Amigurumi Tutorials Archives - Sueños Blanditos

Posted on 16 May, 202316 May, 2023 by Gretel Crespo — Leave a comment

Several ways to decrease

Do you know there are several ways to decrease?

One of the things that anyone who wants to crochet amigurumis must master with skill is making increases and decreases.

Today I am going to talk about the latter and the importance of doing them correctly.

In a previous post I have already told you about the decrease rounds, which are those in which we remove stitches crocheting sequences with decreases. In this way we reduce the width of our piece, modify its shape or even finish it.

Let’s see what are the different ways to decrease:

Skip a Point:

It is the basic method, but not recommended if what you want is a good aesthetic result.

Consists in:

Crochet the stitch over the second of the 2 stitches in which you must decrease, leaving the first one unworked. In theory you make a decrease, so you reduce the number of stitches. In practice, you leave holes in the fabric and a untidy look to the piece. Using it when working in the round is not a good idea, so its only use would be at the beginning of a row when we work straight.

The Traditional Method:

It is the simplest and the most used by beginners.

Consists in:

1. Insert the hook, which already has a loop on it, in the first stitch where you must decrease. Take the thread, and return. Now you have 2 loops on the hook.

2. Then introduce the hook in the next stitch and do the same. You already have 3 loops on the hook.

3. To finish the decrease take the thread and go through the 3 loops in one go.

If you realize, in steps 1 and 2 it is about starting to work the first part of 1 single crochet without actually finishing it, while in step number 3 you complete it.

In this way you join the 2 points, leaving only one.

Although this method is better than the previous one, the fabric is not clean, leaving small bumps or even holes in it.

The Invisible Decrease

It is the method used by more experienced crocheters looking for a neat and tidy appearance in their amigurumis.

To execute it, you must first look at the points. They have 2 parts, one in front and one in back.

When crocheting, you normally take the entire stitch with the hook, that is, the 2 parts, but sometimes you must take only one. This is what you will do in the invisible decrease.

Consists in:

1. Insert the hook only in front loop of the first stitch in which you must decrease.

2. Insert the hook in front loop of the second stitch.

3. Take the thread and cross those 2 parts.

4. To finish, with 2 loops on the hook, take the thread and complete the single crochet.

In this way you go from having 2 points to only 1, but unlike the previous method, the aesthetic result is much better. The fabric is even, without lumps or holes.

On the other hand, inside the piece you can see the back loops of the stitches that you have left unworked, something that you must take into account if you leave that part visible.

It’s not that difficult, is it? Do you dare to practice crocheting any of my patterns?

If so, send me the photo for everyone to see in the Gallery!

Posted on 1 February, 20231 February, 2023 by Gretel Crespo — Leave a comment

How to close our amigurumis

Do you have difficulties fastening off your amigurumis? Do not miss this tutorial on How to Close our amigurumis.

Fastening off the pieces of our amigurumis correctly is an important task, not only so that the stuff does not come out due to a badly closed last round, but also so that it is aesthetically beautiful.

When we crochet our piece in rounds, with spiral rounds and beginning with the magic ring, the ideal is to try to achieve that there are no differences between the last round and the first. Closing the last round can be somewhat difficult, since we usually do not have enough space to decrease the stitches with the crochet hook.

How do we do it then?

We have to use the yarn needle, joining the remaining stitches until we completely close the piece.

Let’s see it step by step. You will see that it is very simple:

1. Once the last round is over, you must prepare to start closing. To do this, work 1 slip stitch in the next stitch and tie a knot over it. Cut the thread, leaving enough tail to sew around the last round.

2. Thread the yarn needle with the yarn and pass it through the front loop of the first 2 stitches as a decrease. To do this, take the 2 loops together and thread the needle through them. Pull the thread a little. You have already joined the first 2 stitches.

3. Continue taking the next front 2 loops at a time, passing the needle through them to join until you reach the last 2. Pass through them in the same way, but this time form a final knot. Now you have closed the last round.

4. All that remains is to fasten off losing the excess thread inside the piece. Introduce it through the center of this last round that you have just closed, go through the amigurumi and cut.

