Amigurumi Ball

Amigurumi Ball 

• Round Marker: With each round you will need to mark the beginning of the round
• 
  Stitch marker in the picture is marking the first stitch of the round.  Hook is in the last stitch of the round.  
• You count back from your hook to count the stitches in the round.  
• Do not count the loop on your hook as a stitch.  
• Do count the loop the stitch marker is on.  
  
• If you count the circles from the center you can see that this is round 5 or R5.  
• R5: [sc3, inc] 6 times (30 sts).  Meaning that to make this round you will stitch sc, sc, sc, inc (6 times to finish the round).  Giving you a total of 30 stitches.  
• The V's on the outside of the project are what you count to count your stitches, starting with the V next too the hook, but not the loop on the hook. From this picture the first V looks like a - from this angle. The stitch with the safety pin is stitch 30 when counting your stitches. 

• To move to the next round, remove the safety pin and place it over the loop on the hook.  You will have to remove your hook from the loop to place it on.  The safety pin should be closed.

• Place your hook back on the loop and synch it back around the hook.

• 
  Whenever you need to put down your project make sure that you put a stitch marker through your last loop so you don't loose your stitches. 

Stitch Glossary:

• sc = Single Crochet
• sc(x) = Consecutive Single Crochets
• inc = Increase Stitches.
• dec = Decrease Stitch.

Materials 

• 4 mm crochet hook (2-3 sizes smaller than yarn suggests) 

• I Love This Cotton Yarn or I Love This Yarn (acrylic) from Hobby Lobby - 30 yards for 1 octopus with corkscrew tentacles 

• 2 bulb Safety Pins

• Large eye yarn needle
• Fiber fill
• Scissors

Video Tutorials

• How to hold yarn and hook
• How to Yarn Over
• How to Single Crochet (sc)
• How to Increase (inc)
• How to Decrease (dec) watch the one for invisibly
• How to Count Stitches (x sts)
• How to stuff your Amigurumi
• How to Invisible Fasten Off
• How to Weave in ends
• Correct way to shape your creation
• How to correct mistakes

Pattern 

Small Circle  (Magic ring and R1 is provided if doing a class with Barbara Dale.  Only work on *R)

Make a magic ring

R1: Ch 1, 6 sc (6 sts)
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*R2: inc into each st (12 sts) (think IN, CREASE in same stitch, meaning 2 sc in same stitch)

*R3: [sc, inc] 6 times (18 sts)

Invisible Fasten Off, weave in ends

Large Circle  (Magic ring through R5 is provided if doing a class with Barbara Dale.  Only work on *R)

Make a magic ring

R1: Ch 1, 6 sc (6 sts)

R2: inc into each st (12 sts)

R3: [sc, inc] 6 times (18 sts)

R4: [sc2, inc] 6 times (24 sts)

R5: [sc3, inc] 6 times (30 sts)

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*R9: [sc3, dec] 6 times (24 sts)

*R10: [sc2, dec] 6 times (18 sts)

Invisible Fasten Off, leave really long tail for sewing

Sew Together

- Make sure the right sides are facing towards the outside.

- Using the long tail, thread needle

- Insert needle outside to inside of the small circle and come up large circle inside to outside

- Insert needle outside of the next stitch on large circle but Do Not go into small circle.

- Insert needle outside to inside of the small circle and come up large circle inside to outside.  Make sure to come up same stitch

- When you get about 4 stitches to end, stuff with fiber fill.

- Finish stitches as before

- Fasten off, weave in ends, hide tail in Amigurumi.