A few people have asked me about learning to make knitted and crocheted toys. And in general, they are much easier than they look. For me they are much, much easier than sweaters and scarves. Because my problem is having a short attention span. So I'd much rather make a toy that I can finish in a day or two, even having to learn new stitches, than a sweater which I will never finish.
Of the knitted amigurumi I've made, if I were starting as a beginner I would make the cherry pie first. It's done on regular sized needles, and the only new technique is the bobble, for which the pattern provides nice photo instructions. A real beginner could make the crust first and then they would have gotten some practice in before trying the bobble.
If I were comfortable with double-pointed needles, I'd start with the slug. (Probably because I did, that was the first amigurumi I made.) It's simple and made in one piece with almost no sewing. So it's a good way to learn a few key techniques like short rows and how to increase without making a hole. The only reason I wouldn't recommend it to a super-beginner is the first few rows, when you only have a few stitches on the double-pointed needles, are kind of fiddly.
For crochet, they were all equally easy. Well, that's not strictly true. The katamari was a bit more difficult because the pattern said to crochet as tightly as possible, so the weight of the magnets couldn't pull it out of shape. And I ended up crocheting so tightly I couldn't get the hook through the stitches. It took a while for me to get a feel for the right gauge. But anyway, the point is that crochet is really not hard to do. There just aren't any difficult techniques, so a beginner can start with anything they like.
If you don't know how to knit or crochet at all and you want to make amigurumi, there are some terrific sites with instructional photos and videos. Or I have a great knitting book called Reader's Digest Knitting Handbook, maybe we can have an amigurumi party and I'll bring the book! It really, honestly doesn't matter if you've never made anything more complicated than a scarf before. Any stitch or technique you don't know, you can google and find either photo or video instructions. (I personally prefer photos to videos because I'm left handed and everything I do is the mirror image of what most people do. I have to translate the instructions, and that's easier for me to do with a photo. Videos go by too fast.)
As for me, I have a few more presents to make, and I need to make a hat for myself while it's still winter. And then I think I'm going to try some more challenging toys. I found a pattern designer on ravelry.com with some really complex, realistic patterns for sea creatures like octopus and angler fish. And maybe I will try designing a pattern of my own!
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