#crochetbasics

This is my eighth and final tutorial in my ‘Back to basics’ series.

Changing colours can add a lot of variety and dynamics to your Amigurumi. Similarly, changing size can change the appearance of the final piece. Go check out the previous post on increasing and decreasing stitches if you have not seen it.

Once you know how to change the colours, it’s pretty much the same technique throughout. ​It’s also essentially the same technique to use when changing colours in bobble stitches.

We are starting off with a light blue colour yarn. Note that the change in colour here will only occur in the next stitch (just after the insertion in step 1). Pull through light blue yarn.

Position the 2nd colour (in this case, dark blue) with the free end facing closest to yourself. Then yarn over the ball end of the new coloured yarn. Pull it through such that the only loop on the hook is in the new colour.

You have not changed colour yet but you are about ready to! Just continue a single crochet as you would but now with the new colour on the hook.

After inserting hook and yarn over in steps 5-6, you should have 2 dark blue loops on the hook. End off with pulling yarn through last 2 loops on hook to make a new sc in the new colour!

Ta-da! You have changed the colour in the round!

Most of my patterns have the colours stated in (brackets), for example if it says: sc1 (red), sc1 (yellow), sc1 (red) – basically it means single crochet in red then change to single crochet in yellow and then back to red again.

I do like to make a lot of colour changes, sometimes one ami alone can have up to 9 colours or more!

If you want a step-by-step laid out downloadable PDF of all the ‘Back to Basics’ tutorials, go check out my free 30-page ebook outlining everything mentioned so far and more: 

My free ebook has all the basic crochet tutorials laid out in the last few blog posts, in PDF form. I have even included some special crochet techniques which will be particularly useful when making miniature Amigurumi.

If you felt this was useful, please comment below any of the ‘Back to Basics’ blog posts and tell me if you would like to see more of this!

Look out for my next post on my newest 60-paged ebook release! It’s only available here on my blog so you won’t be able to find it on Etsy or Ravelry so do watch this spot!

This is the fifth tutorial in my ‘Back to Basics’ series. 

Previously I had gone through how to do single crochet and slip stitch. For a half double crochet, the stitch is taller than that of single crochet. I frequently use hdc to create a subtle bust appearance for my female amigurumi as it looks raised above usual sc in the round. 

To start off, do not insert hook into desired stitch first. Instead, yarn over first then insert the hook, so you should technically have 2 loops on the hook even before insertion into desired stitch. 

After steps 3-4, when you pull yarn through desired stitch, you should end up with 3 loops on hook (more than that for single crochet). 

Finally, yarn over and draw through all loops on hook to get the final hdc! The hdc achieves a taller effect than that for sc, but shorter than that of double crochet. I will be going through how to do double crochet in the next tutorial. 

If you want a step-by-step laid out downloadable PDF of all the ‘Back to Basics’ tutorials, go check out my free 30-page ebook outlining everything mentioned so far and more: 

If you found my free ebook useful, you will like what’s coming up at the end of the month...

This is my fourth tutorial in my ‘Back to Basics’ series.

Single crochet is the simplest stitch to make and what is used most of the time. You can use it in a chain or in a round like a magic circle. If you want to know how to make a magic circle, check out the previous blog post. 

Slip stitch, on the other hand, is great for ending off or for adding a flatter stitch to your amigurumi.

How to do Single Crochet

I’m using a darker blue and lighter blue yarn for easier illustration, this is not a changing colours tutorial, it will be covered later on. The steps involved for making the sc in a round are very similar to in a chain, in this case, the steps are for a round.

In step 1 in this example, I’m doing a single crochet into a new round. The hook insertion is into the 1st sc of the previous round. 

After you yarn over and pull through the yarn, you should have 2 loops on the hook. These steps 1-3 are the same for making a slip stitch, as you will see later on in this tutorial at the bottom. 

Having completed steps 4-5, you should end up with 1 loop on the hook again. There you have your first single crochet in the round! You can continue doing this all around the rest of the round. 

How to do Slip Stitch

As mentioned previously, steps 1-3 above for making the sc are the same for starting off a slip stitch. 

