Amigurumi basics, Lesson 3: Row, Round and Basic stitches

Hi hi!

Welcome to our third lesson. Today, I’m gonna talk about how to crochet a Row and a Round and also how to crochet some basic stitches.

Well, at first I thought about doing some videos showing each thing that I’m talking about here. However after I made a search at YouTube, I found a lot of great videos there and I thought that it isn’t necessary to make new videos if there are plenty explaining these things. That’s why I will just explain the basics and put a link to the video I liked more ^_^

When a pattern says that you are going to work in Rows, it means that you are going to crochet in lines, going back and forth. This means that when you finish a Row, you will turn your work and work back across the top of the previous Row, repeating this every time you finish a Row.

To start a Row we have to make a slip knot and then a foundation chain. The slip knot is an adjustable knot that prevents your work from fall apart.  There are many different ways to make a slip knot and you can use any of them, since they make an adjustable knot. Here it is a video by Fiber Flux explaining how to make a slip knot, which, by the way, is the same method I use on my works:

After you have a slip knot, it’s time to make your foundation chain. We call it foundation chain, because it’s the foundation of your work, it is the beginning of it. To make a foundation chain, you will make a slip knot and then crochet as many chains as the pattern says so. The chain is the first stitch we learn and practice when we are learning crochet.  Here it is a tutorial by Crochet Geek explaining how to do a Chain:

So, after you have your foundation chain, you are going to start working in Rows, turning your work at the end of a Row and working back across the top of the previous Row. The pattern it is going to explain which stitch you are going to make in each Row. For example, in my Mini Hobbes Pattern his belly is made working in Rows, where you are going to make a slip knot and two chain on the foundation chain. Then, you will make two single crochets (increase) in the second chain from hook. That is what is written in the first line of the pattern “Row 1: ch 2, inc in the second chain from hook (2)”. After that, you have to chain one and turn your work, then make an increase in each stitch “Row 2: inc in each sc (4)”.

Also, when you are going to turn a work, you may just turn it at the end of the Row or it may be necessary to make one or more chains, after you finish the Row, to turn your work. This information should be on the pattern. However, usually when the pattern doesn’t say anything, if your work is using single crochets it is necessary to make one chain before turning your work. The amount of chains it will vary depending on the kind of stitch you are going to crochet in the next Row. For single crochet we make one chain and for dc we make two chains. Here it is a video by HowcastArtsRec explaning better about how to turn:

Well, here it is a video showing how to work in Rows by tlcinspirations:

When a pattern says that you have to crochet in Rounds this means that you won’t turn your work at the end of the Round, because you won’t be working in lines, but in a circle. There are two different ways to beggin a Round. The basic one is to make the slip knot and a foundation chain. Then you joing the foundation chain and work around it. The other way, which is the one I use and I recommend to make amigirumis is the Magic Circle or Magic Round (MR). Using this method is better to make an amigurumi, because the hole in the middle of the circle it will be smaller then the one from the basic method. Here it is two videos explaining how to do both methods, the first one by HowcastArtsRec  and the second one by B.hooked Crochet:

There are two ways to work in a Round: Joining Rounds or Continuous Rounds. The most common way used in amigirumis is the continuous rounds, which you are going to work in a continuous spiral, never turning your work, and the end of each Round will be indistinguishable from the other stitches in the Round. This is the method I usually use to do my amigurumis and when I don’t use it, I put an information at the pattern to warn you that you have to crochet joining rounds. Here it is a video showing how to crochet in continuous rounds by V Jackson:

The method of joining rounds make a perfect circle and it is necessary when you are crocheting a striped amigurumi, like Hobbes or Mini Hobbes, because it makes almost invisible the color change. If you crochet using continuous rounds, the color change will be very clear. Here it is a great tutorial by Planet June explaning more about that: Perfect Stripes for Amigurumi. As you will notice, the con of this method is that it will leave a visible seam.

Here it is a video by Simple Crochet – Crochet Geek explaining how to join rounds:

Written tutorial about spiral and joining rounds by Look at what I made: How to Crochet in the Round: Spiral vs Joining

When you are crocheting on a Round it is possible to change from Rounds to Rows. In many of my patterns I use technic. It is something very simple, because you just don’t need to do nothing special to change from Rounds to Rows. Just finish the last Round and after start crocheting the first Row right after the last stitch you made. Here it is an example in Kagura in my Fruits Basket pattern.

4.1. Chain (Abbreviation: ch)

The chain is the first stitch we learn. It is usually used in the beginning of most projects.  When crocheting in a Row it is used in the foundation chain and also between each Row, when it is needed to turn the work. Also, it may be used to start a circle to crochet in a Round.

This is the first stitch you should practice if you are learning crochet. You should practice it until you get a regular chain. After that you may learn the single crochet.

Here it is a video by Simple Crochet – Crochet Geek showing how to make a chain:

4.2. Slip Stitch (Abbreviation: sl st)

The slip stitch is the smallest stitch in crochet. It is most used to join crochet elements, but it has many other functions. Here it is a tutorial by Crochet Guru:

4.3.  Single Crochet (Abbreviation: sc)

After the slip stitch the single crochet is the smallest stitch. It is the most used stitch when we are doing amigurumi, basically, besides the chain and the slip stitch, it is the only stitch you are going to use on most of the amigurumi patterns. Here it is a video by Simple Crochet – Crochet Geek explaining how to make this stitch:

4.4. Half Double Crochet (Abbreviation: hdc)

The half double crochet it is a stitch taller than the single crochet. Here it is a video by Simple Crochet – Crochet Geek:

4.5. Double Crochet (Abbreviation: dc)

The double crochet it is a stitch taller than the Half Double Crochet. Here it is a video by Simple Crochet – Crochet Geek:

4.6. Treble Crochet or Triple Crochet (Abbreviation: trc)

The treble crochet it is a stitch taller than the Double Crochet and it is rarely used on amigurumi patterns. Here it is a video by Simple Crochet – Crochet Geek:

Crochet Geek: Crochet tutorials

Crochet Guru: Crochet Guru

Dummies: How to Crochet

HowcastArtsRec: How to Crochet

Red Heart: Learn to crochet

Simple Crochet by Crochet Geek: Simple Crochet

That’s it. See you in the next tutorial :)