It’s inevitable. We all make mistakes. Maybe you attached a part on your amigurumi in the wrong place. Maybe you crocheted the piece in the wrong color. No problem! I’ll show you how to fix it!
In the example I’ll be showing you today, I attached an orange beak on my owl… when the customer actually wanted a yellow beak. Ooops! But as you’ll see, it’s a problem that’s not too hard to solve.
Step 1: Remove the incorrect piece
The first thing you need to do is cut off the incorrect piece:
If you’re very careful, you can cut through the attaching thread, and preserve the piece (here, a beak) for re-use. However, the most important thing is to not cut your main body (here, the head). If you cut through the stitches on the head, it will be nearly impossible to repair.
Therefore, I err on the side of caution: I would much rather cut through an important piece of my beak (and re-crochet it), than to cut a stitch on the head.
Once you’ve cut the piece, pull it off:
Ta da!
You’ll notice that a little bit of orange remains, that’s where I tied the knot to secure the beak. It’s okay that it gets left behind: it’ll be covered up by the new beak. Remember: the most important thing is to not cut through body stitches, and the risk of doing so would be too high if I tried to remove this knot.
Step 2: Attach the new piece
Attach your new piece where you’d like it to go:
When you’re finished attaching, tie a knot. It’s not possible to attach the knot on the inside (the preferred way of making sure the knot is invisible), since the piece has been stuffed, so you’ll have to do your best to make the outside knot as invisible as possible.
Now, insert your needle through the body, and pull… this will pull the tail in and help to hide the knot a bit:
I adore the bobble stitch: it’s such a great texture! I developed this stitch because I wanted a puff… but the traditional ‘popcorn stitch’ (used in a lot of sweaters, hats, and afghans) leaves a hole in your work that isn’t suited for amigurumi.
The bobble stitch (bbl st) creates a puff… but by using the front loop of the previous round, creates a hole-less fabric just as plain single crochet would!
The Bobble Stitch Video
Interested? Learn how to do it!
To view the video in a larger screen, press ‘play’, then click the square icon in the lower-right-hand corner of the dialog box!
You can use this stitch in some really unexpected ways!
Of course, you can use it to give an alligator a bumpy back like you saw above. (That pattern is in the book Crocheted Softies.)
But take a look at this guinea pig.
See how the feet are just itty bitty bumps? Those are bobble stitches!
Every Tuesday, I post a helpful tip… and this week, I’ve been getting a lot of questions about how to handle the unused yarn while crocheting with two colors. (It’s funny: you wouldn’t think there would be trends in customer questions, but there certainly are!)
For today’s post, I’ve made a video showing you how to strand your yarn while working color changes.
Which technique should you use?
When you’re working with two colors in crochet, there are a quite a few ways that you can handle the color changes. You can:
Use separate balls of yarn for each section of color (called ‘Intarsia’, this technique works best with large blocks of color and when working in rows)
Carry the unused yarn along the back of the work (called ‘Stranding’, and works best over short color-changes)
‘Crochet over’ the unused yarn (this resolves some problems caused by stranding, but the unused yarn is often visible through your crochet)
That’s a lot of choices, right? Which technique you use will depend on how many stitches are between your color changes, and whether you’re working in the round or in rows.
How to use the stranding technique: the video
Stranding is best used for short color changes, and can be used in rounds or rows. Therefore, it’s a technique that comes in handy, often!
I love the loop stitch. It’s a fabulous textured stitch that you can use to add loops to any crochet work. It’s a stitch I’ve used to make a squirrel tail and fluffy ears on a Maltese.
Unfortunately, I think a lot of people are scared by the loop stitch, thinking it’s too complicated or tricky. But I’m here to help… because I want everyone to feel confident with the loop stitch!
Here’s the lowdown: there’s one very common mistake that many people make when crocheting the loop stitch. And, it’s a mistake that will cause your work to get big holes in it.
The good news is that I’ll show you how to avoid this mistake, and then the stitch will be easy-peasy! Plus, you can even snip your loops for a fabulous ‘hair’ texture… so keep reading!
How to do the Loop Stitch, in photos
First thing’s first… let me show you how to do the loop stitch (lp st). For those of you who prefer videos, keep scrolling!
To do the loop stitch, insert your hook into the next stitch, just as you would for a single crochet.
