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Amigurumi - How To Read Japanese Patterns
Amigurumi are immensely popular, with many hundreds of patterns to be found online, both English and Japanese. But how are we to read them? English amigurumi patterns use the same conventions as most English crochet patterns. Some people will perhaps use different abbreviations, which can be confusing sometimes. Generally, 'sc' indicates single crochet, and increases may be indicated by 'inc', 'sc2 in same/next st', decreases by 'dec' or 'sc2tog'. Many patterns should include a list of abbreviations used. Reading Japanese patterns may appear more challenging for those who can't read Japanese, but is in fact more straightforward. Japanese knitting and crochet patterns are more highly standardised than English patterns, and you can be pretty sure that the same icon will be used for the same stitch in just about any Japanese pattern. Japanese patterns are either in the form of charts, or row-by-row instructions - usually both. Let's have a look at how we can read the two formats. This picture shows an extract from a Japanese pattern for a snake amigurumi. You can see the chart, in circles, and on the right, a set of numbered row-by-row instructions. The chart is read from the centre, going in an anticlockwise fashion (the same direction you work). Single crochet stitches are marked by 'x' and increases and decreases shown by V shapes. (decreases are an inverted V). The loop-with-a-black-dot indicates a slipstitch and then a chain stitch, which is used to join one round and starts the next. Some people like to leave out these stitches and work in a spiral instead. Looking at the chart and the round 1 instructions, we are shown that we need to begin by working 8 stitches into a magic ring (in the instructions you can see the kanji for 'stitch' - the rectangle with two horizontal lines inside). Rows two to seven have a string of numbers - '1-4-6' - followed by the kanji for increase. This means to increase by one stitch four times per round for six rows. Reading round the chart shows the same thing, as each V is an increase. In rows 8-12 the directions read 'increase decrease nashi, 32 me' (compare the kanji in that section to the ones in the decrease section above and the decrease section we just completed). Translated, single crochet rounds 8-12 plain, neither increasing or decreasing. Each row should consist of 32 stitches. The chart shows rows of plain 'x's. Rows thirteen and fourteen tell us '1-8-2 decrease', or in other words, decrease by one stitch eight times in each for two rows. We can see the corresponding decreases in the chart as inverted Vs. Finally, round 15 directs us to crochet plain once again, and that the round should have 16 stitches. These five iconssymbols (x for sc, V and inverted V for increase and decrease, loop for a chain stitch and heavy dot for a slipstitch), knowing that the string of numbers may be read as 'number of stitches to inc/dec by--number of increases/decreases--how many rows' and three kanji (increase, decrease, stitch) should permit you to read many Japanese amigurumi patterns with ease. You can remember the difference between the kanji for increase and decrease because increase looks like it has a plus sign on the left hand side (not strictly true, but a useful mnemonic). Why not find out more about making amigurumi? Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com Abigail Bailey is a craft blogger and teacher living in Japan. She has been knitting for over 25 years, and blogs at abigailscraftshowto.com |
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