Try These 14 Easy Time Saving Hacks for Amigurumi
Whether you’re working on holiday projects for loved ones or prepping to restock your Etsy shop, these 14 Easy Time Saving Hacks for Amigurumi are sure to help. Plus get your FREE printable project progress tracker!
We all know the feeling…. you’re rushing to get an amigurumi project finished in time for a deadline. Maybe you’re making the cutest little mermaid for your best friend’s baby shower and you’ve only got three days left.
Or maybe you’re restocking your Etsy shop full of amigurumi goodness and you’ve promised your customers that your shop will be fully stocked by 8:00 a.m. Saturday morning, and you have three more toys to crochet.
But maybe you’re just tired of your crochet toys taking much longer than you think they should and you need some time saving hacks for amigurumi.
These are the BEST time saving tips, in my humble opinion (and believe me I’ve thought about this long and hard). I don’t have time to waste and I need to get my projects done in a timely manner.
I get a lot of comments about how quickly I seem to get my projects done and I’m so glad to be sharing these tips with you all.
Let’s not waste another second!
The 14 Best Time Saving Hacks for Amigurumi
- Choose Projects You’re Excited About
- Organize Your Amigurumi Patterns for Easy Access
- Keep a Small Inventory of Yarn Brands in Colors You Regularly Use
- Work on One Project at a Time
- Read Over the Pattern First
- Gather Supplies in One Project Bag
- Your Project Should be Easily Accessible and Portable
- Track Your Project Progress [Get Your FREE Printable]
- Use a Yarn Bowl or Bag [Make Your own Yarn Bag Tutorial]
- Crochet All Pieces at Once
- Seam All Pieces at the Same Time
- Use Stitch Markers That Lock in Place
- Keep Your Scissors on a Fob
- Weave in Any Ends Right Away
Watch the Amigurumi Time Saving Tips Video
Choose Projects You’re Excited About
If I could only give you one time saving hack for amigurumi, this would be it.
Don’t choose boring projects because you won’t be interested and you won’t want to work on them. Period.
When you pick amigurumi patterns that you’re excited to work on, the project will go much faster. You’ll be excited to work on it and it won’t feel like a chore, but a treat.
Become really picky about the projects you are willing to work on.
Don’t agree to crochet that sloth pattern for your Aunt Myrtle just because she really likes it. Try to find her something that you are also stoked about crocheting. Then it’s a win for you both.
Organize Your Amigurumi Patterns for Easy Access
Keeping all of your amigurumi patterns organized will help you choose your next project quickly and swiftly.
Whether you keep printed patterns in a binder or you have digital files, arrange them in the way that makes the most sense to you.
I like keeping crochet and knit patterns separate. I also like to divide my patterns up by animals and dolls.
Furthermore, I subdivide them by keeping the patterns I like best in the front.
Keep Small Inventory of Yarn Brands in Colors You Regularly Use
If you regularly crochet or knit amigurumi you likely have a couple of favorite brands of yarn that you like to use.
Start to recognize which color palettes you gravitate to more often than not. Do you like bold, bright colors or are you more of a pastel lover?
Begin to stock up on those favorites when there’s a sale so that you never have to wait for a yarn order again.
Work on One Project at a Time
I cannot stress this enough. Unless you are batch making multiples of the same pattern, only work on one project at a time.
Switching back and forth between projects is a big huge time waster.
When you’re working on more than one project, you have to reacquaint yourself with that project every time you pick it up.
Focusing all your energy in one direction will give you the momentum you need to complete an amigurumi project more quickly.
Read Over the Pattern First
If you’ve never made this pattern before, read the entire pattern first.
Make sure that you have all the materials you need. But also make sure that you understand all the stitches and the construction of the toy.
Will there be techniques you need to learn to be able to finish that toy? Look up a tutorial and bookmark it on your computer.
Highlight important information so that you don’t skip over it when you’re ready to start stitching.
Gather Supplies in One Project Bag
This suggestion is a no-brainer, but an important one.
Gather all of your supplies and keep them in a project bag.
