If you’ve ever come across adorable, handmade stuffed toys, chances are you’ve encountered amigurumi. This Japanese crochet craft has taken the world by storm and is a surprisingly easy and fun hobby to pick up. But what exactly is amigurumi, and how can you get started making your own crocheted plushies? 

What is amigurumi?

Amigurumi (pronounced ah-mee-goo-roo-mee) is the Japanese art of knitting or crocheting stuffed toys. The term is a combination of two Japanese words: “Ami”, meaning “crocheted or knitted”, and “nuigurumi”, meaning “stuffed doll”. Traditionally, amigurumi figures are animals, but they can also be people, food items, or anything you would like!

What materials do you need to make amigurumi?

Amigurumi does not require many materials, and a lot of these tools and accessories can be replaced with household items. This makes amigurumi a generally accessible and affordable craft hobby (until you become addicted to yarn like me). Here’s what you’ll need to get started:

1. Yarn - amigurumi can be made with any yarn of your choice, although I would recommend chenille yarn such as Teddy Bakery if you would like that chunky and buttery-soft feel. The yarn weight that you choose will determine the size of your plushie.

2. Crochet hook - the size of your crochet hook will depend on the weight of your chosen yarn. Typically, you want to size down your hooks for amigurumi projects to maintain tight stitches. If you are using Teddy Bakery (size 6 yarn / chunky), you will want to use anywhere between 4-6mm (my most commonly used hook size is 5mm)!

3. Stuffing - you can use polyester stuffing, scrap yarn, cut up old fabric - really anything that’ll get the job done. When I first started learning I would use stuffing from my dog’s old ripped up toys, (it was clean I promise) but you can typically buy small packs of polyester stuffing from your local craft store for under $10.

4. Safety eyes - these are plastic eyes that come with backs to secure them onto your plushie. They come in many different sizes and variations but you will likely want to begin with the standard black plastic safety eye kit (you probably don’t want to waste the more expensive custom eyes on new projects that might not turn out how you envisioned). Alternatively, you can cut out eyes from felt sheets, or even crochet the eyes yourself.

5. Stitch marker - this is an essential item for keeping track of your rounds. Amigurumi is most commonly worked in rounds from a magic ring or chain, and it will be impossible to see where your round ends and begins without a stitch marker. Stitch markers are very affordable, and you can even substitute them for thread markers or a paperclip if you need to.

6. Darning needle - plastic or metal darning needles are used to sew parts of your project together, and are another affordable supply. Before I had my darning needles I would use my crochet hook to weave the yarn for ‘sewing’, but it was much more time consuming and impractical.

7. Scissors - self-explanatory, you will need scissors for any crochet project when you need to cut the yarn!

This is everything you need to begin your amigurumi journey!

Where should I learn amigurumi?

There are so many free online resources to learn which has made this craft super easy to get into! This is what I would recommend you to try out as a beginner:

- YouTube tutorials: there are so many free YouTube tutorials for amigurumi beginners. You can find full beginner friendly tutorials for little amigurumi projects, and you can also find videos to teach you any stitch that you need. Just repeat and follow the instructions until you get the hang of it!

- Online patterns: there are many places you can go to find appropriate patterns for beginners such as Ribblr, Ravelry, and online blogs. 

- Social media platforms: TikTok and Instagram will also offer beginner tutorials and free beginner patterns, but will tend to be less detailed than YouTube and blog tutorials due to the format and time restrictions.

Tips to get started

- Start small: try to choose a pattern that seems reasonably achievable for a beginner. Choosing tutorials that say ‘beginner friendly’ is a pretty safe bet. 

- Make something that excites you: you don’t need to practice stitches 100 times before you can make something cute. I learned how to make stitches by crocheting a little chicken which made me more motivated to learn and improve. Learning by making something you have wanted to make (within reason) is a great way to keep motivated and also keep track of your progress as you improve.

- Don’t overcomplicate it: try not to overthink instructions and don’t be afraid to fail. Just start trying! The beauty of crochet is that anything you’re unhappy with can be frogged (undone) and re-made until you’re satisfied

And that’s all for this beginner’s guide to amigurumi crochet! I hope this inspires you to try this amazing craft and gave you some useful information <3