Here is my basic to guide to creating crocheted stuffies. In this guice I will aim to teach you how the create the magic ring (magic loop, amigurumi ring etc.) and go on to tell you how to crochet a stuffed ball.
To begin you will need only three things;
Yarn - you can use any yarn you want, for this I'm using robins DK
A crochet hook - For this I'm using a 4.5mm (US G/H) though I would normally use 3.5 mm or 2.5mm (US C or E)
Stuffing - I'm using a synthetic fiber to stuff you could use anything fluffy really, though polyfil gets the job done and is cheap too :)
First off you'll want to learn how to create the magic ring (there is other ways to start but as I said this is my guide :P)
I've found a quick video showing how to do so:
Basically you just wrap your arn around your two fingers twice,
place your hook under the two loops,
wrap the yarn over the hook pull through the two loops in your fingers,
wrap the yarn over the hook and and pull through,
this is your magic ring:
From here you will then proceed to make 6 Single Crochet stitches into the magic ring and pull the end of the yarn, not attatched to the ball tight, resulting in this:
From here we shall continue to make the ball:
you should currently have 6 stitches in the ring, amigurumi is normally worked in a spiral, so no stopping at the end of rounds, thus after finishing the last stitch of a round you would then just stitch into the next.
round 2: work 2 sc into each of the 6 sc in the starting ring, making 12 stitches
Round 3: Work 1 sc into the first stitch, work 2 sc into the next stitch repeat in this pattern to the end of the round making 18 stitches.
Round 4: Work 1 sc into the first 2 stitches, work 2 sc into the next stitch, repeat in the pattern to the end of the round, making 24 stitches.
Round 5: SC into each stitch around
Round 6: SC into each stitch around
Round 7: SC into each stitch around
Round 8: SC into each stitch around
Round 9: SC into each stitch around
Round 10: work 1 SC into the first two stitches, work one SCDEC over the next 2 stitches, repeat in this pattern until the end of the round making 18 stitches
Round 11: work 1 SC into the first stitch, work one SCDEC over the next 2 stitches, repeat in this pattern until the end of the round making 12 stitches
Round 12: SCDEC into every stitch making 6 stitches
Now cut the yarn and tie off leaving a long tail of yarn, sew the final 6 stitches together to close the hole, poke the yarn through the middle of the ball, trim the excess and you're done! you've completed a crocheted ball.
What you do with this ball is up to you, you could sew a face on it, glue felt to it , make ears or legs.
This is the first thing I think anybody should learn whilst learning to create amigurumi.
