Monday, June 20, 2011

Base Amigurumi Pattern

Base Amigurumi Pattern

IMPORTANT: Unlike most amigurumi, which are made either from the top down or bottom up, this pattern is made from the middle.  The legs are made first, and then the rest of the body.  I prefer to use Cascade 220yarn, as it comes in a ton of different shades so you can always find what color you want.

I only use 2 crochet hooks while making amigurumi; an F hook and an H hook.  Most everything is made with the H hook.  The F hook is used for smaller detail parts; most of those instructions will be on the individual character pages.  Everything on this page uses an H hook unless specifically noted otherwise.


LEGS:
This should be done in whatever color you want the pants to be.  If you want a belt, start with the belt color and then change to the pants color in row 2.

Start by chaining 30 stitches.  Slip stitch the last stitch to the beginning stitch, making sure that the row isn’t twisted.
Row 1: even
Row 2: 15 sc, ch 6                                                                               (21)
Attach the chain stitch to the first stitch in the row with a slip stitch.

 NOTE: Your colors may vary.

Row 3: sc in next 6 sts, sc2tog, sc in next 5 sts, sc2tog, sc in next 6 sts   (19)
 Row 4-5: even
Row 6: (sc in next 4 st, sc2tog) three times, 1 sc                                    (16)
Row 7: even
If you want to make boots, change to the boot color on this row.  If not, continue with the original color.
Row 8: (sc in next 4 sts, sc2tog) twice, 4 sc                                           (14)
Row 9: even
Row 10: (sc in next 3 sts, sc2tog) twice, 4sc                                          (12)
Row 11: (sc in next 2 sts, sc2tog) twice, 4 sc                                         (10)
Row 12: (sc in next 1 st, sc2tog) three times, 1 sc                                  (7)
Row 13: sc2tog all around.  Bind off and weave in all ends.
Now start on the other leg.

You do not need to chain 6 again!  When you are working the even row on row 1, simply single crochet in the already made chain stitches from the first leg.

Row 1: even                                                                                        (21)
Row 2: Follow instructions above starting on Row 3 and continue until Row 13 is completed.  Leave a long tail.

Once you are done with this leg, take the long tail and sew the legs together so they don’t point in every direction.  Secure the yarn with a knot  and stuff inside the leg.

 These are what your legs should look like after you are done crocheting them.
 

These are what your legs should look like after they have been sewn together.  Don't worry if the thickness is uneven, that will even out when you stuff it.  What will NOT even out is if the leg length is uneven.  If the length is uneven, it means you missed/added a row somewhere in one leg and not the other, and you'll have to frog the leg and redo it.


ARMS: Make two
You start the arm at the "hand" part, so choose your colors accordingly.  Start with the skin color, and if your character is wearing long sleeves, row 4 is a good place to change to the shirt color.  If your character has short sleeves, row 7 or 8 is a good place to change colors.
Row 1: 6 sc in 2nd ch from hook
Row 2: (sc in next st, 2 sc in next st) twice
Row 3: even
Row 4: even
Row 5: even
Row 6: even
Row 7-10: even
BO, leave a long yarn tail to attach arm to body


BODY and HEAD:
Once the legs are completed it’s time to finish the body.  Start by picking up 30 stitches from the other side of the chain that you made during the leg instructions.  Use whatever color you would like the shirt to be for this part.
Row 1-3: even                 
Row 4: (sc in next 7 sts, sc2tog) three times, 3 sc                                   (27)
Row 5: even
Row 6: (sc in next 6 sts, sc2tog) three times, 3 sc                                   (24)
Row 7-8: even
Row 9: (sc in next 5 sts, sc2tog) three times, 3 sc                                   (21)
Row 10: even
Row 11: (sc in next 4 sts, sc2tog) three times, 3 sc                                 (18)
Row 12: even
Row 13: (3 sc, sc2tog) three times, 3 sc                                                 (15)
Row 14: even
Change to beige yarn for the head.  I prefer Vanna White's Beige yarn for all skin tones, as this is the most natural looking skin colored yarn I have ever come across.
Row 15: (sc in next 2 sts, 2 sc in next st) five times                                (20)
Row 16: (sc in next 3 sts, 2 sc in next st) five times                                (25)
Row 17: (sc in next 4 sts, 2 sc in next st) five times                                (30)
Row 18: (sc in next 5 sts, 2 sc in next st) five times                                (35)
Row 19-21: even

Now is when you want to attach the arms, put in the safety eyes and stuff the whole body.  Use a stitch holder to secure the last stitch you made and use the long tail from the arms to weave them into the body.  Be careful to align them with the legs—you don’t want arms that are not in line with the rest of the body!  I like to place the eyes around row 20-21, but you should use your own judgment to achieve maximum cuteness.  Make sure you stuff the body very tightly, including the tips of the legs, which can be hard to reach.  You can alter the form of the amigurumi with stuffing if you are careful—squish and squeeze to make your figure longer or fatter.

