Amigurumi are crocheted toys.

Amigurumi is an art form that is made by crocheting or knitting soft little cute creatures that resemble people and animals. Some needlewomen prefer to create such toys based on samples of inanimate figures, assigning them some human attributes - smiles, eyes, ears.

Characteristic distinctive feature Each such toy can be called a variation in proportions. This is what, apparently, causes emotion. And of course, a piece of soul and love is put into every toy. This makes these little creatures even sweeter, more soulful and prettier.

Amigurumi like separate species art is quite new in our region. Nevertheless, the number of his fans is growing rapidly.

Amigurumi first became known here around 2002. And within 4 years, in 2006, this technique began to rapidly gain popularity. However, despite this, many needlewomen have still not come across this art closely. Therefore, it is necessary to slightly open the curtain on the emergence of amigurumi, as a trend in needlework, its origins and a short history development.

Knitted toys have been known for thousands of years. Our ancestors made various figures that looked like animals or people. It was not quite similar to the art of amigurumi, which has become widespread now, but, nevertheless, its roots lie precisely in that distant past.
It is generally accepted that the origins and general description of amigurumi originate in Japan. IN literal translation The word "amigurumi" means a knitted soft doll.
Such toys gained particular popularity after the advent of animated cartoons. The popularity of seemingly wondrous toys has increased sharply: they have big head, small limbs, large sad or cheerful eyes. They are small, funny, very cute and all are endowed with some human traits. Anyone can act as a prototype for such dolls, the main thing is that it is touching.
Often such toys personified and were considered amulets and talismans that brought good luck to their owners.
Both toys for children and decorative ornaments for home.
At the end of the twentieth century, it was very difficult to get not only knitting patterns for amigurumi toys, but also ordinary scarves and napkins. A little later, when handicraft magazines began to appear en masse, this became possible. However, at that time the spread of even the most harmless foreign ideas was severely suppressed. That is why the art of amigurumi was practically unknown in our country.

Features of amigurumi

Amirugumi have a number of features that distinguish them from ordinary knitted toys.

Knitting method.
Each toy consists of individual parts. They are knitted seamlessly in the round. Each part is individually stuffed with filler and connected with threads.

Cuteness.
These dolls have a funny look and give a special mood. Often, amigurumi characters have human features - mouth, eyes, hands. Each toy is endowed with an emotional meaning: joy, sadness, fun and other signs of inspired heroes. A similar effect is achieved with the help of toning products and cosmetics.

Miniature sizes.
Amigurumi toys can have truly small dimensions - no more than 1 cm. The average toys reach 5 - 7 cm in height, but there are also real giants - up to 50 cm.

Disproportionality.
A characteristic feature that is unique to amigurumi is the disproportionate body of the toy. Their head, as a rule, is much larger than the body, and their limbs are moderately much shorter or, conversely, longer.

Knitting amigurumi: tools and materials

Hook

You should have several sizes of hooks on hand.
In order for the knitting density to be required, hooks ranging from No. 1.5 to No. 4 are used. The latter is used for knitting toys from coarse or textured threads.
For beginners, it is best to start with crochet number 2. This will provide the necessary density to the product and facilitate the knitting process itself.
When choosing a hook specifically for amigurumi, you need to pay attention to its tip and neckline. The end of the hook should have a smooth bend and not be sharp.
The large hook cutout will ensure easy retraction of the thread.
Skeins of thread usually indicate which hook or number of knitting needles is recommended for knitting with these threads.
In the case of amigurumi, the hook must be selected 1 - 1.5 sizes smaller than recommended on the threads.

Threads

When choosing yarn for amigurumi, you need to consider some nuances:

For beginners, acrylic threads or cotton yarn are most suitable. These materials are easy to knit and do not pill quickly. In addition, the color range of such yarn is very diverse. You just have to take into account that acrylic that is too thin will not provide the density necessary for amigurumi.
Iris threads are used for very miniature products.
Textured thread is more suitable for experienced knitters. When working with such threads, it will be easy for beginners to get confused and then the toy will turn out crooked.
Wool yarn is suitable for such knitting, but it should be remembered that toys made of wool quickly lose marketable condition when playing with them, falling off. A toy knitted with woolen threads visually seems heavier than it actually is.
Any thread is suitable for the amigurumi technique. Once you get used to it and gain skills, you can easily knit more complex textures from yarn.

Padding

Sintepon is most often used as filling for amigurumi toys.
An ideal material for decorating the inside of miniature toys is synthetic fluff, since it is evenly distributed throughout the entire toy.
It is not recommended to use cloth and cotton wool as padding, otherwise the product may become irregular shape or quickly lose your appearance.

Accessories

These can be various beads, beads, papillots, felt, buttons, factory-made plastic eyes, ribbons and other interesting small things that suit the style.
If you plan to use the amigurumi figurine as a hairpin or brooch, then you will need appropriate metal fittings, which can be purchased in specialized stores.

Embroidery needle and thread

These tools will be needed to sew together the parts of the toy. The threads must be strong and of the appropriate color.

