Video Transcript:
This is Jess from jesshuff.com. In this video, I’ll show you how to do a Loop Stitch when making an amigurumi project.
This is a great technique to use when you want to add fur to a crocheted animal.
Typically when you make amigurumi, you crochet with the right side—or the outside—of the work facing you, and you insert your hook from the outside of the work to the inside.
But with the Loop Stitch, the loops are created on the back of each stitch, so the back of the work becomes the front side—or the right side—of the work.
So I recommend working with the inside of the work facing you, and you are going to insert your hook from the inside of the work to the outside.
Getting your tension and loop size consistent can be really tricky at first, so I recommend practicing by making the entire sphere shown in this video before attempting the Loop Stitch on your amigurumi project.
So let’s make a sphere together, and we’ll start at the very beginning with a Magic Ring.
The first round is arguably the hardest and most frustrating part of an entire Loop Stitch amigurumi project.
So be patient with yourself—and with me—and once you’re through the first round, the rest of the project is all downhill.
In round 1, I will show you how to do Loop Stitches inside of a Magic Ring. Start by creating a Magic Ring on your index finger. Drape the working yarn over your finger, then wrap it around 2 more times.
Hold the tail between your middle finger and your ring finger. Insert your hook under the first two loops on your index finger. Yarn over, and draw up a loop.
Then we’re going to yarn over again and pull through the loop on your hook.
We’ve just made a standard magic ring, and now we can crochet our Loop Stitch single crochets inside the magic ring.
Typically you would make a Loop Stitch by wrapping the working yarn around your index finger. But since your index finger is tied up, you’ll be using your thumb.
Start by draping the working yarn over your thumb. Insert your hook into the magic ring and cross your hook in front of the strand on your thumb.
Then you’re going to catch the yarn on the back side of your thumb, and bring it around to the front, and draw up a loop.
Now, because your thumb is wider than your index finger, we need to reduce the size of the loop so it will be the same size as the loops made with your index finger on the rest of the project.
So what you’re gonna do, is remove your thumb from the loop, and gently pull on the working yarn, until the inside of the loop is a bit bigger than the width of a pencil.
Then with your index finger from the hand holding your hook, cross the loop over the working yarn, yarn over, and draw through the two loops on your hook.
You’ve just completed your first Loop Stitch single crochet inside the magic ring.
In this example we’re going to do this 5 more times for a total of 6 Loop Stitch single crochets inside the magic ring, but of course you should do however many is stated in the pattern you’re following.
So again, drape your working yarn over your thumb. Insert your hook into the magic ring, cross your hook in front of the strand on your thumb, then catch the yarn on the back side of your thumb.
Bring it around to the front, and draw up a loop. Remove your thumb and pull on the working yarn to decrease the size of your loop.
Then cross the loop over the working yarn, yarn over, and draw through the two loops on your hook.
Now we have 6 Loop Stitch single crochets inside of our magic ring. [counts to 6]
Remove your index finger. We’re going to pull our yarn tail to see which loop in our magic ring starts closing first.
Pull on the other loop until that first loop is completely closed. Now pull on your yarn tail again to close up that second loop.
Insert your stitch marker into the last stitch of the round, and you’re ready to start round 2.
Now I’m going to show you how to create a Loop Stitch Single Crochet.
Insert your hook through the next stitch, and drape the working yarn over your index finger.
Cross your hook in front of the strand on your index finger, then catch the yarn on the back side of your finger. Bend your index finger, and draw up a loop.
Then cross the loop over the working yarn, yarn over, and draw through the two loops on your hook.
You’ve just completed your first standard Loop Stitch Single Crochet.
Now I’m going to show you how to increase with a Loop Stitch. It’s really straightforward. just complete two Loop Stitch single crochets inside the same stitch.
In this example round, I will be increasing with the Loop Stitch in each stitch around. I’ve already done one Loop Stitch single crochet, so I’ll do another one worked inside the same stitch.
So as you can see, we have two Loop Stitch single crochets worked inside the same stitch, and that completes our first Loop Stitch Increase.
I’m going to increase with Loop Stitches in the remaining 5 stitches of the round.
Okay, so this is what it looks like after completing two standard amigurumi rounds in the Loop Stitch.
If the tail bothers you, you can go ahead and trim it off at this point. Now we’re going to complete round 3 of our practice sphere worked in the loop stitch.
Alternate between a Loop Stitch single crochet and a Loop Stitch increase, 6 times.
Single crochet. Increase. Single crochet. Increase. Single crochet. Increase. Single crochet. Increase. Single crochet. Increase. Single crochet. Increase.
All of round 4 will also be worked in the Loop Stitch.
We will single crochet, increase, alternate between 2 single crochets and an increase 5 times, then single crochet in the last stitch of the round.
Single crochet. Increase. Single crochet. Single crochet. Increase. Single crochet. Single crochet. Increase. Single crochet. Single crochet. Increase. Single crochet.
Single crochet. Increase. Single crochet. Single crochet. Increase. Then single crochet in the last stitch of the round.
Rounds 5 through 7 will be worked in the Loop Stitch, and we will single crochet in each stitch around. I’m going to skip to the end of round 7.
Feel free to pause the video, and meet me there.
Round 8 will be worked in the Loop Stitch. We will single crochet, decrease, alternate between 2 single crochets and a decrease 5 times, then single crochet in the last stitch of the round.
So the first stitch of the round is a single crochet Loop Stitch. How to decrease with a Loop Stitch. Insert your hook into the next stitch. Yarn over, and draw up a loop.
Then insert your hook into the next stitch. Make your loop on the back of the stitch, and draw up another loop on your hook. You should now have 3 loops on your hook.
Cross the loop over the working yarn, yarn over, and draw through all 3 loops on your hook. You’ve just completed your first Loop Stitch decrease.
Now I’m going to complete the remainder of the round on our example Loop Stitch sphere.
Single crochet. Single crochet. Decrease. Okay. Single crochet. Single crochet. Decrease. Single crochet. Single crochet. Decrease. Single crochet.
Single crochet. Decrease. Single crochet. Single crochet. Decrease. Whoops. Then single crochet in the last stitch of the round.
Round 9 will be worked in the Loop Stitch. We will alternate between a single crochet and a decrease, 6 times.
Single crochet. Decrease. Single crochet. Sorry, this gets a little trickier to show as we work in a smaller space.
Let’s see… Decrease. Single crochet. Decrease. Single crochet. Decrease. Single crochet. Decrease. Single crochet.
And decrease in the last two stitches of the round. Now it’s time to stuff our sphere.
Round 10 will be worked in the Loop Stitch. We will decrease 6 times.
Now we’re going to close it with an Ultimate Finish. For a more in-depth tutorial on how to do an Ultimate Finish, see the video description below.
Practice making a sphere as many times as you need to feel confident with this new stitch.
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