I enjoy storing my current project in a cute bag like the ones from Mrs. Ginger Handmade or the Button Jar Studio, but I also have used reusable grocery store bags as well.
You just need something that is big enough to hold all your supplies.
I also really like baskets and have picked up some really nice ones at my local Salvation Army (thrift store) for a really good price. Plus they look so pretty sitting in my home full of yarn and amigurumi body parts.
There’s only one downside to a basket, your yarn will be easy access for curious little kitty cats.
Your Project Should Be Easily Accessible and Portable
Don’t store your project in a difficult to reach area. You want to be able to access it easily.
It also really helps if your project is portable so that you can easily take it from room to room or when you’re out and will have some time to work on your toy.
Plus if it’s somewhere that you can see it, you’ll be more tempted to pick it up and get a few rounds done.
Track Your Project Progress (FREE Printable)
Keeping track of your progress is a key time saving hack for amigurumi.
Any time you lose your spot and have to spend time figuring out where you left of or have to frog (rip back) a few rounds to get back to a known point, you’re wasting time.
Always keeping track of your progress will save you time (and effort).
Some people don’t like writing on their patterns and for that reason I’ve created a simple printable Amigurumi Project Progress Tracker.
You can print it out as many times as you like and easily be able to use it whenever you’re working on a pattern.
Use a Yarn Bowl or Bag [Make Your Own Yarn Bag Tutorial]
I don’t own a yarn bowl, but I have started using a brown paper bag to keep my yarn from getting tangled and rolling all around.
Plus it keeps the kitties from getting their cute little paws all wrapped up in my wool.
Simply get a paper bag and cut a small hole or two in it for your working yarn to go through. You can even put multiple skeins in it with multiple holes to keep your colors from tangling. (Watch the video to see how I make a yarn bag).
Crochet All Pieces at Once
One time saving hack for amigurumi is to crochet all the pieces at one time.
Have you ever started crocheting amigurumi and you were enjoying the stitching part so much that time stood still?
When you’re in that mindset it’s good to keep going (but don’t forget to take breaks).
Read more about 10 Ways to Stop Pain from Crocheting and Knitting
Entering a state of flow is a magnificent thing and many of us amigurumi makers experienced it regularly.
“Flow is a state of mind in which a person becomes fully immersed in an activity. Positive psychologist Mihály CsÃkszentmihályi describes flow as a state of complete immersion in an activity.”
— Kendra Cherry, Very Well Mind
There are many benefits to being a state of flow but one of them is increased productivity. You can literally get more done.
Seam All Pieces at the Same Time
The same concept applies to seaming all your amigurumi pieces at the same time.
Once you have your yarn needle out and you’re happily sewing on all those body parts, it becomes a bit of a creative assembly line.
And your toy gets made more quickly.
Use Stitch Markers That Lock in Place
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Have you ever been blissfully crocheting away only to find that your stitch marker has fallen out?
That, my friend, is a terrible thing to happen.
I have found that using stitch markers that lock keep that pesky nuisance from happening.
In addition to being totally annoying, it’s a terrible time waster to have to figure out where the beginning of your round is.
Keep Your Scissors on a Fob
If I was able to calculate how many hours of my life I have wasted looking for my scissors, I’m afraid it would horrifying.
Until I got my scissor fob from The Button Jar Studio, I spent way too much time searching through my project bags looking for them.
The scissor fob is such a simple tool, but it has saved me a lot of time and several headaches.
Weave in Any Ends Right Away
Thankfully for most amigurumi projects there aren’t that many ends to weave in.
But I’ve found that I’m in minority when it comes to weaving in ends, I actually like doing it.
Whether you enjoy weaving in ends or not, there’s one thing I know for sure. Weave those ends in right away.
Don’t procrastinate and convince yourself you’ll do it later. It’s a small time saver, but every bit counts.
Time Saving Hacks for Amigurumi
I hope you enjoyed this post all about time saving hacks for amigurumi. Let me know if you have any great time savers and share them with us all!
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