Craftuary Academy · beginner guide
Learn to crochet amigurumi, free
Amigurumi are small stuffed toys crocheted in tight spirals of single crochet. You need about nine skills, and you can learn them in this order: slip knot, chain, magic ring, single crochet, increase, decrease, rounds with a marker, stuffing and closing, and sewing parts on.
The order to learn it in
- Slip knot: the first loop on your hook.
- Chain: the base of flat pieces.
- Magic ring: how almost every toy starts, with no hole in the middle.
- Single crochet: the stitch that makes the whole toy.
- Increase: grows the circle.
- Invisible decrease: closes it again without gaps.
- Rounds and the stitch marker: keeps your place in the spiral.
- Reading a round: understanding the pattern.
- Stuffing and closing.
- Sewing a part on: arms, ears and noses.
What to buy
- Smooth worsted (weight 4) or DK yarn in a light colour, so you can see the stitches.
- A hook one size smaller than the yarn label suggests, often 3.5-4.5 mm for worsted (see the hook chart).
- Fibre fill, safety eyes, a stitch marker and a blunt yarn needle.
Your first toy
Start with a one-piece shape: a ball, a little ghost or a penguin. Every pattern on Craftuary is free to read, and each round has been counted by our checker. Browse the free patterns.
Learn it in 3D, freeCrochet 101 is ten short lessons, each a 3D loop you can watch from any angle. A free account saves your progress, earns the badge and unlocks the printable 2-page cheat sheet.
Start Crochet 101Free patterns
Fragen
Is amigurumi good for beginners?
Yes. Most toys use only single crochet, increases and decreases worked in rounds, which are the first stitches a beginner learns.
What do I need to start amigurumi?
Smooth worsted or DK yarn, a hook about one size smaller than the label says, stuffing, safety eyes, a stitch marker and a blunt yarn needle.
How long does it take to learn?
The ten Crochet 101 lessons take about an hour to watch and practise. A first small toy, like a little ghost or a ball, usually takes an evening.
More beginner guides