Whew! That’s quite a mouthful! But it’s actually a really easy technique that lets you get two bumps with some space between them, like the awesome googly eyes on this frog.
This is necessary if the attachment runs across several rows of stitching, but if the attachment is running WITH a row of stitching, you can attach limbs while you crochet the body – all in one nifty step! You’ll see this described in patterns as sc-attach, or single crochet attach.
You can attach arms and legs with crochet if:
The body is crocheted bottom-up (that is, starting at the bottom and ending at the top)
The arm or leg will be attached flat
For folks who don’t like sewing, the main advantage to crocheting on the limbs is, well, you’re attaching the piece by crocheting. No need to pull out your tapestry needle!
The attachment is also quite secure, since it’s built into the fabric of the softie. And it looks really nice!
There are disadvantages, though.
The main disadvantage is that it takes a little planning, since any parts need to be finished in order to attach them. Another potential drawback is that if you don’t like your positioning, you’ll have to rip out rows of crochet to fix it.
How to Attach Arms and Legs with Single Crochet
To start, work to where the arm needs to be attached (as indicated by your pattern). Now, flatten the arm, and stick your crochet hook through both layers of the arm.
Notice that you have 3 loops on the hook: the starting loop, then the two from the arm (one from each layer). Now, insert your hook into the next stitch on the body:
I know… it’s a lot of loops!
Now, to do your single crochet, treat the three newest loops as if they’re one. So, wrap your yarn around the hook, and pull through 3 loops. Now, wrap the yarn around the hook again, and pull through the remaining two!
That’s one stitch! Continue (as instructed in the pattern) until the entire arm is attached.
See? Look how neat that looks!
Here’s a video to give you an additional view of the process if you like.
See how easy that is? Go forth and attach all your arms and legs with single crochet!
Here are handy links to all the posts about attaching parts. . .
For the pattern I stitched him up in yellow, because lighter (and solid) colors make it easier to see the individual stitches. But I also wanted to make him in this tweedy dark brown for more of a tortoiseshell cat look – just for fun.
The tricky part of using dark yarn – or dark fabric for a sewn softie – is getting the eyes to show up well. The eyes are the most important part of the face!
I’ve got two solutions for you today.
If you want to use a solid black craft eye (which is what I use for most of my softies) then it’s a big help to back those eyes with a circle of a lighter colored felt just a smidge bigger than the eye. That’s what I did with Milton Monkey. . .
And that’s what I did with Felix. Here you can see those eyes a little closer.
I used a 1/2″ circle of sandstone felt with 9 mm eyes.
I use this tool to trace nice neat circles in lots of sizes.
I don’t remember where I got this exact template, but I’ve seen similar items at Office Max and Staples.
If you make a lot of softies and tend to use the same size eyes, you can also buy die-cut eyes which are perfectly perfect circles. I like the ones from Woolhearts on Etsy. You can choose the size and an assortment of up to six colors. It’s handy to keep a little stash of favorite colors.
Once you have the circles cut, there’s one more step. You need to punch a hole in the middle for the shank of the eye to go through! You can use an awl, or you can use a 1/8 inch hole punch for extra neat holes.
Perfect little backs to set off your eyes! I usually stick to a color that’s a lighter shade than the main color – but not too light! White in particular can make your softie look scared.
Another option is to use an eye with color already in it.
(When I do that I usually use a slightly larger eye than what the pattern calls for – like jumping from a 9 mm to a 12 mm eye.)
Look at Sharon’s cat (named Arnold). She also made a dark brown kitty, but she used awesome cat eyes for hers!
With those big eyes and no mouth he immediately reminded me of the cat from Kiki’s Delivery Service.
And now I need to make a black cat. 🙂
Here are handy links to all the posts about amigurumi eyes. . .
Today we’re lucky enough to have a guest post written by Mirena of Mirena Made! Mirena has been a FreshStitches customer for years, and she creates hand-crocheted creations that she sells in her shop. (Yes, you too can sell anything you make with Shiny Happy World or FreshStitches patterns!)
Thank you so much, Mirena, for coming by and sharing this new technique with us! It’s a nifty trick that lets you crochet standing legs with no hole. Nice!
New Technique to Crochet Standing Legs in Amigurumi
I am a huge fan of FreshStitches designs and of Stacey and I also prefer patterns where the sewing and attaching is kept to a minimum (I suspect there are other amigurumi crocheters like me!)
One of my favorite FreshStitches patterns is Bentley the Bear, which is crocheted using standing legs. In the standard technique, you get little hole that remains between the legs and you have to sew it afterwards… ah, sewing!
So, here is a technique that eliminates the hole and lets you continue your crocheting without worrying about it!
Step 1: You crochet the first leg exactly as stated in the pattern BUT at the end you cut the yarn, leaving a long tail and you DO NOT fasten off.
Step 2: You crochet the second leg as stated in the pattern (leaving the yarn attached, as instructed).
Step 3: You take both legs and you place the first one behind the second one, matching their stitches.
Step 4: You place the loop of the first leg on your hook and using its tail you single crochet in the next stitches through both thicknesses. You do 4 sc in total and you fasten off.
Step 5: You place the loop of the second leg on your hook and you are ready to continue crocheting!
The disadvantage to this technique is the stitch count. Normally, you would have 36 stitches after joining the legs but because we crocheted some of them them to attach the 2 legs together, we lost a few stitches. I solve this problem by increasing in the next round.
This technique will work with any pattern with standing legs, you just have to pay attention to the stitch count and adjust accordingly!
What a fabulous technique! Thanks so much for sharing, Mirena! You can use this trick to crochet standing legs with no hole in ANY of the standing-leg patterns in the shop. It’s my favorite body shape – so there are lots to choose from – but here are a few of my favorites.