Easy, right? And the result has been perfect.

This is how I do it, and you? Tell us your method to close your amigurumis in the comments!

Posted on 17 May, 202217 May, 2022 by Gretel Crespo — Leave a comment

How to sew the arms of our amigurumis

Are you looking for your amigurumis to have a natural posture? Do you find the raised arms in the shape of a cross unsightly? Don’t miss this tutorial: Sew the arms of our amigurumis

When finishing an amigurumi it is very important that we sew the pieces correctly, because their final appearance depends on it. A poorly sewn piece can easily come off and cause problems. Similarly, a poorly placed can make it ugly and spoil its design.

Sewing the arms of an amigurumi seems simple, but many times they can be too upright, in the shape of a cross, making the design ugly.

Today I am going to show you how to sew the arms so that our amigurumi does not have a forced appearance and at the same time, its arms maintain movement.

In my designs, the arm piece is left open, that is, we do not close its last round, which helps us to sew them in a simple way. Let’s see how:

1. Put the arm in place with a pin.

2. Look at the last round of the arm as if it had 2 parts: the upper half (shoulder) and the lower half (armpit).

One trick to avoid stiffness is to not overstuff the end of the arm.

3. Sew the top half stitches to the body on the row you placed it on.

Continue sewing around the piece to finish at the bottom that you need to sew lower (2-3 rows lower).

In this way, the arm is united, but continues with the open form, which allows its mobility.

4. To finish off, insert the excess yarn from the top to lose it in the fabric. That way the arm will be a little lower.

As you can see, in a simple way you will ensure that your amigurumis retain a natural appearance and maintain the movement of their arms.

I hope you liked this tutorial about Sew the arms of our amigurumis and above all it was useful to you.

See you soon!

Posted on 22 January, 2022 by Gretel Crespo — 2 Comments

Video tutorial: How to sew the parts of an amigurumi

I am very excited to show you the video tutorial How to sew the parts of an amigurumi that our friend from Ylanas Yecla has made. You can see how to assemble the pieces of Baby Taz, your favorite character from the Baby Looney Tunes collection.

It’s great, right?

You can find the patterns of Baby Taz and his friends: Bugs Bunny, Lola Bunny, Tweety, Sylvester, Road runner, Coyote and Daffy Duck here in our store:

Video tutorial: How to sew the parts of an amigurumi

Baby Looney Tunes

As you can see with the Baby Taz example, the patterns in the Baby Looney Tunes collection are very easy to crochet and easy to assemble.

In addition, they are perfect for the little ones, both for their size and for their design. No hard materials are used. You can crochet them simply with a hook, yarn and fiber fill. No hard parts (buttons, zippers,…). All “soft”.

Don’t forget to visit the Ylanas Yecla online store that has a lot of products so that we can crochet our favorite amigurumis and many other things at incredible prices.

Ylanas Yecla

And so you don’t miss anything, you can also follow her on Instagram @ylanas_yecla and on Facebook

I hope you like the video tutorial How to sew the parts of an amigurumi and above all that it is useful to you.

See you soon!

Posted on 22 September, 202122 September, 2021 by Gretel Crespo — Leave a comment

Morphology of a crochet hook

As you know, to crochet amigurumis the hook is of special importance, since a bad choice of the same can lead us to obtain a bad result, hinder our work or even cause injuries.

This time I don’t want to talk to you about the different types of hooks, designs, materials … I will leave that for another moment.

Today we are going to start with the basics, with the parts that make it up and what each one is for.

Can you tell me how many parts a crochet hook has? And their names?

Let’s discover the Morphology of a crochet hook.

A standard hook is made up of 7 parts. Let’s see what they are:

1. Point or Head: It is the end of the hook that we insert into the fabric. We use it to hook the yarn and crochet the stitches.

In turn, it is made up of:

-Mouth: Hold the yarn when crocheting the stitches.

-Hook: Prevents the yarn from coming out of the mouth when crocheting.

2. Throat: Guide the thread into the work area.

3. Work area: It holds the loops and is very important because it determines the size of the stitches. The size of the hook tells us precisely the diameter of the work area.