Sharp scissors

Miniature products require accuracy, so stock up not only with patience, but also with a high-quality set of different-sized scissors with sharp blades. Don't rely on Chinese tool sets of different sizes, buy quality products, preferably individually.

Amigurumi patterns: brief description

On this moment, when creative needlework is welcomed in all its manifestations, it will not be difficult to get or find out any diagram of an amigurumi toy. An essential source of information is the World Wide Web. Having systematized the information provided about amigurumi, we can distinguish 3 main amigurumi patterns for creating a knitted toy.

Table schemas

They are widely used experienced craftsmen amigurumi. Each table contains data on the number of loops in the rows. Some of them are indicated in columns, others in rows.

Description schemes

Such schemes are widespread among beginner amigurists. You can decipher such a description even without special skills. This is a kind of formula, after reading which you get information about knitting rows.

Japanese scheme

It is quite difficult to use and can only be done for experienced needlewomen. Such instructions are presented mainly on Japanese. Although, at the moment, there are already translations into other languages, however, this does not make the work much easier, since special notations are used in these crochet patterns.
In order to show what the simplest description diagram looks like, you need to learn to read it. To do this, you should learn the basic abbreviations that are used in any description. knitting amigurumi crochet

air loop - VP;
double crochet - dc;
single crochet - sc;
increase - P;
decrease - U;
half single crochet - PSBN;
half double crochet - hdc.

It should be noted that amirugumi schemes can combine 2 elements: a description and the diagram itself. As a rule, when a diagram is submitted, its symbols are already deciphered and indicated on the side or at the top or bottom.
For beginners, there are schemes that do not contain any abbreviations, and if they do, they are completely deciphered.

Amigurumi for beginners: where to start

Knitting is done only clockwise. The first rows are knitted counterclockwise, then the product is turned over and the work continues clockwise.
You should not choose your first job too difficult. Japanese toys are often characterized by fine detail, which means that the doll will consist of many parts, which are then sewn together. For a beginner amigurumi master, you should choose a simple toy with a minimum number of details.
The doll needs to be knitted only on both sides of the loop. If knitting is done only on the front or back wall, the toy will turn out uneven, oblique and with scars.
It is important to choose the right hook for the job. If the tool is chosen incorrectly, then when working with the product, unnecessary holes will appear, which will spoil the aesthetic appearance of the toy.
When making a decrease on a product, you need to thread the thread through both loops and knit them together. If you just need to skip a loop and knit the next one, you will end up with a hole that will expose the stuffing.
Do not use cotton wool when stuffing toys. With such a filler, the product will quickly lose its presentability. appearance and will become “sullen.” The padding must be of high quality and durable.

Amigurumi master class for beginners

For the first master class, a cute option is perfect pink pig. When crocheting this toy, only one pattern is used - single crochets (SC). The principle of knitting such weaving can be easily found in simple video lessons on this topic. This is the basis when working with crochet. In such lessons, it is accessible and clearly shown how to knit such a column.

An approximate crochet pattern for beginners looks like this:

for the body we take pink threads and create a ring of 6 loops;
we knit them in a circle, adding a loop evenly in each circle;
Thus, we knit 7 - 8 rows with increases;
from row 7 to row 19 we knit in the round without increasing;
from row 20 to 25, we make uniform decreases in loops in each row;
as the part narrows, we fill it with stuffing;
in the last row we should have 6 loops left again, we pull them into one, pull out the thread and cut it off;
We also start knitting the ears with 6 loops closed in a ring;
on the second row we add 3 loops;
We knit two more subsequent rows without increments;
fold the ears in half and sew them to the head;
similarly, from 6 loops we begin to knit legs;
in the second row we knit 2 sc from each loop;
without any increments we knit 4 rows;
we fill the legs with padding polyester and also sew them to the body;
for the tail, we draw out 3 threads in the required place, weave them into a pigtail and go through it with fingers soaked in glue, and give the tail a spiral shape;
Glue the eyes and snout onto the head using a button or curl paper.

A cute, funny pig is ready to please the eye and lift your spirits.

Also, a great idea for making amigurumi for beginners is knitting using Kinder surprise boxes. In such cases, no filler is required, and the box itself, which is tightly crocheted, is the body of the future animal.

Dear needlewomen, try to create at least one with your own hands knitted doll and you will really like this activity, and even more so its result. If you are already good at crocheting, then this will not be difficult, but if you have picked it up for the first time, it will captivate and interest you. Using various master classes and video tutorials, you will get a fun, crocheted toy. It is quite possible that the first time it may not turn out the way you imagined it, but experience comes with time. Therefore, learn, fantasize and delight your children or friends with funny, cute and cute gifts.

Guests from the Land of the Rising Sun (crocheted amigurumi toys) are gaining increasing popularity in other European countries and the USA. They did not ignore Russia either. Here amigurumi acquires oriental features National character Russian folklore. Domestic needlewomen boldly and creatively approach the creation of knitted toys that have absorbed the traditions of Russian culture. This is how amigurumi nesting dolls, Parsley, the Golden Cockerel and even Ivan Tsarevich, Russian heroes, appeared folk tales. One of the most popular knitted Russian amigurumi toys is the matryoshka doll. It is the process of knitting that we will consider as an example. scheme amigurumi.

