How to make BLO and FLO - Amigurumi Tutorial 5

When crocheting amigurumi dolls or interpreting crochet patterns, you may come across techniques involving half stitches. If not understood clearly, these techniques can be confusing. However, there are simple methods to distinguish between back loop only (BLO) and front loop only (FLO). Let’s quickly familiarize ourselves with the application scenarios of BLO and FLO through examples of crocheting amigurumi dolls, and start learning these two techniques!

What Are Half Stitches?

Short stitches, commonly used in crocheted dolls, involve passing the hook through two loops at once, which is termed as a “full stitch.” However, when only one loop is hooked, it’s referred to as a “half stitch.”

How to remember BLO?

The inner half stitch, also known as the back loop only (BLO), is typically remembered as the side where you insert the stuffing when crocheting amigurumi, as it goes inward. This mnemonic helps to distinguish it easily. After crocheting the inner half stitch, you will notice a loop left on the outside.

Using the example of “Hamburger Master” (From the game Deemo II):

If you look closely at the edges of the “Hamburger Master,” you’ll notice a line, which is left behind after crocheting through the back loops only. You might wonder, what’s the purpose of crocheting through the back loops only?

Looking back at the projects I’ve done, I’ve compiled a few points for your reference:

Differentiating Bottom and Top: If the project has a distinct bottom and top, like a bucket or box structure, crocheting through the back loops only for a round can clearly delineate the separation.
Enhancing Design Possibilities: For more intricate designs, such as adding a belt accessory, this line can serve as a creative boundary to explore further design possibilities.

How to remember FLO?

The outer half stitch, also known as the front loop only (FLO), is the side closest to the outer surface of the work. Similar to the back loop only (BLO), the front loop only leaves behind a distinct line after crocheting.

Using Little Red Riding Hood as an example:

Since I wanted to create a design for shorts under the red skirt, I used the method of crocheting with front loops only.

First, I used flesh-colored yarn for the head, then switched to red yarn for the clothes. After that, I crocheted a round using front loops only to start making the skirt hem.

Once the skirt hem was completed, I used white yarn to continue crocheting from the round left by the front loops only. Finally, after stuffing with cotton, the project was successfully completed.