You may be wondering why you need to learn double crochet. After all, amigurumi are mostly single crochet. That gives the tightest fabric with the smallest holes for the stuffing to peek through.
But sometimes we need some slightly taller stitches (like on the convex side of a bendy piece) so we use half double crochet.
And sometimes we need something even taller, so we use double crochet.
In this video I show you a swatch where you can see (and compare height) between the three most basic crochet stitches – single, half-double, and double.
And, of course, I show you how to do it. 🙂
See how easy that is?
And how much taller it is than single crochet?
That height means bigger holes, so you’ll never see this in amigurumi bodies that need to be stuffed.
But sometimes we’ll use it for special amigurumi details, like the feet on Russ the reversible chick and egg.
One row of single crochet made the feet too small, and two rows was too big. These are just right.
You also see it here in the eye-brow rings on Nelson the Owl.
See how nice and tall they stand up to make elegant eyebrows?
You might also see double crochet as a part of other stitches, like these scallops along the edge of Flit the Fairy‘s hair and wings.
There’s a video here showing how to crochet scallops.
See? Even though amigurumi are mostly single crochet, there are lots of ways to slip in a little bit of double crochet for special touches.
Bonus – double crochet works great for scarves and hats. It’s a little more drapey than single crochet – and extra drapey if you go up a hook size from what the yarn label recommends. It gives scarves and slouchy hats just the right softness.
Here are handy links to all the posts teaching the basic crochet stitches. . .
- How to Chain
- How to Single Crochet
- How to Half Double Crochet
- How to Double Crochet
- How to Slip Stitch
Return to the main table of contents for Let’s Learn to Crochet Amigurumi.
Move on to the lessons for more advanced crochet stitches.
Happy stitching!
