Amigurumi Doll Hair Tutorial
When I first started making amigurumi dolls, I did a good amount of searching on how to approach creating the hair. There are a number of methods to make doll hair, which include stitiching each individual strand of yarn in a latch-hook style, or by crocheting a wig with witch to attach yarn and then attach to the doll. Problem is that I'm incredibily lazy, so what worked for me was the "mop method". There are plenty of tutorials on how to do this already, but I figured I'd share my method. Here's what you'll need: - Finished crochet doll - Sewing scissors - Yarn (Depending on the length of hair you plan on creating, you're going to need a good amount.) - Yarn needle - Chopstick or knitting needle - Large book or board (You'll want a really big book if you're planning on making long hair. The hair in this tutorial ended up being about six inches in length and I used a book that was about thirteen inches long. Also keep in mind that a thicker book will create longer hair. STEP 1 Create a hair bundle by wrapping the yarn around the length of the book. I typically do 20 wraps to get a good bundle. Don't pull the yarn too tight and keep the wraps even. You'll want to do more wraps per bundle if you're making hair for a larger doll, and fewer wraps if your doll is smaller. When the wraps are done, use a long piece of yarn (longer than the hair) to tie a knot around the wrap where you want that part to be. The doll I'm making will have a centre part, so I made my knot right in the middle. If you want a doll with a side part, you'll need to make your knot off to the side. Make sure your knot is tight to prevent the strands from sliding around. STEP 2 Slip the bundle off the book and slide the loops over the chopstick. Pull on the knot you created to keep the ends even. Then you can cut the strands with the scissors. (If you're doing a side part, you'll need to be careful not to pull the knot straight.) Now the hair bundle is done. I typically need three bundles for my dolls. You may need to make more or less. STEP 3 Sew the bundle onto the doll head using the long tail from the yarn you used to knot the bundle. I usually sew the bundle over three rows of stitches to get the thickness I want. Sew each bundle in a neat line along the head to create the part. STEP 4 The left photo shows my doll with all the hair bundles sewn on. We need to cover the gaps between the bundles, so using the long tails of yarn, sew over the gaps along the part to give it a nice finished look. STEP 5 I like to sew some of the strands down along the head to prevent the hair from shifting and showing gaps in the head. This is an optional step, but it prevents the doll from looking her their hair only grows from the top of her head. You can also drape strands in different arrangements to create waves or curls. Have fun with it! STEP 6 Here's the finished hair. I wanted this doll to have a more "hippie" look so I didn't do a lot with styling. From this point, you can add flowers, bows, headbands, etc. For inspiration, check out all of the tagged Mod Dolls posts! - Rebecca