How to amigurumi - neat bind off

it's been about time to make a new tutorial and this time it's about binding off, we already know how to start an amigurumi and how to add new colors or how to shape.

I will divide this post into two parts: first how to bind off open ends / open body parts, like arms or details like eyes and the second part will be on how to close the final hole of a doll.

bind off open ends:

when crocheting in spirals or in other words without joining every round and making a single crochet to reach the level for the next row there is a little "bump" at the very end of the row.

But this "bumpiness" can be hidden very easily. To hide the last stitch at "open" body parts such as ears or maybe arms and legs, and snouts that you often can find in one of my patterns you use a simple trick: a slip stitch that will not be drawn closed but sewn closed.

To end a row this way you make a slip stitch after you've made the last stitch that's required by the pattern.

Now pull the yarn through the slip stitch but don't pull the slip stitch tight yet, just cut the yarn (often it's good to cut it long enough so you can sew on the body part to the doll you just made) and thread the yarn end onto a darning needle. Now I "seam" the yarn end:


- insert the needle into the next stitch from the outside to the inside of your body part

- don't pull tight

- now lead the needle through the back loop of your slip stitch (from below up) and pull through

- pull the yarn end a little

- and now insert the needle into the stitch you used in the first step but this time from inside out

- pull the yarn tight (but don't too tight)

and that's it!

the slip stitch blends into the main fabric very smoothly and can't be recognized very easily.


binding off / closing final holes:

to close the final hole of a doll I use a slip stitch bind off as decribed above and add a few more steps:


- I use the yarn end to pull all the remaining stitches "inside" or better I force them to face each other: use the yarn and needle and insert the needle from the inside to the outside of every stitch around. This makes the stitches face each other and also helps securing the yarn end.


- an additional step is to thread your needle through the seam you just made to pull the hole of the doll closed completely:

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a general tip for securing yarn ends is to hide them inside your doll and secure them / knot them with other yarn ends.
I often use facing yarn ends to knot with each other (such as eyes) and hide both the knot and the yarn ends themselves inside the doll.