After you yarn over and pull through yarn through desired stitch, you will similarly end up with 2 loops on the hook. Only this time, use the crochet hook to hook the left-most loop THROUGH the right-most loop. 

What you will end up with is a flatter stitch along the round. Note that slip stitches are frequently used to end off because inserting a crochet hook into a slip stitch subsequently can be tight and difficult. 

These are the 2 shortest stitches you can make in a round or a chain, next up I will be discussing how to make a half double crochet, which is a taller form than that of a single crochet. 

If you want a step-by-step laid out downloadable PDF of all the ‘Back to Basics’ tutorials, go check out my free 30-page ebook outlining everything mentioned so far and more: 

Psst...I’m planning a special little something right at the end of the month - do look out for it!

This is the third tutorial in my ‘Back to Basics’ series.

In the previous post on starting with Ch2 and sc, we mentioned about how to start a round with that method but we do end up with a gap in the centre.

When using the magic ring technique, you can pull the free end of the yarn taut such that the gap disappears!

To follow the steps 1-3 in making a slip knot, check out this previous post. Note that in the 1st step here when you pull the free end of yarn through centre of loop, flip the position of the ball end above the free end of yarn. (In steps 1-3 of making the slip knot, the free end originally ends up above the ball end.)

In step 3, you have only completed the 1st chain. Insert hook into the loop in the centre, yarn over and pull yarn through the centre.

At this point, you should end up with 2 loops on the hook. Then yarn over to pull yarn through 2 loops on hook.

Ta-da! Your first completed Sc in a round. It’s very similar to making a single crochet in a chain but instead of inserting your hook in the next chain, you are inserting into the central loop!

Continue on single crochet to desired number of rounds, in this case I made it 5 in the round (sc5).

This is where the magic happens! After you have completed the desired number of single crochet, pull the free end of yarn taut. You should see the central loop getting smaller and smaller. If you pull till the end, the ring will completely close up!

Steps 10-14 is to complete the circle. Essentially you are joining up to the beginning of the round when you first started your 1st Sc (in point 6).

Some choose to single crochet into the beginning of the round, some choose to slip stitch instead. I will be going through these 2 basic crochet stitches in the next tutorial.

In this illustration, I have inserted the hook into the 1st Sc, drawn yarn through and made a single crochet to complete the round.

After this 1st Sc of the round is formed, I usually place my stitch marker here. This is to mark the beginning of the round so that you do not lose count when you continue crocheting in the new round.

Next up will be how to do single crochet and slip stitch. It will work for whether you are doing the stitches in a straight chain or in a circle.

If you want a step-by-step laid out downloadable PDF of all the ‘Back to Basics’ tutorials, go check out my free 30-page ebook outlining everything mentioned so far and more: 

Also look out for a little special something at the end of the month!

Previous - Starting with chain 2 and single crochet

This is the second tutorial in my ‘Back to Basics’ series.

If you are unsure how to start with a slip knot - go see the first tutorial here. This tutorial on how to start making a circle, which is usually how you would start off an amigurumi head.

Start off with a simple slip knot. After the first yarn over and pulling through the loop on the hook, you should have one foundation chain. 

Continue step 2 to get a chain of 2. (If you continue on doing step 2 a few more rounds, you will get a foundation chain.) But for the purposes of this tutorial which is to start the round, you will just end at a chain of 2.

In step 4, you will be inserting the hook into the 1st chain you made earlier in step 2 above.

After yarn over in step 5, pull yarn through the 1st chain, you will end up with 2 loops on the hook. 

Steps 4-8 are essentially the steps for making a single crochet. This will also be covered again in a later tutorial.

Repeat doing single crochet into the same chain, for a total of 5 times (sc5). You can start to see a circle forming. The downside to this method is that you will end up with a small gap in the centre of the circle.

On the other hand, if you use the magic ring method (which I do, often), you will be able to pull the gap closed in the centre. This will be covered in the next tutorial.

If you want a step-by-step laid out downloadable PDF of all the ‘Back to Basics’ tutorials, go check out my free 30-page ebook outlining everything mentioned so far and more: