Banana Slug Amigurumi

11/21/2014

Hi folks!

First, here is what the finished product looks like! It measures 2.75 inches high x 2 inches wide x 4.75 inches long. I used wool worsted weight yarn and a 5.0 mm (size H or 8) crochet hook.

The Project

This post is about a cute banana slug amigurumi I made for my partner. I am new to amigurumi, and crochet in general, but I truly love it! This banana slug was my very first project. Below I link to the many resources I recently used as a beginner. I used another crafter’s pattern to make this amigurumi.

Skills

Reading patterns (find a guide here)
Mark your rounds (find tutorial here)
Count your stitches (find tutorial here)
Slip knot (find tutorial here)
Magic ring (find tutorial here)
Crochet in the back loop (find tutorial here and an article here)
Single crochet (find tutorial here)
Single crochet increase (find tutorial here)
Single crochet decrease (find tutorial here)
Attaching pieces (find tutorial here)
Fastening off (find tutorial here)

A great resource is “A Beginner’s Guide to Amigurumi” by Stacey Trock at freshstitches.com, which you can download for free here. It helps to know when you're watching the tutorials that the "working yarn" is the string that is attached to the yarn ball and the "tail" is the string that dangles loosely.

Also, beginners should note that most amigurumi pieces are made by crocheting in the round, as opposed to crocheting in rows. Your work will naturally turn as you crochet; however, you will not be "turning the work." You turn a work when you reach the end of a straight row, chain one to four stitches, flip the work over, and start to crochet a new row in the opposite direction. There's nothing special you need to know about crocheting in the round except how to start, and that is why I recommend the magic ring tutorial above.

Materials

5.0 mm (size H or 8) crochet hook (I got mine here.)
Tapestry needle (I got mine here.)
Stitch marker (I got mine here.)
Yellow yarn (I got mine here.)
White yarn (I got mine here.)
12 mm black plastic eyes (I got mine here, and here are others I have also used.)
Stuffing (I used Crafter's Choice Polyester Fiberfill, which I got here.)

For this project, I got most of my materials from a kit I purchased from freshstitches.com here. If I did it over again, I would probably use a smaller hook, maybe a 4.5 mm crochet hook, so that the crocheting would be tighter. On the other hand, working with a larger hook and larger loops was easier for me, considering this was my first project.

Crochet Pattern

The pattern for this project can be purchased here.

I often modify the crochet patterns I use. I usually start my projects using the magic ring. The purpose of using the magic ring is to tighten the circle that you crocheted your first stitches into. This eliminates the hole on the top of your project. I only made this banana slug a couple of months ago, but I can’t remember whether I modified the pattern back then. I’m guessing that I didn’t since her nose is so sloppy. Although, I believe I did use the magic ring when I made her eyes.

Here is a tip for beginners about using the magic ring. Many patterns will read:

With Main Color, chain 2.
Round 1: Single crochet 6 times in 2nd chain from hook.

In my experience, if you use the magic ring, you should replace these steps with the following:

Round 1: Single crochet 6 times in the magic ring, pull on the tail (the piece of yarn that is not attached to the yarn ball) until the ring is closed tightly.

You don’t want to make a chain, because you are making the magic ring instead.

Inspiration and Resources

The pattern for this project can be purchased here.
Many amigurumi tips can be found on freshstitches.com here.
A great resource is “A Beginner’s Guide to Amigurumi” by Stacey Trock at freshstitches.com, which you can download for free here.