This is the first post in a tutorial series on how to read amigurumi crochet patterns. There are no set rules or guidelines for writing amigurumi patterns. Each designer has his/her own format, so if you like to make amis from many different designers (which you probably do!), than things can get confusing. This series will allow you to decipher a number of different patterns and help clear things up.

Amigurumi patterns can be written out (the usual method for designers in North America) or be in graphic form, such as charts and tables (more common for Japanese patterns). These blog posts will focus on written instructions, as that is how I design my patterns.

Lets start with the basics: pattern abbreviations for written instructions. Written patterns can get pretty long if you don’t shorten some of the words. A well written pattern will have a key telling you what all the abbreviations in the pattern mean, but you may come across some that just jump right in without any guidance. Below are the most common abbreviations found in amigurumi patterns:

Is there anything major I missed? Let me know in the comments below! Did you catch that one appreviation is repeated in two different locations with two different meanings? MC can mean “main colour” or “magic circle”, so be aware!

Next time, I will take you through how to read a hookabee pattern that uses some of these abbreviations.