How To Start Skinny Parts In The Round
This video tutorial will help you start skinny parts in the round for your amigurumi projects. Crochet in the round is fun and allows for easy 3D crochet projects, but it is no secret that making something in tiny rounds of 4 or 5 stitches is frustrating.
Skinny parts are scary.
I think I could go as far as saying it is in the top five worst things to do in Amigurumi. (But that is another blog post to write.)
I posted a video already about ways to make skinny parts easier, but I got some questions about how to get started on a skinny part, specifically one as tiny as only 4 stitches around.
No matter what, those starts are finger-breakers, but I have a few little tips to make it a tad easier. Once you get a few rounds in, you can change over to the skinny.
Beginning Skinny Crochet Parts in the Round | Video Tutorial
Is the embedded video not working? Use this link: https://youtu.be/kwIobJ9WroU
This tutorial features Red Heart Super Saver yarn and is done with a Furls Odyssey hook.
Step By Step
When starting a new skinny part in the round, try these few tips to help.
- Open up your center stitch (whether that is a ch-2 or a magic ring) so you can see all the stitches in a row instead of in a tiny cluster. This makes them easier to count and easier to find the first stitch to work into.
- Continuously turn your right side of the work to the outside. It may seem easier to let it turn inside out, but this will make the front loop disappear into the middle of the piece and make it really hard to find your stitches. Keep bending your work around that center point and forcing the tops of the stitches to the outside so they are easier to see.
- Watch for stretching stitches. Especially in tiny rounds, the stitch you just worked into may look like it hasn’t been worked. In reality, the stitch you just worked stretched it out, so before you work into a stitch, double-check that it doesn’t already have a stitch in it.
Keep practicing, and you will have it down in no time!
Yarn on,
Kati
Kati is the designer behind Hooked by Kati. With thousands of patterns sold around the world, Kati prides herself in creating innovative, easy-to-follow amigurumi patterns. She has designed for several publications, including Crochet!, Crochet World, Simply Crochet, and I Like Crochet. Kati finds her inspiration in science fiction, video games, and numerous visits to the zoo — all passions she shares with her husband and two boys.
Thank you.