Now, here’s the key part: we’re going to make the loop! Wrap the yarn around the index-finger of your non-hook-holding-hand (that’s my left hand, because I’m a right-handed), and plop that loop totally on top of your hook:
See how the there are two strands of yarn (the ‘start’ and the ‘end’ of your loop) on your hook? That’s what you want! Now, pull both of these strands making up your loop through the loop on your hook.
Your work should look like this:
Notice how it’s like there’s a twin-loop on the left, and a lonely loop on the right? That’s perfect. I know it looks different from other crochet stitches, but don’t let that scare you.
Now, wrap the yarn over your hook:
And pull the yarn through all of the loops on the hook. The right-side of your piece will look like this:
What?!? Where’s the loop? It’s on the wrong side of the work. I know, that’s weird. But it’s how the loop stitch rolls. Here’s a view of the back:
And here’s what it’ll look like if you keep crocheting…
How to do the Loop Stitch, video
I know some of you learn better through videos, so I made one for you!
The video begins after you’ve already inserted the hook into your next stitch, and are ready to make the loop…
What usually goes wrong…
Whenever I get an email asking for help with the loop stitch, I can usually guess what the problem is before reading the email. That’s good news! It means that there’s really only one part that usually goes awry.
And once you know that tricky spot, you can avoid it!
So, let’s have a look. Most people are pretty good at the ‘insert hook into next stitch’ part. It’s the ‘making the loop’ that causes the trouble.
Let’s see what happens if instead of catching both sides of the loop with your hook, you only catch one, like this:
Your finished loop will look okay at the start:
But, as you move your piece, you’ll notice that the loop will come undone:
And this will make a big hole in your work:
That’s sad. It’ll make your piece all holey… and there won’t be any loops left. So, don’t do it this way!
Go one step further… snip your loops!
Ever thought of making ‘hair’ for your amigurumi? Just do the loop stitch, and snip your loops!
So, let’s say you have your finished piece:
Grab your scissors, and snip each loop in half (at the ‘top’ of the loop):
And you’ve got hair!
If you’ve done the loop stitch correctly (by catching both sides of the loop as you crochet), then the pieces shouldn’t come loose!
Will you loop?
Maybe you’ll give a loop stitch pattern a try… or maybe you’ll be daring enough to add the loop stitch to a pattern you’re already working on! Report back about your results!
Here are handy links to all the posts teaching more fancy crochet stitches. . .
Today, I’m sharing a tip that Mariana (from Chile!) came up with while taking my Amigurumi Woodland Animals Class on Craftsy. Is it a pattern for a crocheted sweater?
Nope… it’s way more clever than that! It’s a way of making your animal look like he’s wearing a sweater, by following the pattern and just adding in some color changes!
To get this look, you just need to make a few simple modifications to the Teddy the Bear pattern.
Pick a contrasting color of yarn (in the same thickness as your main ‘bear’ color) to be the crocheted sweater. The yardage will be about 40% of the total main color yardage specified in the pattern.
Crochet the body using your sweater color.
For the arms, crochet the first 6 rounds in the main color (as in the pattern), but then switch to your sweater color for the remaining rounds.
Sew a few buttons down the front of the body before stuffing it.
You can add a crocheted sweater to a whole variety of animal patterns! Instead of using the body color for the first six rounds of the arms, just use your best judgement to decide where the hands end and the crocheted sweater begins.
Now you’ve got a cute teddy bear wearing a cozy crocheted sweater!
Isn’t this a fabulous idea? And isn’t it great how you can modify a pattern, and come up with something that looks totally different?
If you want a pattern with the color-changes already included, try Byron the Bear.
Instead of a crocheted sweater, how about a hoodie? Try the Finley the Frog pattern.
Thank you so much, Mariana, for sharing your adorable bear and technique with us all!
Has this ever happened to you: you’re crocheting along, but discover that you need to use your yarn for another piece? Do you have to cut the yarn? Not if you know this little trick! This one will work for both crocheting & knitting.
As you can see here, I’ve been crocheting with the yarn from the center of the skein of yarn. And here’s the thing that’ll help you: every ball of yarn has 2 ends!
You can use this second end of the yarn to start your new item… while leaving the existing piece in tact! To do this, you’ll want to pull out your crochet hook:
And fasten a safety pin into your loop to keep it from unraveling (if you’re knitting, you’ll want to use a stitch marker as you pull out your needle):
With your previous work secured, you can pick up the second end of the yarn and make a new piece!