4. Thumb rest: It is the flat part in which we place the thumb or another finger and thus be able to handle the hook. In this part usually appears the numbering or measurement of the hook.

5. Handle: It is the final end of the hook and is used to manage it with the palm of the hand or the other fingers, depending on the way in which we hold it.

As you can see, each part of the hook has its reason for being and knowing the morphology of a crochet hook will help us to improve our work.

Until next time!

Posted on 7 June, 20217 June, 2021 by Gretel Crespo — Leave a comment

How to know the weight of the yarn

How to know the weight of the yarn quickly and easily is an important matter for all of us who like to crochet.

As you know, one of the most important characteristics of my patterns is that the resulting amigurumis are “totally soft”. I do not use hard elements such as wires, buttons, zippers or even safety eyes. You can crochet them only with wool or yarn, a crochet hook and fiberfill.

Since these are the only materials that I use, it is essential that they be the most suitable to achieve the desired result.

There are many of you who ask me what type of yarn I use and since we are all from different places, sometimes it is difficult for me to explain and talk about centimeters, inches and categories according to their thickness.

Today I am going to talk about yarns, more specifically, how to know the weight of the yarn when you do not have any reference, for example, if you have a mysterious ball of yarn of which you have lost the label that specifies its characteristics.

But first, there are some things you should know about yarns to make it easier for you to choose the right one when crocheting your amigurumis.

Yarns are classified into several categories, but unfortunately, there is no single method to do so.

In general, there are:

• The standards of the CYC (Craft Yarn Council) that represents the most prominent members of the yarn industry in the United States.

Depending on the weight of the yarn, we can classify it into the following categories:

• The classification according to the number of plies that the yarn has. This system is the one used in the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.

The problem with this classification is that it does not determine the thickness of the yarn, but rather the number of strands that are twisted to form it. There is the possibility that a yarn of 5 strands (5 ply) may be thinner than a yarn of 3 (3 ply), by the mere fact that each strand is of a lesser thickness or have been spun with greater tension between them.

• Wraps per inch method (WPI)

As its name suggests, it is about classifying the yarn according to the wraps of the same that fit in an inch or what is the same, in 2.5 cm.

It is a very useful method to determine the weight of that mysterious ball of yarn without a label that you want to use, but you must bear in mind that it is not exact, since there are factors that can alter the measurement.

To use it you need:

• A rule.

• Something to wrap the yarn with uniform thickness. You can use, for example, a pencil or a pen.

It’s easy:

1. You must wrap the yarn so that each strand is next to each other, that is, they do not overlap. Do it carefully, do not tighten too much, or leave it loose, since you could vary the result too much.

2. With the ruler measure 1 inch or what is the same 2.5 cm. That is the length you should wrap.

3. When you have it, count the wraps you have made and guide yourself through this cheat sheet. Depending on the number of wraps, this will be the weight and category to which your yarn belongs.

If you have doubts, first try to do it with a yarn whose weight you know.

Let’s see some examples:

This picture shows the yarn that I normally use in my patterns. Using this method, I have made 17 WPI. That places it in category 2 Fine.

This other, on the other hand, is much thicker and for that reason I have only made 9 WPI. It belongs to category 5 Bulky.

Finally, we have a much finer yarn with which I have managed to make 28 WPI. It belongs to category 0 Lace.

As you can see, it is a very simple method, but remember that it is not exact, but only an aid that will help you guide yourself.

Until next time!

Posted on 30 September, 202030 September, 2020 by Gretel Crespo — Leave a comment

Straight edges: Importance of turning chains

Whether you are a beginner or if your level is more advanced, it is important that you have some basic crochet knowledge. This will help you easily follow a pattern or even adapt it to your needs. In today’s tutorial: Straight Edges: Importance of Turning Chains, I want to talk to you about one of the basic stitches: The chain, more specifically The Turning Chain and the importance of its correct use when making the pieces of our amigurumis straighter.

