Welcome back to our ultimate guide to flawless crochet toys! In Part 1: Right Yarn and Hook Size and Part 2: Amigurumi Yarn Under Technique, we covered how to build the perfect, tight foundation for your plushies using the right tools and the hybrid X-stitch. But once you have that beautiful tension down, the next big challenge is shaping your toy without ruining that smooth texture. To achieve a truly professional look, you must master the amigurumi invisible decrease, clean increases, and seamless color changes.
If you have ever noticed ugly ridges, tiny gaps where the stuffing peeks through, or shapes that look more like hexagons than perfect spheres, you are not alone. In this guide, we are going to fix all of that. You will learn how to make your decreases disappear, how to keep your increases perfectly round, and how to change yarn colors without that annoying “step-up” line.
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1. The Invisible Decrease (Dec)
When working on blankets or garments, a standard single crochet decrease involves pulling up loops through two stitches and closing them together. In amigurumi, this creates a bulky, raised bump and leaves two noticeable holes underneath it.
To keep your toy’s surface completely flat and gap-free, you should always use the amigurumi invisible decrease:
- Insert your hook into the front loop only (FLO) of the first stitch. (Do not yarn over).
- Immediately insert your hook into the front loop only (FLO) of the second stitch (you now have three loops on your hook).
- Yarn under (or yarn over, depending on your preferred style from Part 2) and pull through the first two front loops.
- Finish the stitch normally by pulling through the remaining two loops.
Because you only used the front loops, the back loops stay inside the toy to block the stuffing, making the decrease look identical to a regular single crochet stitch!
2. The Perfect Invisible Increase (Inc)
While decreasing smoothly is vital, how you increase is just as important. A standard increase means crocheting two stitches into the exact same loop. If done the traditional way, that second stitch stretches the base open and creates a small hole where fiberfill can easily escape.
To make an invisible increase, you need to split where your two stitches sit so they don’t fight for space in the same loop. There are two professional methods to achieve this:
- Option 1 (The FLO Method): Work your first single crochet into the front loop only (FLO) of the stitch. Then, work your second single crochet into both loops of that exact same stitch.
- Option 2 (The BLO Method): Work your first single crochet into the back loop only (BLO) of the stitch. Then, work your second single crochet into both loops of that exact same stitch.
By placing the first stitch into just one loop (either front or back) and the second stitch through both loops, you eliminate the bulk and prevent the base of the stitch from stretching.
The Golden Rule of Shaping: Staggered Increases and Decreases
Have you ever tried to crochet a perfectly round doll head or ball, but ended up with a shape that looks like a hexagon with visible “corners”? This is a classic amigurumi trap!
This happens when you place your increases or decreases directly on top of each other in every round (for example, always starting a repeat with 2 sc, inc or 2 sc, dec). The shaping points pile up, creating sharp points and flat sides.
The Solution: Stagger your rounds! This geometric rule applies to both increasing and decreasing. Whenever you have an even number of single crochets between your shaping stitches (like 4, 6, or 8 sc), you should split the first repeat in half.
- Instead of:
(4sc, inc) x 6 - You do: (2sc, inc, 2sc) x 6
By shifting the placement of the increase or decrease, you scatter the shaping points across the round. This results in a perfectly smooth, flawless, and circular 3D sphere rather than a blocky hexagon.
3. Seamless Color Changes (No More Stitches “Stepping Up”)
Because amigurumi is worked in continuous spirals rather than closed rounds, changing colors usually creates an awkward, jagged “jog” or step-up line where the new color abruptly starts.
To get a beautifully straight, seamless color change, you need to introduce the new color before the new round actually begins:
- Insert your hook into the very last stitch of the old color.
- Pull up a loop with the old color (two loops on your hook).
- Drop the old color yarn. Grab your new color yarn and pull it through both loops to finish the stitch.
Now, the loop sitting on your hook is officially the new color, and your very next stitch will be crisp and perfectly aligned, eliminating that sloppy look.
Next-Level Trick: The Flawless Color Round
If you want to go even further and completely eliminate that striped, mixed-color look where the old and new colors overlap in the stitches, there is a professional technique you can use for the entire last round before the official color change.
Instead of changing the color on just the very last loop of the round, you carry the change through every single stitch of that transitional round:
- Insert your hook into the stitch.
- Yarn over (or yarn under) with your old color and pull up a loop.
- Yarn over (or yarn under) with your new color and pull through both loops to finish the stitch.
- Repeat this process for every single stitch around the entire round.
💡 A Note on Tension: When practicing this advanced method, you need to pay extra attention to your tension. Because you are constantly dropping and picking up two different strands of yarn, it is very easy to pull the new color too tight. If your tension is too loose or too tight, the fabric will warp. Make sure to keep your stitches relaxed and consistent so that your work doesn’t shrink or narrow down at the transition line!
By pulling up the first loop with the old color and closing the stitch with the new color all the way around, you create a perfect, solid boundary line. When you start the next round completely in the new color, the transition will look mathematically perfect and completely seamless!
Free Amigurumi Patterns to Practice Your New Skills
The absolute best way to lock these techniques into your muscle memory is to jump right into a fun project and start crocheting! If you are looking for your next project, head over to the blog and try out the completely free Ballerina Bunny crochet pattern or the Crochet Dinosaur pattern. Both designs are perfect for putting your tension, shaping, and neat stitches to the test!
I absolutely love seeing your work come to life! As you practice your amigurumi invisible decreases, perfect increases, and seamless color changes, make sure to share your progress. Follow along and subscribe to my profiles on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok for more quick video tips. Don’t forget to tag @emmasdollsstudio or use the hashtag #emmasdolls on your photos and videos so I can see your beautiful stitches and share them with our amazing community!
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We are right in the middle of our journey, and there are still two amazing parts left in this 5-part series! In the upcoming guides, we will tackle the art of perfect stuffing and closing your toys seamlessly. To make sure you never miss a new guide, a quick tip, or a brand new free pattern release, join our Newsletter community today. Sign up below and be the first to get all the crochet magic delivered straight to your inbox!
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