single crochet

Amigurumi for beginners

Learn how to crochet Amigurumi with my basic stitches tutorial for beginners, you can find all the stitches you need to know to start creating cute toys on this page. If you would like to know which materials you need to create Amigurumi please check my Crochet Materials post.

Basic crochet stitches Tutorial


Magic Circle / Ring:

To crochet in the round you begin with a magic circle. The magic circle is created in step 4 (orange) The steps after that show you how to create a magic circle with 6 single crochets. This magic circle is made with two loops, in the video under the illustration I will show you the magic circle made with one and two loops.

how to create a magic circle - Amigurumi for beginners

In this video I show you two version of the magic circle, great for beginners:



Chain Stitch (ch):

The chain stitch is the basis for all your crochet work, it is also called a foundation chain.
The illustration below shows you how to make a chain stitch. In the fourth (last) illustration one chain stitch is made (the loop on the hook does not count as a stitch).

chain stitch

Learn how to crochet a chain with the chain stitch video for beginners



Single Crochet (sc) (US term) – double crochet (dc) (UK term):

The single crochet is the most used stitch in crochet. When using a foundation chain you make your first single crochet in the second chain from your hook.

Single Crochet

Increase (Inc):

You can increase your stitches by making two single crochets the same stitch.

Increase

Decrease (dec):

Decrease is used to turn two stitches into one stitch.

decrease

Invisible decrease (dec):

The normal decrease is very visible in your crochet work. You can use the invisible decrease instead so your decrease won’t show. I recommend using this decrease when you are a bit more experienced with crochet,
because it is almost invisible and you can’t see the decrease in your Amigurumi crochet work. Which might be hard for beginners.
Note: The invisible crochet is done only in the front loops of your stitches.

invisible decrease

Slip Stitch (sl st):

Flat crochet stitch, used many times to finish crochet projects.

slip stitch

Half Double Crochet (hdc) (US) – Half Treble (htr) (UK):

The half double crochet is longer then the single crochet. You pull your yarn through 3 loops.

half double crochet

In this video I explain how to half double crochet:


Double Crochet (dc) (US) – treble (tr) (UK):

The half double crochet and double crochet are not very common in making amigurumi’s. But they are used a lot in other crochet patterns.

double crochet

Learn how to Double Crochet with this video:



Triple Crochet (trc) (US) – double treble (dtr):

Fasten off cleany

If you have crocheted a circle, this is a nice way to give your circle a pretty finished look. If you use a slip stitch to fasten off, most of the time your circle won’t look round anymore. With this technique you can finish your crochet work cleanly.

I hope you found my Amigurumi for beginners – basic stitches tutorial helpful.
The videos on my YouTube channel are also a great way to learn how to make your first Amigurumi.
There are a lot of cute Amigurumi video available on my DIY Fluffies youtube channel.