10 Tips on How to Design Amigurumi Patterns

Last Updated on July 1, 2024 by Holly Lanier

Have you ever wanted to design your own amigurumi pattern but have no idea how or where to start? Or maybe someone made it seem really complicated and intimidating and scared you from starting? Today, I’m sharing with you my top 10 tips on how to design Amigurumi patterns. These 10 tips will help launch you into the world of designing amigurumi patterns and show you that designing doesn’t have to be complicated!

Before You Begin

First, this post assumes that you already know how to crochet. I’m sharing tips on how to design amigurumi patterns, not how to crochet. So, if you don’t yet know how to crochet, I suggest you wait to design your own patterns and get some experience crocheting first.

Second, if you already know how to crochet but don’t have much experience crocheting amigurumi, I highly suggest you hold off on designing your own patterns. Using other designers’ patterns will teach you so much about pattern writing, amigurumi shaping, and sizing. The more amigurumi you make, the more experience and knowledge you gain toward designing your own amigurumi patterns. So, take some time to learn from other designers and have fun working through their patterns first.

Keep it Simple

When you are designing your first amigurumi pattern, make sure to keep it very simple and basic. Don’t try to design something with a lot of detail and lots of little parts you have to sew together. Save the more complicated and detailed design ideas for when you have more experience!

Designing amigurumi does not have to be complicated. My process is pretty simple compared to that of many other designers. I don’t use graphs and charts or choose a perfectly curated color palette. Most of the time, I just come up with an idea and start crocheting it right away with the yarn I have on hand. Sometimes, I don’t even make a sketch before beginning.

That being said, there is no one right method for designing amigurumi patterns. Every designer has their own process, and once you gain some experience, you will also develop your own process. One designer’s process may look completely different from another. In time, you will figure out what works for you!

Tip #1 – Decide what you want to design

First, you need to come up with an idea of what you want to design. Do you want to design an animal? A doll? A character from a book or movie? Or maybe an inanimate object like a vegetable, fruit, or even a car or train? The possibilities are endless when it comes to this step. It might be overwhelming thinking of everything you want to design, so just pick one and go with it. Just write down all your other ideas and save them for when you need some inspiration later. But remember: keep it simple at first!

Tip #2 – Find Your Inspiration

Once you’ve decided what amigurumi you want to design, you might need some help figuring out what you want it to look like. For example, you may know that you want to design a hippo, but you’re not sure what the proportions should be or what details and characteristics you should add. When I only have a vague idea of what I want my design to look like, I will often search for clipart or drawings of the animal/character to get some inspiration.

One thing you do NOT want to do is search for other amigurumi of the same design. This is because you don’t want to be influenced by what someone else has already designed. You want your design to be unique and don’t want to copy another designer knowingly.

Tip #3 – Make a Sketch

Now that you have your design figured out in your head, you’ll want to put it on paper. Grab a drawing pad and pencil and make a sketch of your design. Doing this will help you remember all the details you want to add, and it’s also a great time to figure out the proportions for your design. This sketch is what you will refer to throughout the entire designing process!

Tip #4 – Choose Your Yarn and Hook

Now it’s time to choose the yarn you want to bring your design to life with! Ideally, it will be a yarn you are already comfortable working with. This will make things easier during the design process since you won’t have to figure out how to work with a new type of yarn (think fuzzy or fluffy yarn). Once your design is worked out, you can always go back and make a second one with different yarn.

I usually use worsted weight (4-ply) 100% acrylic yarn for my designs. For that yarn, I use an F (3.75 mm) or G (4 mm) crochet hook.

Tip #5 – Start Crocheting

It sounds easy enough, but this is the part where you have to actually bring your design to life, and it can be a little intimidating knowing where to start.

I always start designing the head first and then everything else around that. The head is generally the biggest part of an amigurumi, so making this first will help you establish its size. Your prior experience using other designers’ patterns will come in handy here since you will already know how many increases to add to achieve your desired size.

In what order you want to design each piece is really up to you, so experiment with what process works best for you!

Tip #6 – Don’t be Afraid to Make Mistakes

I know you probably don’t want to hear this, but you will fail, and you will fail again. You might have to rip out the same body or head ten times before you get it right. Any amigurumi designer can attest to that. The trick is to not get discouraged and to keep trying! Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. I don’t think I’ve ever designed an amigurumi without having to repeatedly start over on at least a few body parts.

Tip #7 – Make a Draft Version

You might be tempted to keep ripping things apart until you are 100% happy with your design and have a perfect first draft of your pattern. But, sometimes, it can help to sew all the pieces together to see the finished product, even if you know you aren’t happy with the results yet. Seeing the whole design finished can give you a better idea of what you want to change on the next one, what details you want to add, and if the proportions need to be adjusted.

Tip #8 – Give Yourself a Break

Designing can be very frustrating at times, and there might be moments when you feel like throwing your design in the trash. When this happens to me, I will often set my project aside for a while. Sometimes for a few hours and sometimes for a few weeks. Returning to my design after a break and looking at it for the first time in a while gives me a fresh perspective. Looking at it again with fresh eyes can sometimes be just what you need to figure out what needs fixing. And, a lot of the time, I come back and realize it wasn’t looking nearly as bad as I thought it was.

Tip #9 – Don’t Forget to Write it Down

I can’t tell you how many times I designed something in the past and thought I would remember exactly how I made it, only to come back weeks or even months later and have no idea what I did. Even if you think you will remember how you made it, write the pattern down as you go. Your future self will thank you! You can do this on the Notes app on your phone or laptop or with a good old-fashioned notebook and pencil like I do.

Tip #10 – Have Fun and Give it Time

This is probably the most important tip. Have fun, and don’t take it too seriously. You might be scared to start because you don’t think your work is good enough. But you can’t improve if you don’t start. So, just start, and you will gain experience as you go and develop your personal style. It takes time and practice for this to happen, so don’t expect to have your own unique style right away. The more you design, the stronger your style will become, and the more recognizable your work will be.

Remember to find your community so that you have someone to cheer you on and encourage you on your amigurumi-designing journey! You have something unique to offer the world, so go out and start creating.

If you have more questions about how to design amigurumi patterns, please feel free to contact me!

Thanks for stopping by! Until next time, then – stay crafty!