Stitch - which to use for Amigurumi?

Single crochet (sc) stitch and/or its variations, are the single most used stitch in crochet amigurumi, Wayuu bags, tapestry crochet.

Here my focus will be on which stitches I recommend for crochet amigurumi and crochet for Wayuu Mochila bags.

Note: for Amigurumi, and Wayuu bags, the work is almost always in a circular form. Hence that is what I am looking at here: working sc in a circular form.

Choosing Stitches for Amigurumi

Let’s have a look at the variations of the sc.

---

Summary: Single Crochet Variations

For Amigurumi (esp. when you have to stuff firmly):

• sc (single crochet. Not recommended.)
• Waistcoat Stitch (aka knit sc, or ksc) (has a slight slant)
• modified sc (not as dense as Waistcoat Stitch, and tends to be a bit holey)
• modified shallow sc (dense without holes but has definite slant to left)
• Thermal Stitch in the round (but has the shortest row heights). My preferred stitch for Amigurumi projects, most of the time.

For Wayuu Bags:
all of the above but maybe especially Modified sc because of its perfect vertical stacking of the stitches.

---

Standard Single Crochet (sc)

I personally don't recommend sc for amigurumi nor for making Wayuu bags because:

• resultant fabric has holes that are too large.  Stuffing can be seen, especially when you have to stuff firmly
• stitches slant to right (as shown by beads).  Not good for Wayuu nor Tapestry crochet.

---

Waistcoat Stitch

Before I knew that this stitch had an official name and thought I had created it myself, I called it "Knit Single Crochet (ksc)". So every now and then you might see this stitch refered to as ksc because some articles were written before someone told me the existing, official name!

See: How To: Waistcoat Stitch

• good for Amigurumi because the fabric is thick and dense.  Stuffing will not show through. Amigurumi item will be more durable.  (But not soft.)
• ok for Wayuu bags because it is so dense and strong.  But it does have a vertical slant to left.

---

Modified Single Crochet Stitch

See: How to do Modified Single Crochet Stitch

• not so good for amigurumi because fabric has holes so stuffing can be seen
• very good for tapestry crochet because stitches are perfectly vertical
• good for Wayuu bags because of  vertical stitches (no slant). However fabric is not as tough as Waistcoat Stitch (aka knit sc), nor Modified Shallow Single Crochet.
  Modified sc is the single most used stitch for making Wayuu Mochila bags.

---

Modified Shallow Single Crochet

See: How to do Modified Shallow Single Crochet

Modified Shallow is more dense than Modified sc. And it has shorter rows - therefore you will need to work more number of rows to reach the same finished height.

Modified Shallow sc is good for:

• crochet amigurumi - dense fabric; stuffing will not be seen
• can be used for Wayuu bags - study, strong.  However there is a vertical slant to left.

---

Thermal Stitch - in the round

This again is another of those stitches I thought I "invented" only to find out later that it was a known stitch with a name. But when I was still thinking I had invented it 😁, I called it "Strap Sc (Strap Single Crochet)" because I used it to make good, tough, sturdy straps. Hence, you may still find my term, "Strap sc" peppered in my earlier articles.

See: How to do Thermal Stitch, in the round

This produces a very dense, thick, shortened fabric.

It works very well for Amigurumi. No stuffing will be seen nor falls out. However, when working to standard amigurumi pattern, you might have to increase rows on the fly as this stitch produces shortened rows.

Note: It could be as much as twice the number of rows as indicated in usual pattern.

Another advantage of using circular Thermal Stitch is that you cannot see the unseemly increase locations that is the plague of standard amigurumi crochet.

This stitch is also good for Wayuu bags. It is thick and strong. However there is a bit of slant to the right of the vertical stitches. Which interferes with coloured patterns, etc.

---