The amigurumi construction guide
Why amigurumi is worked in continuous rounds, how the magic ring avoids a hole, and where stuffing goes wrong.
Continuous rounds, not joined ones
Amigurumi is worked in a spiral. You never join with a slip stitch, because the join leaves a visible seam running up the body. Use a stitch marker in the first stitch of each round and move it as you go — without one you will lose your place within four rounds.
The magic ring
Starting with "chain 2, six stitches into the second chain" leaves a hole at the top of every head you make. A magic ring pulls closed. It is fiddly for the first ten attempts and automatic after that.
Stuffing is a shaping decision
Under-stuffed amigurumi sag and look sad. Over-stuffed ones show the fibre through the stitches. Stuff firmly in small pinches, filling as you close rather than all at once at the end, and stop when the piece holds its shape under light pressure.
Invisible decrease
A standard decrease leaves a bump. Working through the front loops only makes the reduction disappear into the fabric. Every Handlove pattern assumes the invisible decrease.
