Stitch - which to use for Amigurumi? ・ClearlyHelena

Single crochet (sc) stitch and/or its variations, are the single most used stitch in crochet amigurumi, Wayuu bags, tapestry crochet.

Here my focus will be on which stitches I recommend for crochet amigurumi and crochet for Wayuu Mochila bags.

Note: for Amigurumi, and Wayuu bags, the work is almost always in a circular form. Hence that is what I am looking at here: working sc in a circular form.

Let’s have a look at the variations of the sc.

(Go immediately to Summary of Stitch Comparison if you want.)

Standard Single Crochet (sc)

I seldom use sc for amigurumi nor for making Wayuu bags because:

resultant fabric has holes that are too large. Stuffing can be seen, especially when you have to stuff firmly
stitches slant to right (as shown by beads). Not good for Wayuu nor Tapestry crochet.

Knit Single Crochet (aka Waistcoat Stitch)

How To: Knit Single Crochet

good for Amigurumi because the fabric is thick and dense. Stuffing will not show through. Amigurumi item more durable. (But not soft.)
ok for Wayuu bags because it is so dense and strong. But it does have a vertical slant to left.

: Knit Single Crochet stitch (ksc) – How To

Modified Crochet Stitch

How To: Modified Crochet Stitch

not so good for amigurumi because fabric has holes so stuffing can be seen
very good for tapestry crochet because stitches are perfectly vertical
good for Wayuu bags because of vertical stitches (no slant). However fabric is not as tough as Knit Single Crochet nor Modified Shallow Single Crochet.

Modified sc is the single most used stitch for making Wayuu Mochila bags.

Modified Shallow Single Crochet

How To: Modified Shallow Single Crochet

Modified Shallow is more dense than Modified sc. And it has shorter rows.

Modified Shallow sc is good for:

crochet amigurumi – dense fabric; stuffing will not be seen
can be used for Wayuu bags – study, strong. However there is a vertical slant to left.

Strap Single Crochet – in the round

How To: Strap Single Crochet in the Round

This produces a very dense, thick, shortened fabric.

It works very well for Amigurumi. No stuffing will be seen nor falls out. However, when working to standard amigurumi pattern, you might have to increase rows on the fly as this stitch produces shortened rows.

Note: It could be as much as twice the number of rows as indicated in usual pattern.

Another advantage of using Strap SC is that you cannot see the unseemly increase locations that is the plague of standard amigurumi crochet.

This stitch is also good for Wayuu bags. It is thick and strong. However there is a bit of slant to the right of the vertical stitches. Which interferes with coloured patterns, etc.

Summary: Single Crochet Variations

For Amigurumi (esp. when you have to stuff firmly):

knit sc (but has a slight slant)
modified sc (but not as dense and hole-less)
modified shallow sc (but has definite slant to left)
strap sc in the round (but has the shortest row heights)

For Wayuu Bags:

all of the above but maybe especially Modified sc because of its perfect vertical stacking of the stitches.