Crochet essentials

Step-by-step guides to many useful stitches and techniques that you’ll use every time you make amigurumi

SIMPLE STEPS HOW TO WORK A MAGIC LOOP

1 To start a magic loop, don’t make a slipknot. Instead, make a loop with the yarn, leaving a tail around 10cm long. Make sure the tail end is under the working yarn.

2 Insert your hook into the loop, from front to back. Wrap the working yarn round the hook anticlockwise and pull the yarn through the loop.

3 Make a t-ch for the sts you want to work (above, we made 1 t-ch for dc). Now work the sts into the magic loop, making sure you work over both the loop and the tail end (so, 2 yarn strands).

4 Once you’ve worked all the stitches you need, pull the tail end of the yarn to close the ring. Work a slip stitch to join the first and last stitches to finish the first round.

SIMPLE STEPS HOW TO WORK DOUBLE CROCHET IN A SPIRAL

1 Make a foundation ring and work the t-ch (1ch for dc). Now work 12 dc stitches into the ring, but do not join the last stitch and first stitch of this first round with a slip stitch.

2 Instead, work the first dc stitch of the second round into the first stitch of the first round. To do this, insert the hook into the stitch, yrh, pull yarn through, yrh and pull the yarn through both loops.

3 You’ll now be working in a spiral. Continue to work more rounds of dc stitches in a spiral, according to your pattern instructions.

4 On the last round, after you’ve worked the last dc stitch, you’ll need to finish off the spiral with a slip stitch for a neat edge: insert the hook into the next stitch, yrh and pull through both loops.

SIMPLE STEPS HOW TO USE STITCH MARKERS IN SPIRALS

In some patterns, you’ll work the stitches in spiral rounds. If you’ve never done this before, don’t worry, it’s easy! At the end of a round, don’t join the first and last stitches with a slip stitch. Instead, just work the first stitch of a new round into the top of the first stitch on the previous round. Using stitch markers will help you to keep track of spiral rounds. Our step-by-step guide (right) will show you how to do this.

1 Work the first stitch of a round and place a stitch marker in this first stitch.

2 Work a spiral round of double crochet stitches until you’ve worked the last stitch of the round. The next stitch you’ll want to work into will have the stitch marker in it.

3 You’ll need to remove the marker, work the first stitch of the new round and then replace the stitch marker in this first stitch, to mark the start of the round again.