symbols or letters) representing a stitch or direction is deviates from one another including the previously mentioned. Be rest assured there are ‘keys’ that provide a sort of ‘translation’ to different types of abbreviations available in books and online.
Another recommended technique to learn is the invisible decrease, which is more seamless and neat compared to a normal decrease. For those who have access to online tutorials, there are many videos that discuss the differences in the technique itself that the final look of them. Keep in mind that there are a few different ways a decrease may be abbreviated, though it seems from my experience ‘dec’ is the most common.
Whether or not the pattern is worked in a spiral or not can change the look of the pattern, and knowing how the original pattern is done is something that is good to take heed of, for if you work in spiral rounds when the pattern calls for you to end the row with a slip stitch then chain one and begin next row, the result may look different than what the original pattern intended.
Time and Effort
As a beginner, everything is harder, slower, more tedious. When you start crocheting your first amigurumi, you will still probably be familiarizing yourself with reading a pattern and the techniques used in making amigurumi. The pattern itself will probably be new to you, and therefore it will take more time. As said before in the article Before You Try: Crochet, crochet and knitting take time. Simple amigurumi patterns can take someone experienced in crochet a whole hour to complete, or three. The larger the amigurumi is to be, the smaller the yarn and hook size, the more complex shapes and parts you must form, the more stitches and rows that make up the amigurumi; they all contribute to a longer project. The simpler, the quicker.
When it comes to crochet, your mind does not always need to be completely focused on your project. Your mind can wander while you work, and you can still be open to conversation (if you are comfortable with crocheting and the project you are working on). A scarf is simple, straightforward, and you can distinguish when your row begins and ends, and where you are on a row (when it is simple; there are more complex stitches that might make it more difficult). Amigurumi, however, most always requires some concentration, even when you have the help of stitch markers. And when you are stuffing the toy, you cannot just pack it in, you have to go about it in a way that does not compromise the shape. Also there is the question of when to stuff, and how much to stuff. And after you finish stuffing the toy, you still have to close it, with the stuffing viable to get in the way. There are ways to assuage that situation, but every project is different, and if you are working with something very small (like with lace size yarn), it is harder (and slower) either way.
If you are a beginner with some base of crochet, it will still take time. For beginners it can take anywhere from twice to five times as long (including both the absolute beginner and the one who knows how to crochet already). That is why I suggest you crochet first; you have to worry about less materials, you are building foundational skills, and you are already seeing whether or not amigurumi is something that you can realistically get into doing.
Final Thoughts
Don’t let yourself be discouraged by numbers or time. I myself find aspects of crocheting amigurumi very tedious; the reason I still do it is because I find that the end result is worth it to me. I try to take my time and make sure it will be worth it too, because putting that extra effort into making sure everything is right makes the final product more desirable, and therefore worth-while. Maybe later I might share my first amigurumi project I ever did and how it went, but I will say for now, that when you do put that much time and effort into something, not only do you want it to be perfect, the act of making it yourself can, for some people, make the amigurumi more likable to you. Hopefully, even if you don’t decide to crochet amigurumi or crochet at all, you can at least be aware of all that goes into making things. That said, I am glad to hear when others take an interest in crochet and amigurumi, and I hope that those of you who decide to try it out will enjoy it and find it worth the time and effort.
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