Amigurumi (Japanese: 編みぐるみ, lit. "crocheted or knitted stuffed toy") is the Japanese art of knitting or crocheting small, stuffed yarn creatures. The word is a compound of the Japanese words 編み ami, meaning "crocheted or knitted", and 包み kurumi, literally "wrapping", as in 縫い包み nuigurumi "(sewn) stuffed doll". Amigurumi vary in size and there are no restrictions about size or look. While the art of amigurumi has been known in Japan for several decades, the craft first started appealing to the masses in other countries, especially in the West, in 2003.[3] By 2006, amigurumi were reported to be some of the most popular items on Etsy, an online craft marketplace, where they typically sold for $10 to $100.
Amigurumi can be knitted, though they are usually
crocheted out of yarn or thread, using the basic techniques of crochet
(such as single crochet stitch (sc), double crochet (dc), invisible
decrease (inv.dec)). Amigurumi can be worked as one piece or, more
usually, in sections which are sewed or crocheted together. In crochet,
amigurumi are typically worked in spiral rounds to prevent "striping", a
typical feature of joining crochet rounds in a project.
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