The Japanese type of needlework, such as amigurumi, is enormously popular among knitters. This work is a knitting of small, cute and miniature animals, fairy-tale heroes, little men, household items and other products. Amigurumi bear is very popular among other toys.
Features of Amigurumi
Not every crochet toy can be called amigurumi. The product created in this technique has its own characteristics. The main feature is their miniature. For example, an amigurumi mini-bear can sit on a fingertip and be no larger than a snail. Of course, there are copies of about 50 cm, but for amigurumi toys they are considered gigantic.
Another difference from ordinary knitted toys is their good looks. The products give a cheerful character and mood. With the help of a small asymmetry, muzzles depict thoughtfulness, joy, sadness, and daydreaming. Tinting is also used to give a natural vibrant color.
Amigurumi bear can have cheeks, ears, and also paw pads made of felted wool. A characteristic feature of amigurumi is the imbalance of body parts. Often, toys have a large head with large ears, a small body and elongated limbs.
Principle of operation
A knitted amigurumi bear consists of several parts: a spherical head, four legs, and the upper ones can be shorter than the lower extremities, a pair of ears, a muzzle and a tail. Each part is knitted separately, and then sewn to the body. When creating, a circular method of crocheting with crochets is used. In this case, the parts do not have a rough seam. In order to achieve canvas density, it is important to take a smaller hook than the recommended one. The amigurumi bear is filled with syntepon, cotton or any other bulk material. Some use trimmings of woolen thread.
It is important when choosing yarn to pay attention to its composition. Neat and tiny bears are obtained from a thin cotton thread. Acrylic is also popular for knitting amigurumi. The important thing is that the thinner the thread, the smaller the toy will be. When knitting bears, you can use wool yarn. This will add naturalness to the product. Crocheted teddy bear will look more natural if it has a nose, eyes and cheeks. For this you will need buttons, beads, beads. You can also decorate the toy with a bow, a scarf and knitted clothes.
Where to begin?
Knitting amigurumi bears begins with the creation of the head. From the selected threads you need to make a ring and knit six simple stitches into it. Then in each row you need to add six single crochet. The loops are added at the same distance from each other. In each of the six loops of the first row, we knit two columns. In the next row we make an increase through each column. Further, the increase occurs through two loops.
The number of rows with increments depends on the shape of the head. The more you increase the base, the larger the part will be. After you have added the required number of loops, you should knit several rows evenly, forming a head lift. Then you need to create the crown by symmetric reduction of the loops. Reduce the bars in the same way as their increments. There should be as many rows on the crown as at the base. Do not forget to fill the part with filler in the middle of the work. In the process of reducing the head, add a synthetic winterizer, then sew the crown.
Details
The body and limbs of the amigurumi bear fit in the same way as the head, only with an elongated middle and with fewer rows when expanding and narrowing. For the ears, dial 2 loops and knit four simple columns in the first. Turn the work and add two columns to each loop. Turn over the workpiece again and knit one VP and one ST.B. in every loop.
When all the parts are connected, it's time to start assembling. First, the head is sewn to the body, then the legs are attached. Sew the ears to the top of the teddy bear, observing the symmetry. Using pins, make markings on the face where the eyes and nose will be located. Then glue the black buttons to these places.
You can use special doll eyes with pupils. Embroider the eyebrows with black thread, giving the bear a surprised or different expression. With white yarn, select claws on the legs, if desired. Crochet teddy bear is ready.
It can be decorated by giving a heart or a bouquet of flowers in the paws. Put a cap on the crown, a scarf on the neck. Get a great New Year's gift or present for Valentine's Day. Having gained such experience and having studied the basics of creating knitted amigurumi bears, one can easily impose a wide variety of animals and decorations.