QuestionFinishing & repairBy The Hook Desk30 Oct 2026
How do I close the last hole so it does not pucker?
The top of a sphere is where amigurumi most often shows its seams. Two decisions control it: how far you decrease, and which loop you gather.
Step by step
R12 · 12 stsStop decreasing at 12
Going all the way to 6 stitches and then gathering gives you six thick stitches meeting at a point, which cannot lie flat and buckles upward into a peak. Stopping at 12 leaves a ring of smaller stitches that gathers into a flat disc about 6 mm across.
If the pattern says 6, work the 12-stitch round, then work one more decrease round to 12 — meaning skip the last decrease. Nobody will notice the extra round; everybody notices a peak.
Note 2Which loop to gather
Thread the tail on a blunt needle and pass it under the front loop only of all 12 stitches, in order, going around once. Pull gently: the fabric will close like a drawstring. Then pass the needle through the centre to the inside of the piece and pull the tail into the cavity.
Gathering under both loops instead pulls the back loops in too, which drags the row below out of alignment and makes a visible ring. Front loops only keeps the closure in the same plane as the fabric above it.
Note 3Stuffing before or after closing
Stuff before the last round, to about 90% firmness, then close. You need to be able to reach inside to push the stuffing away from the gathering point: a ball stuffed solid to the top will resist the closure and the seam will open again after a few days of handling.
Check the firmness by squeezing: a well-stuffed amigurumi should dent about 5 mm under a firm thumb and spring back within a second. If it does not dent at all, remove about 10% of the stuffing and reseal.
Where it usually goes wrong
- Decreasing to 6 and pulling hard, which is the single most common cause of a peaked head.
- Threading the tail through both loops, which creates a ridge ring around the closure.
- Closing before stuffing and then forcing stuffing through the seam with a chopstick.