Here are all the handy links to posts about crocheting standing legs. . .
Do you have some plastic craft eyes in a box somewhere… and you aren’t sure how to tell what size they are?
Umm… yup, me too. Don’t worry! Today, I’ll show you how easy it is to figure out what size they are!
All you need is a ruler with millimeter measurements. A craft eye is sized by its diameter in millimeters. So, to determine the size, place the ruler across the widest part of the eye.
You can see that this eye is a 24mm. Easy!
If you have a needle gauge and small eyes, I have an even easier way. Knitting needle measurements are determined by the diameter of the needle, so you can simply stick the eye in the gauge!
This is an 8mm eye, and it fits fully in the 8mm slot (size 11 needle).
Here’s a look at the back view:
Note that the eye fits snugly in the hole, but does not go entirely through like a knitting needle would.
The trickiest part about this pattern is the mane. And although the pattern has step-by-step photos, I thought you might enjoy a little video that demonstrates the hardest part: planning and doing the first round of single crochets for the mane.
(Tip – you can use this skill in lots of different ways – like attaching a skirt to a doll, a foot to a slug, petals to a flower, and more.)
For this technique, I begin by attaching with a single crochet (read more about how to do that, here!) Why? This is an easy way to join a new yarn, and because you’re doing a single crochet, you’ve actually started the work! No need to get confused by a slip stitch or extra knots.
Don’t forget to share how your lion is coming along!
Here are handy links to all the posts about crocheting more advanced shapes. . .
Craft eyes. Plastic eyes. Safety eyes. Animal eyes. They’re called lots of different things!
You can use them for both sewn and crocheted softies. I’ve even used them in applique wall hangings. I just use a pair of wire cutters to snip off the post that sticks out after you attach the washers.
I’ve made a video (below) that shows you how to install them. In the video I’m demonstrating on a crocheted stuffed animal, but you can use these eyes in sewn softies as well. You just need to poke a hole! I like to use a ball point awl. It creates a hole by stretching the fibers around the opening instead of by cutting any of the threads. If you cut a hole in stretchy knit fabric, that hole can run over time, just like a ladder in your stockings.
I prefer eyes with ridged shanks and plastic washers. I feel like they hold the best BUT they’re harder to use with smaller size eyes. It’s just really hard to hold such tiny pieces straight while you push the very tight washer on! So for the smallest eyes (4.5 mm) you’ll get smooth shanks and metal washers instead. They’re still small, fussy pieces, but they’re not nearly as hard to work with. Also – 4.5 mm eyes are so small that I really only use them for small felt softies – the kind of softies that stand on a shelf instead of being played with a lot.
Speaking of safety – just because they’re called “safety eyes” doesn’t make them safe for babies. The eyes themselves will never come apart (here’s a video showing how to remove safety eyes – you’ll see how hard it is to do). But babies can chew through the fabric around the eye, which then frees the eye (along with the still-attached washer) which is a choking hazard. So only use these on toys for kids over three, or toys that will be played with under supervision.
Below the video I’ve also included a quickie photo tutorial for those of you who want to get ‘straight to the point’ as well as some other links you might like!
Video Tutorial for Craft Eyes
This is a little 5 minute video. Enjoy!
How to install craft eyes
Do you see those little points?
Those little ‘barbs’ dig into the fabric and keep the eye from rotating. Which isn’t a big deal if you’re just using a black craft eye, but is crucial if you’re using a comic eye. You don’t want them twisting and giving you googly eyes!
The ridges on the posts of craft eyes help the washer click on (and stay on!) securely. I love hearing the ‘click’ as I press the washer on! The ridges also help to make sure the washer presses on evenly.
So, let me show you how to install a craft eye with a plastic washer.
First, insert the post of the craft eye between the stitches on your piece where you want it to go. For sewn softies, use a ball-point awl or a small knitting needle to poke a hole. I recommend that you place the eyes first, before pressing on the washers, just to see if you like the look.
Once your eyes are positioned how you’d like, press the flat side of the washer (that’s the one with the tiny barbs!) onto the post.
Here’s a photo of how it will look (but without the fabric getting in the way… obviously, your piece doesn’t really look like this!):
I don’t want you to stress too much about this, because if you try to put the washer on backwards, it just won’t go.
Now, push! You’ll hear that click, and it’s on!
A note about smaller eyes
Most 6 mm craft eyes, because they are SO tiny, have smaller plastic washers without the ‘barbs’. And most 4.5 mm eyes (as mentioned above) have metal washers. But don’t worry, the same rule applies: flat side towards the fabric.
This post was originally published April 28, 2015… but it’s so popular that I’ve updated it and added a video!
Crocheting is so much fun because there are so many options! Even a simple single crochet gives you the option of crocheting through the front loop, both loops or the back loop!
Today, I’ll show you where to insert your hook for the most two popular techniques: the back and both loops. I’ll also link to some posts that you might find helpful… and included a video tutorial at the end!
The Back Loop
Every stitch is a V laying on its side. Do you see the V in the above photo? The back loop refers to the top leg of this V.
To use this technique, insert your hook where I’ve put a black dot in this photo:
Why the back loop?
Crocheting through the back loop is my favorite! You’ll want to read this blog post that outlines all of the advantages!
Both Loops
The term ‘both loops’ refers to both the back and front loops. This is the ‘standard’ when a pattern doesn’t specifically reference any loops. This is the entire V:
To use this technique, insert your hook where I’ve put a black dot in this photo:
Video
I know it can be hard to picture what these variations look like when you’re actually crocheting, so I’ve recorded a video for you!
What’s it look like in the end?
You’ll want to have a look at this blog post where I show you photos of how each technique looks, in the round and in rows!
