Amigurumi Terms and Abbreviations

What do amigurumi abbreviations mean?

This is the full working vocabulary. Most patterns use fewer than ten of these, and once you know them you can read almost any amigurumi pattern in any shop.

Numbers do the rest of the work. A number before an abbreviation means repeat it that many times, so 6 sc means six single crochets in a row.

1. MR, MC, or magic ring: the adjustable centre ring every piece starts from.
2. sc: single crochet, the stitch amigurumi is almost entirely made of.
3. inc: increase, two single crochets worked into one stitch.
4. dec: decrease, two stitches worked together into one.
5. invdec: invisible decrease, the neater version that works into front loops only.
6. st, sts: stitch, stitches.
7. rnd: round. Amigurumi counts rounds, not rows.
8. BLO and FLO: back loop only and front loop only, used to make a crisp edge or a fold.
9. sl st: slip stitch, usually for joining or finishing.
10. ch: chain, used for limbs and details more than for the body.
11. FO: fasten off. Cut the yarn and pull it through the last loop.
12. rep: repeat, followed by how many times.
13. (18): a stitch count in brackets at the end of a round. This is your checkpoint.

What does a round like sc 6 in MR mean?

It means work six single crochets into a magic ring, then pull the ring closed. That is the standard opening round for nearly every amigurumi piece.

You will then see rounds written in shorthand like this: Rnd 2: inc in each st around (12). That means work an increase into all six stitches, which doubles the count to twelve, and the bracket confirms you should have twelve stitches when you finish.

A round like Rnd 3: (sc 1, inc) x 6 (18) means repeat the sequence inside the brackets six times. Each repeat is one plain single crochet and one increase, which adds six stitches and brings you to eighteen.

Why do amigurumi patterns use the invisible decrease?

A standard decrease leaves a small bump and a visible hole. On a stuffed piece, holes let the stuffing show through and bumps break the smooth curve of a head, so amigurumi uses a tidier version.

The invisible decrease works into the front loops only of the next two stitches, then finishes them together. The result sits flat and closes the gap.

Patterns write it as invdec, dec, or sometimes just sc2tog. If a pattern says dec without specifying, use the invisible version. It looks better and no pattern will mind.

Why do amigurumi rounds not get joined?

Most amigurumi is worked in a continuous spiral, so there is no join and no turning chain at the end of a round. You simply keep going into the next stitch, and the fabric climbs like a helix.

This is what stops the visible seam line you get from joined rounds, and it is also why a stitch marker is not optional. With no join, nothing physically marks where a round begins.

Move a marker into the first stitch of every round as you pass it. When a pattern says the count should be 24 and you find 23, the marker is what lets you find the mistake in one round instead of unravelling five.

How do you keep your place in an amigurumi pattern?

Amigurumi punishes lost counts more than any other crochet. The rounds are short, they look nearly identical, and a single missed increase changes the shape of the finished piece in a way you cannot fix later.

Three habits carry most of the load: mark the first stitch of every round, check your stitch count against the number in brackets at the end of every round, and note which round you stopped on before you set the piece down.

That last one is where paper tallies fail, because amigurumi is picked up and put down constantly. A row counter that keeps a separate count per piece, so the head and the arms do not share a number, saves the most rework. Worsted counts each piece on its own and remembers where you stopped in the pattern PDF too.