Every so often a new form or craft rises in popularity quickly for both those who design it and those who collect it. Such is the case of Amigurumi crochet which hooked its own following a few years ago and has continued to grow ever since. Amigurumi means crocheted or knitted, stuffed doll. Most people simply call them “cute”, and what originally was designed as a little girl’s toy now has a great following with adults.

A long spiral is formed out of single crochet stitches to form each portion of the doll, usually a body with head and limbs. Handcrafters find the dolls easy and quick to do and also have found a use for their leftover yarns that have been piling up in the closet.

There are literally hundreds of designs available with new ones popping up all the time. It is easy to find patterns on the internet and avid crafters have produced books with many more. Each part of the crocheted figures are filled with polyester or cotton stuffing and then sewn together. They may have felt, button, or other embellishments for facial features and other detail work.

While a lot of the dolls are made in the shape of animals such as cats, panda bears, owls and bumble bees, other patterns make “cuteness” in the shapes of cars or trucks, boats or submarines. There are even cookie and cupcake patterns.

Crocheting Amigurumi is not difficult. You don’t have to have crochet experience just the will to learn the single crochet stitch. There is no need to learn to increase or decrease stitches because it is made in the spiral. Learning simple crochet technique can be done watching a video on the internet, or from diagrams in a book. You can take a lesson or two from a crafting store or learn from a friend. You will be so excited about creating your little doll, that by the time you practice, you will probably have already finished the crocheting part of the project.

Amigurumi dolls are cute. Their large heads on smaller proportioned bodies, makes them quite endearing, well, and “cute”. If you are not a crafter and are looking to purchase some Amigurumi crochet dolls, they are available on various websites and online auction sites as well. Be prepared to spend a little or a lot.

If you like to do handicrafts, you will appreciate the free Amigurumi crochet patterns available online. A range of simple projects are yours for the asking with free crochet patterns .

There are many components when it comes to knitting patterns. Knitters need to have a design in mind before beginning, they also need to know certain techniques with their needles and, most of all, they must be able to understand the language of knitters. For beginners and experts, there are packets that they buy that contain yarn and instructions. Instructions may have abbreviated notes and one letter symbols.

A couple basic stitch abbreviations are ‘K’ and/or ‘P’. The letter ‘K’ stands for knit stitch. A knit stitch is basically pulling a loop of yarn through a pre-made loop on the needle. When you see the letter ‘P’, it means you should do a purl stitch. A purl stitch is when you pull the yarn through the front of a loop.

To begin knitting, start with a cast on (otherwise abbreviation as CO). A cast on creates loops on the needle. Knit or purl stitches follow after this. After these two steps, seek further guidance from your provided instructions. You will most likely begin knitting the design.

‘Sl’, ‘Inc’, ‘Rep’ and ‘Dec’ are common abbreviations within knitting instructions. ‘Sl’ is short for slip. To perform this technique, you simply slip a stitch from one needle to the other without working it. ‘Inc’ indicates that you should increase the amount of stitches according to the specifications of the instructions.

When you see ‘Rep’, you should perform the same line of stitches according to the amount of times listed in the instructions. ‘Dec’ is the opposite of ‘Inc’ and is instructing you to remove one or more stitches from the pattern. Work at least two stitches together to do a decrease.

Messages such as ‘work even’ and ‘maintain pattern as established’ are also common phrases. ‘Work even’ means to continue with the project without increasing or decreasing. When you ‘maintain pattern as established’, you are either increasing or decreasing the number of stitches at the edges. You will add or subtract stitches without disturbing the flow of the pattern.

As you continue with your knitting patterns, it should become easier. You will gradually become accustomed to the wordings, too. When you get towards the end of the project, you will see the abbreviation ‘BO’, which stands for bind off. This is instructing you to finish your knitted piece. Good job and good luck!

Are you a seasoned knitter or a beginner that still sometimes needs knitting help? If you’re looking for Knitting Instructions you’ll find it on our site.