Once you’ve completed your urgent 2nd project, you’re free to return back to your first project… and all without needing to cut your yarn!
How’s that for a handy trick?
This is particularly helpful if you have a slow-moving project happening on a very lovely skein of yarn!
Today, I’ll show you two ways to keep stuffing out of those final stitches of your dragon bottom.
Use your non-dominant hand
The easiest way to keep stuffing out of your stitches for the last few rounds is to use the index finger of your non-hook-holding hand to push the stuffing out of the way of your hook as you crochet. You don’t need any extra tools, but it can make the final rounds slow-going.
Insert a piece of white felt
Another way to keep stuffing out of the way of your stitches is to cut a circle of white felt, and insert it into your work. I tuck the felt circle in at around the 3rd-to-last round. The felt will hold the stuffing on the inside, giving you a clear path to crocheting those last rounds!
Which is your fave?
It doesn’t matter which technique you choose… as long as it works for you!
Today, I’m going to talk about an instruction that can be confusing the first time you see it. Rotate your piece to work the bottom of the foundation chain.
What does that mean? I’ll show you both in photos and in video how to do it! It’s a great technique for achieving an oval shape in your crochet work (what I’m showing in this demo) but you’ll find it in lots of other irregular shapes as well.
Crocheting into the both sides of a foundation chain lets you create all kinds of shapes!
Photo Tutorial
Okay, so you’ve crocheted your first row, and your piece looks like this:
Now, you encounter the instruction to ‘work the bottom of the foundation chain’. What does that mean? First, rotate the piece 180 degrees clockwise so that the row you just crocheted is on the bottom:
Now, crochet along the bottom loops of the foundation row (working from right to left), just as if you were working a regular row!
Once you’ve finished the row, you’ll have a lovely oval piece!
Want to learn how to make adorable crocheted stuffed animals with an easy online workshop – totally free?
Sign up for Let’s Make Amigurumi here. You’ll learn how to get started, the tools and supplies you’ll need, and how to make an easy amigurumi from start to finish using simple crochet stitches.
It’s a fun, inexpensive, and totally portable craft. You can do it!
Before I start chatting about today’s tip, I want to thank everyone for making the FreshStitches Celebration Sale such a success! Deals were had far and wide… and the most popular pattern snagged was… you guessed it! The Choose Your Own Dragon Adventure pattern! Looks like we might have some more folks joining in on the CAL… yay!
Have you done that, yet? Good! Now, we can’t just leave it like that for two reasons. One, the stranding prevents the fabric on the tummy from stretching when you stuff the body, so you won’t get a nice, plush look. Two, the looseness of the stranding has probably left you with some goosey looking color changes:
Look familiar? We’d like those to look a little neater. So, what we’re going to do is cut the strands down the center:
Now you can see why it was important to make those strands at least 3″ long, right?
For the next step, we’re going to tie together (using a simple square not) each color-change pair: one MC tail and one CC tail:
When you’ve tied off all of the tails, the inside of your dragon will look like this:
I also really like ears that fold from the side into the center. You can see both sides folded to the center here on Boone Bunny. . .
. . . and also just one side folded in to the center on this Maxwell Monster.
However you decide to do it, folded ear is a great technique. It looks complicated, but it’s all about the attaching.
Okay, let’s assume that you’ve crocheted the ear as instructed.
Whipstitch the opening of the ear closed
Press the opening of the ear flat, and using the long tail and a tapestry needle, whipstitch the opening closed. I stitch through one stitch on the top of the opening, then one stitch on the bottom of the opening, until I’m the whole way across.
It’ll look like this when you’re finished.
Don’t cut the tail… you’re still going to use it!
Fold the ear
Just like it sounds! Fold the ear however the pattern, along the edge you just whipstitched. This is an ear from the Mix & Match Dragon pattern and I’m folding it in half.
Remember that tail you have? It should be on one corner of the ear. I like to run the tail (with tapestry needle) through the other corner, so that the fold stays closed.
Attach the ear to the head
Now, just attach the folded ear to the head using whipstitches all around. Take one stitch in the ear, then one in the head. Repeat, working your way all the way around the base of the ear.
