A little while ago, I wrote a post on the difference between crocheting through both loops and the back loop when working in the round… and it’s been one of the most-read posts! Since it seems like a popular topic, I wanted to write a follow up, showing the results of working through the front, back and both loops- both in when working in the round, and when working in rows.

Working in the Round

When working in the round, you crochet without turning the piece.

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  The above photo shows an example of working through both loops. Doing so creates a fabric that is slightly thicker than working through one loop alone, with no notable ‘ridges’ on the work. The fabric also contains noticeable little holes, so when this technique is used in making amigurumi, one usually uses a smaller hook size than is required for the yarn so that the stuffing does not show.
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  The above photo shows an example of working through the back loop only. Doing so creates a thinner than working through both loops. It also creates little ‘ridges’ on the front of the work that I really like. (you’ll notice that almost all FreshStitches patterns are worked through the back loops only). This technique does not leave very noticeable holes in the fabric, meaning that amigurumi can be made without a very small hook size. You will notice that the back of the fabric looks identical to the back of the sample that is worked through both loops.
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  The above photo shows an example of working through the front loop only. Doing so creates a fabric of equal thickness to working through the back loop only. The front of the work looks similar to working through both loops. There are ridges created on the back of the work.

Working in Rows

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  The above photo shows an example of working through both loops. Doing so creates a fabric that is slightly thicker than working through one loop alone, with no notable ‘ridges’ on the work.
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  The above photo shows an example of working through the back loop only. Doing this technique in rows creates a ripple effect, and a very thick fabric.
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  The above photo shows an example of working through the front loop only. You will notice ridges every other row in the fabric. This is the technique used in FreshStitches patterns, as the look matches most closely the look of working through the back loop in the round.

You can use these techniques in any pattern to obtain a slightly different look!

Tags: amigurumi, crochet

In: Amigurumi Tips