I love making softies with oval bases. They require shaping that’s a little different than your usual amigurumi rounds – but they’re not hard to do.

There are two basic techniques for creating an oval. Each one gives you a slightly different look, so I’ll show you both.

Both start with a chain

Chain until the piece is as long as you want. You’re creating the center of the oval, so keep in mind that this piece will grow in all directions!

Turn and sc in 2^nd st and each remaining st

You will end up with one stitch fewer than the number of chains you started with.

Work the bottom side of the foundation chain

For both of these techniques, you’ll need to work the bottom side of the foundation chain.

If you aren’t sure how to do that, hop on over to this blog post – How to Work the Bottom Side of a Foundation Chain.

Technique 1: Increase at ends

One way to achieve an oval is to sc 3 times in each of the end stitches. You want to use stitches *directly* on the ends to get an even oval.

To do this, single crochet into the turning chain and the starting knot (unusual, I know!)

Put a locking stitch marker in the center of the 3 single crochet stitches, and increase (3 stitches in 1) on each side every round.

You increase 4 stitches each round. The result is a flatter oval with more pointy-looking ends.

Technique 2: Increase at ‘corners’

To begin this technique, sc twice in each of the 4 ‘corners’ of your piece, that is the first and last stitch of each side.

Do not work the turning chain or knot.

Place a locking stitch marker in the increase stitch furthest away from the end points.

The result is a nicely rounded oval. Just like technique 1, you are increasing by 4 sts/round.

Continue increasing (sc twice in 1 stitch) at the stitches with the stitch marker. The stitch markers will move apart by 2 stitches each round (put differently, the ‘increased stitch’ goes towards the short side of the rectangle).

Experiment!

Both of these techniques can be used on crochet chains that have been added to an existing piece, such as to create a tail or snout on your amigurumi!

You can achieve so many fun and interesting shapes!

Happy stitching!

Best,
Stacey