Many of you have asked me about this stitch that I use frequently in my patterns when crocheting in rows. Let’s see what it is:

A turning chain is just that, a chain that we crochet before turning and starting a new row. Its function is to provide us with a certain gap or height so that we can start crocheting at the first stitch in the row and thus keep the edge straight. Their presence does not count when determining the total count of stitches in the row, but their absence does mean the decrease of one of the points in the row: the first.

You will see it more clearly with an example:

We need to crochet a straight piece 12 sc long. For this we start with 12 chains?

If we work 12 chains, when we return crocheting sc over the chains, we will not be able to start in the first chain, there is no space to do it, so we must crochet over the second and when completing the row we will have 11 sc instead of 12.

To have the row of 12 sc, we must start with 13 chains and use the last of them to gain that space we need. This last chain will therefore be a Turning Chain.

When crochet consecutive rows, if we want to keep the edges of our piece straight, we must use the turning chain in the same way, that is, when we reach the end of the row, we make a chain that allows us to turn and start crocheting in the first sc.

Straight edges: Importance of turning chains — **Turn and start crocheting in the first single crochet**

In our example, we have used single crochets, but what if the rows we need have to be worked with other points? In these cases, we have to take into account the height of these stitches when using the turning chains to gain the necessary space and not fall short or excess.

We have already seen that 1 turning chain is used for a row crocheted with single crochets. The next stitch in height is the half double crochet. For it we will continue using 1 chain.

With the double crochet, on the other hand, it will be necessary to add a turning chain. Before turning and starting a new row, we will have to chain 2.

**Chain 2, turn and start crocheting in the third chain**

Following our example:

If we need to work a 12 double crochet piece, we will have to chain 14 and start crocheting in the third chain, using the last 2 chains as if they were the first double crochet in the row.

In the same way, when we continue crocheting rows, we must continue using 2 chains as a double crochet in the corners to keep the edges straight.

If with the double crochet we have to use 2 chains, with a treble crochet we will have to use 3 and crochet in the same way: Chain 15 to have a row of 12 treble crochet and 3 turning chains in the following rows.

**Chain 3, turn and begin in the fourth chain**

Recap:

As you can see, to get straight edges you need to take into account the importance of the turning chains.

Did you like it? It’s not difficult, is it?

Until next time! ?

Posted on 30 April, 201930 April, 2019 by Gretel Crespo — Leave a comment

How to crochet the union of the fingers of our Amigurumis

People, animals, objects… when it comes to designing an amigurumi everything is possible with a little imagination and some basic ideas.

This time I want to show you how to join several tubular pieces, such as fingers, so that you can easily start from them, giving rise to many other parts of your amigurumis.

As an example we are going to join 3 pieces, but you can join much more. Just keep in mind that it is a linear union, that is, each piece will be next to another and at the same level.

We start by crocheting each piece separately. We will make simple pieces, all 3 of the same size:

1. Work 6 sc in magic ring.
2. to 5. 1 sc in each st (6).
Crochet 2 pieces completely and fasten off, that is, cut the thread. Finish the third piece also completely, but don’t cut the thread to continue crocheting on the other two and thus be able to join them. Continue reading How to crochet the union of the fingers of our Amigurumis

Posted on 22 January, 20192 February, 2023 by Gretel Crespo — 2 Comments

How to change the size of your Amigurumis

Hello!

Many times you have found the pattern of an amigurumi that you love, that is perfect, just what you wanted, but when you see the size, it is too big or too small and it isn’t suitable… What can you do?

Don’t worry, this doesn’t have to be an unsolved problem. In a simple way you will be able to adapt the size of the amigurumi to your needs, whether you are a beginner or have a more advanced level.

We are going to see the solutions, from the simplest to the most complex. Continue reading How to change the size of your Amigurumis

Posted on 28 August, 20184 February, 2023 by Gretel Crespo — 2 Comments

How to sew the different parts of our Amigurumi + Kitten Pattern

We are going to deal with one of the issues that most concern the amigurumis crocheters, especially if they are starting:

How to sew the different parts of our amigurumi?

