MAGIC RING OR ADJUSTABLE LOOP

For circular crochet working we need to start with an adjustable loop or "magic ring". This kind of loop closes and doesn't leave holes in the initial round (unlike the circular loop made ​​with a chain which leaves a hole in the center).

1. Make a loop on crochet hook.
2. Pick up the thread through the loop, leaving a loop on hook.
3. Make a chain stitch to secure the work on the ring. This chain stitch will NOT count.
4. Insert the hook into the ring (you must crochet around the ring). Yarn over the hook leaving two loops on hook. Yarn over the hook again and make it pass off through both loops on the hook. We have made the first single crochet on the ring.
5. Make as many single crochet as our project calls for to complete the 1st round. To adjust the magic ring, you must pull up from the end of the loose thread. That is how the center will close and you will are ready to continue working.
6. For the next round, you should start working at the first point of the ring. We will crochet spirally around the ring as indicated in the pattern. If your pattern doesn't indicate nothing about working spirally, then you will close the magic ring with a slip stitch. You will start working the second round weaving one or more chain stitches as our pattern indicates. This time, this chain stitches will count as a crochet stitch.

* The magic ring is used to make the pieces of a amigurumi because they must be closed on the center. The muzzle, ears or tail of Ós Bru are pieces where we use this way to close a circle.

CHAIN STITCH

1. Use your crochet hook to hook the yarn and draw it through the loop. You should now have a loose slip knot on your crochet hook.
2. The slip knot will need tightening. Leave it on the crochet hook and tug gently on both ends of yarn to tighten it up. Don’t over-tighten it; the crochet hook should be able to move easily inside this loop so that you can form your starting chain in the next step.
3. After you’ve hooked the yarn, pull the hook carrying the wrapped strand of yarn through the loop on your hook. One chain stitch (ch) is now complete, and one loop remains on your hook.
4. To make another chain stitch, hook another loop and draw it through. Repeat as many times as necessary. You can see in the illustration how you should count the points.

SLIP STITCH

A slip stitch is used mainly for joining (such as a ring or seams) and moving across existing stitches without adding stitches or height to them. It’s also used as a finishing touch because it makes a nice edge.

1. Insert the hook, front to back, into the first stitch as shown in the illustration.
2. Yarn over and pull through the stitch and the loop on your hook, all just in one motion.
3. We just have closed the circle by a slip stitch. Now, one loop remains on the hook and we are ready to start the following round.

SINGLE CROCHET STITCH

1. Insert the hook, front to back, into the first stitch as shown in the illustration.
2. Yarn over the hook and pull through those top loops to draw up a new loop. Now, you have two loops on your hook.
3. Yarn over the hook again and and pull through the two loops on the hook.
4. Now, you have one loop left on your hook and you just have made your first single crochet!

INCREASING STITCHES

When you increase stitches, you are adding stitches to a crocheted round or row so that it has more stitches than the previous one. It is used to enlarge the crocheted piece like it is for example in a flat circular piece or as well to get a piece with volume. If we want to make an amigurumi, the increasing stitches allows shaping the piece. That's the way to crochet the neck and shoulders of the Ós Bru.

1. Insert the hook, front to back, into the last crocheted stitch as shown in the illustration.
2. Work two single crochet stitches in the same one stitch.

DECREASING STITCHES

In the same way it happens with increasing stitches, we can decrease stitches to change the size of the piece. Then, when we decrease a stitch, we are eliminating stitches to a crocheted round or row so that it will have less stitches than the previous one. If we want to make an amigurumi, the decreasing stitches allows shaping the piece. That's the way to crochet the neck and shoulders of the Ós Bru.

1. Insert the hook, front to back, into the inside loop of the two last stitches as shown in the illustration.
2. Yarn over the hook and pull through those top loops to draw up a new loop. Now, you have two loops on your hook.
3. Yarn over the hook again and and pull through the two loops left on the hook.
4. In this way, you are working one single crochet stitch in two stitches.

COLOR CHANGE

1. Insert the hook, front to back, into the first stitch as shown in the illustration.
2. Yarn over the hook and pull through the two loops of the stitch to draw up a new loop. Now, you have two loops on your hook.
3. Yarn over the hook again with the new color and pull through the two loops left on the hook.
4. The crochet stitch that you made still will be of the first color, but now, you have already the new color on the hook, ready to start working with it.

* To avoid the slipping of the loose end of the new color yarn, you should hide it at the same time you work the following 4 or 5 stitches. It's mean that when you make the following stitches you should include the loose end into them to hide and catch it.

TO TOP OFF WORK

1. Cut the thread leaving about 15 cm.
2. Make a slip stitch in the following stitch.
3. Pull of the thread carefully to set the slip stitch
4. Turn your crochet work and stitch up the thread as shown in the illustration.

JOINING PIECES

Some tips to sew the pieces of a amigurumi in an orderly and almost invisible manner:

1. When you have finished of crocheting a piece, cut the thread leaving it long enough to sew the piece to another piece.
   Usually we should sew an open piece (legs, tail ...) to a closed piece (the amigurumi body). In the picture we show a white spherical piece (the closed piece) and a blue conical piece (the opened piece).
2. Fill the piece with wadding (If the piece requires it, of course. Be sure not to fill it too much because it could difficult the sewing). Try to place it where you have to sew. In that way you will find the exact position and you will be ready to start to sew the piece to the other piece. Be sure not to confuse front and rear legs, the tail and the ear ...
   Once you have determined the position of the piece, you'll have to thread an embroidery rounded-tipped needle (it's very important it be a rounded-tipped needle) and pass through one of the loops of the spherical or closed piece. The sewing will look better if you choose a number of stitches as a guide and you'll catch one of the stitches every time.
   The illustration shows the thread in pink to distinguish the stitches, but we are actually using the same thread of the blue piece.
   When you have passed the needle through a stitch of the closed piece, you should pass it through the stitch of the opened piece. Be sure to take the outside and the inside loop, back to front.
3. Sew the whole piece but remember to add a little more wadding if it were necessary before closing of all. Be sure that the piece is well filled not too much skinny or empty.
4. Once you have finished sewing all the shape around, you should hide the thread. So you have to pass the needle through some stitches to strengthen the piece. Insert the needle to the piece pulling it through the it. Cut the thread. By using the thread of the same color of the piece, we get almost a invisble sewing.

* If you have purchased the DIY Kit of the Ós Bru, this tips could be very useful to know how to sew the ears, legs and tail.

SEWING PIECES

1. Put together the sides of both pieces. Thread a embroidering needle using the remaining thread of one of the pieces.
2. Sew the pieces by the outsides loops of each stitch as shown in the illustration.

* If you have purchased the DIY Kit of the Ós Bru, this tips could be very useful to know how to sew the body of the amigurumi with the rear part.