Row 22: (sc in next 4 sts, sc2tog) five times, sc in next 5 sts                             (30)
Row 23: (sc in next 3 sts, sc2tog) five times, sc in next 5 sts                             (25)
Row 24: (sc in next 2 sts, sc2tog) five times, sc in next 5 sts                             (20)
Row 25: (sc in next 1 st, sc2tog) five times, sc in next 5 sts                               (15)
Row 26: sc2tog until head is completely closed. Bind off and cut the yarn and weave in the ends.

You're finished with the body!  Now it's time to add the details to fully finish your character.



18 comments:

Misty Makes said...

Thank-you for providing this pattern w/ awsome instrutions. I might be making some star wars characters for christmas gifts, so I'm sure I'll be refering back to this page.
Heres a Ducky Momo I recently made http://www.flickr.com/photos/laceylady/6033242515/in/photostream

Nathalii said...

You are ..an angel!*__* I was able to make a gift from the heart for a close close friend of mine who is going away and its all thanks to your Base Amigurumi pattern!!I still can't believe it! Thank you so much, I'm sure he'll go crazy over it <3 I'm sure this was a lot of work but thank you again and again for being so generous as to make this as simple and as cute as anyone ever could, and thnx for posting it online :D you're purely awesome.

Geek Central Station said...

Aw, thank you! I'm glad that people like it. It is no problem making up these tutorials as long as people actually want them!

Heather said...

I might actually try making some this winter. I've been an admirer of your work for a long time! Just haven't had the time and courage to make my own. :-) Thanks for the instructions!

Anonymous said...

what do you mean by "even"?

I saw you had some amigurumi without legs.how do you do the base that aren't with legs.

Geek Central Station said...

"Even" just means to make a row of single crochet without adding or subtracting any stitches. The other legless amigurumi patterns can be found on the right hand side bar, under Human Amigurumi 1 and 2. Happy crocheting!

Anonymous said...

Hello! Quick question: When you say that your patterns are free, does that means it's okay to use them as a basis for other patterns and sell the product? For example, if I were to use your base pattern to crochet, say, Belle from Beauty and the Beast, and then sell it, would that be okay with you? I feel really awkward asking this, hence the anonymous. :/ Thanks in advance!

Geek Central Station said...

Anon, feel free to make and sell whatever you like (although if there's any room for credit, I wouldn't mind a shout-out!). You're really selling the time and effort you put into making those little creations, especially if you are making custom figures. Have fun!

Anonymous said...

Thanks so much! Credit goes without asking and will of course be given. :D

Wednesday said...

Do you stuff the arms or do you leave them hollow? It doesn't say one way or the other in the instructions.

Geek Central Station said...

Usually I shove the loose yarn ends into the arms which makes them firm enough. They're pretty small, so they don't require much. I like them to be a little loose though, if you wanted them to stick out straight you could stuff them with filling.
Let me know if you have any other questions!

Anonymous said...

How many stitches do you chain for making the arms/hands?

Anonymous said...

I'm confused about row 2 of the arms. It looks like you're only sc in 4 stitches when there should be six. Please help!!

Geek Central Station said...

You are correct. By the end of row 2 you want to have 8 stitches, so you're only going to increase twice, even though space allows for three increases. Just do single crochet for the rest of the stitches.

So, to write it out:
sc, 2 sc in next st
sc, 2 sc in next st
sc, sc
and that's the end of the row. Hope it helps!

Unknown said...

How many stitches do you start on for the hands/arms?

Geek Central Station said...

Oh jeez, it's been a long time since I've crocheted anything. Here's how I remember it:

Chain 2 stitches
In second chain from hook, single crochet 6 stitches.

So your first row should have 6 stitches in it, which then increases to 8 in the second row.

Hope that helps!

Wanda Gilliam said...

Is there a tutorial for the arms on Princess Leia Pattern?
Chain 2 stitches,in second chain from hook, single crochet 6 stitches.
sc, 2 sc in next st
sc, 2 sc in next st
sc, sc
Then a single crochet for the rest of the pattern.
I'm sure it's just me but when I do 6 sc in the second chain from hook, I don't know where to go from there! HELP PLEASE

Wanda Gilliam said...

Ok just called me crazy,lol! I tried it one more time and it worked perfectly. Should have known as soon as I ask, it would come to me. Sometimes I'm just dense...SORRY & thanks for the patterns.