This question is important, because although you crochet each part very well, if when assembling the joint is not correct, it will not only affect the appearance of your creation, but you run the risk of detaching the pieces, with the problems that this can cause.

In order to sew the parts of an amigurumi you will need:

The different pieces previously crocheted in which, to facilitate the join, you will have left a thread at the end of the fabric. The length of this thread will depend on the size of the piece you have to sew. More it is better than less and it will be the experience that will allow you to adjust the lenght.
Wool or yarn of the right color in relation to the part you have to sew. You will need it in case you have not left a thread or that it isn’t enough to complete the joint of the piece.
Yarn Needle, that is, a needle suitable for sewing the wool or yarn that we use to crochet our amigurumis. You can find them in different materials, sizes and thicknesses. I usually use metal about 8 cm long.
Tape measure to place the pieces in the right place, especially if the exact measurements are specified in the pattern.
Pins to secure each piece in place and prevent them from moving while you sew them.
The diversity of the pieces and their placement force us to join them in different ways. Let’s see some examples applied to our amigurumi kitten:

Download Cat free amigurumi pattern >>

Joining an open piece without filling to a closed piece:

It is about joining the ears to the head of our kitten.

On this occasion, the open piece, as it does not have fiberfill, is flat, which divides it into two parts, front and back.

Once the piece is placed in the correct place, for what you can use a measuring tape (photo 1) fix it with one or several pins (photo 2).

On one hand, sew it by taking a piece of fabric from the head and on the other, the full stitch of the ear. (photos 3 to 6)

By this way when you have a part sewed, move the ear to the other side and sew the other part as close as possible.

Finally, make a small knot and introduce the remaining thread to lose it inside the fabric and cut the rest. You should do this to finish the join of all the pieces of your amigurumis.

You already have both ears of your kitten.

Joining an open piece to a closed one:

We have done it with nose and tail.

To begin, hold the piece with pins in the desired place.

Then, sew it taking a bit of the fabric of the closed piece, that is, the head and body of the kitten, to join it to each stitch of the open piece, point by point.

In the case of the tail, having a twisted shape, you must pay special attention to take the fabric of the closed piece so that the open piece keeps its shape.

Joining two flat pieces:

We are going to sew two flat pieces, one on top of the other. It is about joining the stripes of the kitten to the head.

You will do it in the same way: Take from the small piece the whole stitch and from the big piece a little fabric.

And so you have the kitten’s stripes:

Joining of two open pieces:

It will be the case of the join of the head with the body.

It is something very simple, because the number of stitches of both pieces usually matches.

Proceed then to fix the head in its place and once well centered, sew the stitches one by one, that is, the point of the head with its corresponding point of the neck.

Before finishing, when you have left 3 or 4 stitches to finish the join, a little trick to achieve more firmness in the head of any of your amigurumis is to introduce a little more filling in that hole.

You will be surprised to see that you can still put plenty of stuffing in this area of the neck because when handling it while we sew, the fiberfill has moved up (head) or down (body), leaving the area of the neck weakened.

If the head of your amigurumi does not hold up anyway, try this.

Joining the ends of the same piece:

It involves sewing the collar over the kitten’s neck joining the ends.

In this case, we will sew the jingle bell on this joint so more than its appearance, what interests us is that it has a V shape.

To do this, sew zig-zag taking the stitch of one of the sides and going to the next stitch on the other side to complete the join.

Joining two closed pieces:

In our example, we are going to sew the jingle bell on the collar.

To do this, after holding it in place (photo 42) take some fabric from each part, moving around the jingle bell and trying to do it in a small radius so that it looks like it is hanging.

This is all!

Let’s practice this tutorial crocheting this cute kitten.

Download Cat free amigurumi pattern >>

Happy crochet!

Skip a Point:

The Traditional Method:

The Invisible Decrease

Today I am going to show you how to sew the arms so that our amigurumi does not have a forced appearance and at the same time, its arms maintain movement.

A standard hook is made up of 7 parts. Let’s see what they are:

In general, there are:

To use it you need:

It’s easy:

Let’s see some examples:

You will see it more clearly with an example:

Following our example:

Recap:

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