Branching is an easy and useful technique. There are two ways to create a branching effect: add a branch to the current round by crocheting in the back loop only or separating the current round into two branches. I used both methods for this project.

To create the little nub branch (where the blossom sits in the picture, simply decide how large of a branch you want to create. For example, let’s say you have a round of 24 stitches, and you’d like to make a branch that is 6 stitches in circumference. Crochet along until you get to where you’d like the branch to sit. Place a stitch marker into the next stitch. Crochet in the back loop only (the loop farthest from you) of this stitch and the following 5 stitches (6 sts total). Then crochet into the first of the 6 stitches (the stitch with the marker you just placed). Continue around this new mini-round until your branch reaches its desired size. To resume the main body, begin again by putting a loop on your hook with a slip stitch, then inserting your hook into the front loop where you began your little nub branch. Continue in the front loop for the next 5 stitches, then resume working in both stitches for the rest of the round.

To create the larger branch, you’ll divide the round. For example, let’s say you have a round of 24 stitches and you’d like to split it evenly into 2 branches of 12 stitches each. Place a stitch marker at the beginning of the round, and crochet into that stitch and the following 11 (12 stitches total). Make your next crochet into the first stitch of the round (where you just placed the stitch marker). Continue around this new mini-round until your branch reaches its desired size. Put a loop on your hook with a slip stitch, then insert the hook into the first stitch of the remaining 12 stitches and repeat. You now have 2 equal branches.

This second technique is commonly used for making the legs of a doll branch from its body, but you can also use it to create uneven branches (as illustrated with my tree branch above). Enjoy!

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• I wanted the ends of the hair to look a bit tangled, so I chose Berrocco Comfort (yellow yarn in picture). Berrocco Comfort is a nylon/acrylic blend, and is similar to Lion Brand’s Microspun. Take care when crocheting with this style of yarn; it tends to split. It’s great, however, for applications like this where a bit of unraveling is desirable.
• I also wanted the suggestion of seaweed and some color contrast. I used Lion Brand’s Fun Fur (blue yarn in picture). This eyelash yarn is great for accents like hair, but can be very frustrating to use as the primary yarn for an amigurumi project.
• To get the look, cut a strand of either yarn to the desired length (about 4 inches, here). Insert your crochet hook into the head of the finished doll just under the post of the stitch where you want the strand of hair to be. Go under one side of the post and come up on the other side. Bend the strand of hair yarn in half (forming a “U” shape), and hook the yarn. Pull it under the post. Bring the ends of the hair yarn through the “U” (on top of the post) and pull. You’re essentially creating a slipknot.
• Continue looping strands of yarn in this manner over the head. Alternate between the microspun and eyelash yarns. For a very dense look (like mine), place a hair strand on every post in the hair area. For a less dense, more realistic look, try every other post or even every third post.

For more information about working with eyelash yarns, see these tips from PlanetJune.

For more information about creating amigurumi hair, see this tutorial from MyGurumi.

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Experienced knit and crochet mavens know that the key to beautiful stitches is even tension. For amigurumi, that means even, TIGHT tension. To ensure that your tension is just right, you need to wrap the yarn around the barrel of the crochet hook. Be sure that you’re not yarning over too close to the end of the hook where it narrows. The barrel is the long stretch of even width that spans between the hook end and the handle end. Hit that sweet spot in the middle when you yarn over.

To keep your tension even, find a comfortable way to wrap the yarn coming from the ball over at least one finger. There are many ways to hold the yarn, so do what works for you. I find that when I’m tense or distracted, my tension suffers. Stay relaxed and keep your feed coming in evenly.

Last but not least, give the incoming yarn a final tug once you’ve completed the stitch. This will close any gaps and keep the stitches uniform. Practice, practice, practice!

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For my first projects, I used some cheap fiberfill that I had around the house. Big mistake. It was a clumpy mess. Trying to stuff firmly with cheap fiberfill is an invitation to frustration. The fiberfill bunches up into hard little balls in some spots and leaves open spaces between. Once stuffing bunches, it can’t really be saved. I’ve tried pulling the fibers apart again, but found that they had lost any resilience they may have had.

It’s worth going out and picking up a $5 bag of fiberfill that’s marked for dolls or toys. I’ve bought the same brand (Fairfield Poly-fil) at Michael’s and Jo Ann Fabrics and have had great luck with it. I’m sure any comparable product would perform equally well. It’s worth spending the extra dollar or two to get something intended for stuffed toys rather than the store brand of fiberfill.

The next step is to figure out how much is too much. This is a matter of trial and error, I think. I had to learn to stuff my amigurumi much more firmly than my instinct dictated. Good quality fiberfill compresses without clumping. This compression is the key – you want to create compression in your amigurumi so that the piece will be resilient over time. Try overstuffing. You’ll be able to see the crochet fabric stretch to the point that the natural “holes” in the fabric stretch. This is undesirable aesthetically and can cause stuffing loss through the holes. Back off the stuffing just a bit, and you’ll be right where you need to be.

The most important thing you can do is practice. It took several attempts for me to get to the point where I feel confident stuffing my amigurumi. Just like with crochet itself, you’ll begin to develop a feel for how much stuffing is right for your project.

Have any stuffing tips? Share them here!

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[Note: This is the first in a series of tutorials for making amigurumi forms. I hope this will help you in designing your own patterns. Feedback welcome!]

Amigurumi projects often include even increases to form circles, balls or cylinders with spiral crochet. Often, you will be called upon to “increase evenly” to a certain number of stitches. Once you figure out how to do this, it’s very easy to calculate how to increase evenly for each round.

In this example, we’ll increase evenly by 6 each round from the beginning to 30 stitches.

Rnd 1 – Make double ring. Work 6 sc into ring.
Rnd 2 – 2 sc into each st around (12 sc).
Rnd 3 – [2 sc into next st; sc into next st] repeat around (18 sc).
Rnd 4 – [2 sc into next st; sc into next 2 sts] repeat around (24 sc).
Rnd 5 – [ 2 sc into next st; sc into next 3 sts] repeat around (30 sc).

As you can see, you will be placing the increases evenly by adding to the number of single crochet stitches between the increases with each round. An easy way to think about it is this: for each round, you’ll be counting by a multiple of 6. For round 5, count the increase (2 sc in first st) as “1, 2″. For the single crochets between the increases, count as “3, 4, 5″. Do this 6 times (5 * 6 = 30). Therefore, round 6 will be counted by 6 (2 sc into next st: “1,2″; sc into next 4 sts: “3, 4, 5, 6″) six times for a total of 36, etc. You can keep going this way to increase to the desired number of stitches.

You don’t have to begin with 6, though I’ve found many patterns do. Some people find multiples of 5 easier to work with. Keep in mind, however, that if you begin with a large number of stitches in the first round (10 or more) or you increase very quickly (5, 10, 20, 40, etc.), you may find that your circle begins to ripple and no longer lies flat.

Have fun counting stitches!

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