In addition to traditional folklore characters, heroes began to appear in Russia domestic cartoons: Cheburashka, Lion Cub and Turtle and even Masyanya! All this confirms the fact that no art can belong to one people, especially something as good as amigurumi.

In the vast expanses of the Russian Internet, entire online communities of knitted toy lovers are appearing. Craftswomen exchange experiences and ideas on numerous forums, create their own blogs and entire websites for amigurumi fans. You can also find many knitting patterns for this or that toy on such online resources. And to see with your own eyes the process of creating amigurumi, many needlewomen are happy to share their video tutorials online.

The process of knitting amigurumi dolls

So, we need the main thread for the body of the matryoshka, a little thread beige colour for the face, multi-colored yarn for decoration. You will also need a hook, filler, beads or ready-made eyes, a needle, an empty plastic bottle from a children's drink such as Rastishka, Actimel, etc., and a pebble for weighting.

We start knitting from the bottom of the nesting doll. Cast on three air loops, in the first we knit six single crochets (sc).

Second row. Knit two sc in each loop. The result should be 12 sc.

Third row. Add six sbn through one loop in this way: the first loop - 1 sbn, the second - two sbn, the third - one sbn, the fourth - two, and so on until the end of the row. The result will be 18 sc.

Fourth row. Add two sc through two loops into the third. The first loop is one sc, the second is one sc, the third is two sc, the fourth is one sc, the fifth is one sc, the sixth is two sc. Continue this way until the end of the row. The result should be 24 loops.

Fifth row. We add one sc through three loops into the fourth: in the first three loops - one sc, in the fourth - two. Continue knitting until the end of the row. The result will be 30 sc.

The bottom is ready. We cut the thread and fasten it. According to the size of the bottom, cut a circle from the bottom of an empty bottle of baby drink. Put it aside and start knitting the matryoshka itself.

Knitting starts from the head and continues to the very bottom.

Take a thread from the color of the matryoshka scarf. We knit a fastening loop, then two chain stitches, and in the first loop we knit six sc. Next, knit a circle similar to the bottom.

Twelfth row. Add one sc every four loops to the fifth. We knit in this way until the end of the row. The result is 36 sc.

Thirteenth row. Knit 36 sc.

Fourteenth row. We introduce one more, primary color. We knit five sc with a thread the color of a nesting doll scarf, then insert a hook into the sixth loop, pull out the loop and knit two loops with a thread of the main color. We knit 23 sc. Next, in the 24th loop we stretch the thread of the main color, and knit two loops with a thread the color of the scarf. We knit 6 sc to the end of the row.

Fifteenth row. We knit four sc with a scarf-colored thread, insert a working thread into the fifth and knit a loop with a thread of the main color. Knit 26 sc. In column 27, change the thread to a thread the color of a handkerchief. We knit four sc.

Sixteenth row. 3 sc with a finishing color thread, insert the main thread into the fourth loop and knit 28 sc. Finish row 3 sc with finishing color thread.

Seventeenth row. Two sc. We change the thread to the main one, knit 31 sc. We finish the row with two sc.

Eighteenth row. One sc, change thread, 31 sc with a thread of the main color, change thread, one sc.

Nineteenth row. We change the color of the thread, pick up two loops, knitting them with the finishing color, then change the color of the thread again, continue knitting with a thread of the main color 34 sc. We cut the finishing color thread and mask the tip by pulling it through the loops.

Twentieth - twenty-fifth row. Knit 6 sc, total 216 sc. We knit two more sc to the corner of the scarf.

Twenty-sixth row. Decrease sc after four by a fifth. We knit one sc in the first four loops, then we knit the next two sc together. Continue knitting like this until the end of the row. There should be 30 sc in the circular row.

Twenty-seventh row. Knit 30 sc.

Fill the matryoshka blank with filler. Place a pebble and the bottom of a bottle on top. Connect the body of the nesting doll and the pre-knitted bottom using sc. Tie the seam with the “crawfish step” pattern, which can be seen in the video collection. Cut the thread and hide it inside the nesting doll.

Knit the face of the nesting doll separately from flesh-colored thread. Knit a circle similar to the bottom and the beginning of the body. The result should be 36 sc, however, the size of the circle may depend on the needlewoman’s idea.

Sew the face to the body.

Separately tie the ends of the scarf. We cast on seven air loops, knit six double crochets, starting from the second loop, to the end of the row. Thus, we knit the second end of the scarf. We fasten the two ends together, knit a chain of air loops with a length equal to the circumference of the toy’s face. We sew the chain and ends of the toy to the face and body of the nesting doll.

We decorate the face by sewing on hair, eyes, and mouth. We paint our cheeks with crayons or blush. The amigurumi matryoshka doll is ready!