These are my four favorite techniques to crochet jogless stripes for amigurumi! Check out the tutorial below to learn how to crochet seamless clean stripes when working in continuous rounds.
Slip stitch and Needle Join
- Crochet your amigurumi as usual working in continuous rounds. Work the desired portion of you amigurumi with your first color and work with single crochets, as usual, to the end of the round.
- Slip stitch into the front loop only of the next stitch. Needle join and finish off on the inside of your piece. You’ll work the same way up to this point for every variation.
- Join the second color with a slip stitch to the front loop of the needle join.
- Single crochet to the penultimate stitch.
- Single crochet into the same space used for the slip stitch n the previous round.
- To start the next round single crochet into the same space used for the first slip stitch of the round. This is the first stitch of this round.
- Continue to crochet as usual for as many rounds as you like.
- When you want to switch colors again, first single crochet to the end of the round and then work one more single crochet into the first stitch of the next round. After that, repeat everything from Step 2 until you have the desired number of stripes.
I prefer to use this technique when I’m making a single stripe and the amigurumi doesn’t need stripes with really crisp edges. Check below for the video tutorial!
Slip stitch, Needle Join and Work in the Back Loops
- Finish off the first color like before.
- Slip stitch into the back loop of the needle join.
- Single crochet into the back loops of the remaining stitches of the round.
- To start a new round single crochet into the same space as the first slip stitch of the previous round.
- Continue to crochet as usual for as many rounds as you desire.
- To finish the stripe slip stitch, needle join and finish off.
This technique gives a clear and clean separation between the stripes. Check below for the video tutorial!
Extra Round of Slip Stitches
- Work the last round of the first color to the end.
- When you’re ready to switch colors work an extra round of slip stitches with the same color.
- Needle join to the second slip stitch of this round and finish off.
- To start the stripe with the new color join with a slip stitch to the first stitch of the last round of single crochets. Single crochet in the remaining stitches always on top of the round of single crochets.
- To start a new round single crochet into the slip stitch and into the next stitches as usual. Keep single crocheting until you want to change colors again.
- When you’re ready to change colors again repeat from Step 2 until you have the desired number of stripes.
The extra row of slip stitches hides the color change and creates clean straight stripes. Check below for the video tutorial!
Back Loops, Slip Stitches and Back Loops
- Finish the first color as previously.
- Join the second color with a slip stitch to the back loop of the needle join.
- Slip stitch all the way around working in the back loops of the previous round.
- Needle join into the second slip stitch of the round and finish off.
- With the same color work a slip knot on your hook and slip stitch into the back loop of the needle join of the last round.
- To finish the round single crochet all the way around on the back loops only.
- To start the second round single crochet into the same space as the one used for the first slip stitch of the previous round.
- Continue to single crochet as usual to the end of the round.
- When you’re ready to change colors again slip stitch, needle join and finish off.
This techniques creates a really clean separation of the stripes. I use this technique when I want to clearly mark different sections of my amigurumi, such as between a hand or arm and a shirt. However, it’s important to note that this technique makes your amigurumi taller, even though the number of visible rounds remains the same. This is due to the extra rounds of slip stitches and the second rounds worked in the back loops. Nevertheless, it’s one of my favorite techniques for stripes in amigurumi. Check below for the video tutorial!
Watch the Video Tutorial
Amigurumi patterns featured in this video:
- The little bird from the “A House in the Forest” pattern
- The bee from the “Queen of the Castle” pattern