How to tighten a round opening - tutorial

So, you have finished crocheting your last stitch on one of the details. What now?

You are looking at a strange phrase «Fasten off, stuff and tighten the opening». Or maybe there is nothing at all instructed in your pattern. 

Does the designer suppose you know what to do with this loop you are now having on your hook? Does it obvious how to stuff, fasten off and so on? – Not always.

Especially if you are just learning how to crochet toys such simple things that are “supposed to be known” may totally frustrate you all the time. I crocheted for a few months before it occurred to me that I’m crocheting wrong side out.

So. Here it is :) (how I sew long openings I will show a little later)

 A detailed tutorial about round finishing 

Tiny Sheep - Free crochet toy pattern - amigurumi pattern

Do you like sheep as much as I do? :)

Cute, fluffy, soft! They give us wool and became really symbolic for every knitter or crocheter!

I already have Daisy the Sheep crochet toy pattern in my etsy shop and website that include wires tutorial and headphones.

But I wanted to design the sheep that is is also extremely cute but can be done very very fast  and will be small enough to carry as a keychain.

So meet the Tiny Sheep free pattern!

How to sew arms to a crocheted toy and make them movable

One of the simplest ways to connect the arms/paws/wings/what else does your crocheted toy has? :) 

You just need a strong thread and a needle long enough to pierce through the body. 

The main idea is to stuff the body of your amigurumi very well and to pierce it through the same points all the time.

Coming soon... Panda driving amigurumi pattern

It's fun how designing of quite a simple toy can sometimes require crocheting so many details!

I had lots of difficult crocheted toys that I did from the first time or just with a few changes.

But this amigurumi Panda made me do 7 upper paws! 2 heads, 2 bodies, 5 ears, 5 legs. And I haven't even counted the number of different black spots for eyes that I tried to choose the best size and shape.

But now my little Panda driver is finished! And even the draft of the pattern! Masha is happy ))

Free crochet pumpkin pattern, amigurumi pattern for Halloween

Have you already made pumpkins for Halloween? :)


I want to share with you my easy and detailed free pumpkin pattern.

Crocheted amigurumi sheep

I have just finished crocheting 20 fluffy sheep in headphones. I love to work with big orders. It is possible to crochet a lot of bodies, then heads... and last night... last sewings... and at once 20 different creatures are looking at you from the desk! :)

A lot of photos:

How I create new toys

… or a story how I didn't want to crochet for Halloween… and had to finish a Pumpkin box…

As a matter of fact I wanted to crochet so many things and all of them right now J The Halloween bright colors are so inspiring! Orange with green pumpkins, violet hats, black and orange contrasts. And that’s why I couldn’t start doing anything.

Besides I had a half done pumpkin box that I had postponed till next Halloween a year ago. So I was sure that I should start designing for Halloweens with finishing this Pumpkin…

I hate all these “must” and “should” in designing! That’s why I started something that had nothing at all to do with Halloween. I renewed Swiper the Fox pattern! Crocheted a new toy, taking new step by step photos…

I got a nice pattern J that’s true

But who needs Swiper the Fox from Dora the Explorer cartoon without its main character Dora?

Unfinished Pumpkin box still continued to refuse to become finished …

But Dora Doll was designed in one breath:

To check out the pattern I had to crochet another Dora from it… But it was a little boring and not inspiring at all… So I did the Dora doll in Pumpkin outfit. Changed the head size, eyes, made it a little higher but sill checked out the Dora pattern!

It would be great…  but my husband told that it is too fat to be a pretty girl :(

I am still sure that not every doll should be thin like a Barbie especially if it is a pumpkin!

But! I have already had another doll idea in my mind that demanded to be embodied as soon as possible!

And in two afternoons I had already had a slim Pumpkin Girl!

 And it also needed to be checked out… And to do it I needed to crochet it one more time… And my Dora still needed Monkey the Boots design. And I still had my unfinished pumpkin box which whereabouts was a complete mystery to me.

So. I decided at least to find it.   And guess what? I had found! But not the half crocheted pumpkin but an almost finished penguin!  Here I must say my penguins with big eyes are my favorites! So I got him! Halloween Penguin!

And it still doesn’t look much like the pumpkin box that should be finished

But! I already have a wonderful cauldron, witch hat, broom and a great idea how to check out the Pumpkin Girl pattern without making another pumpkin!

And Now I have a bunch of new patterns and one half done Pumpkin Box once again put off till the next Halloween.