How to stitch through the front loop only(flo) or the back loop only(blo)

Stitching through one loop only in amigurumi is a great way to create edges on shapes you are creating or to turn in the opposite direction from the direction you were crocheting. It is commonly abbreviated as flo for front loop only and blo for back loop only, and is often used to shape any number of pieces that have sharper edges.

Single crochet back loop only (sc blo) 

Step 1. Insert your hook into the back loop only of the next stitch. Yarn over and pull one loop. You should now have 2 loops on your hook. 

Step 2. Yarn over and pull through both loops as you would for any regular stitch. 

Step 3. To best visualize the effect, we can make a few of them to see how the design's shape is flattening, like a sharper close. 

Congratulations! You have created your first single crochet back-loop-only. This is particularly useful when making amigurumi that stand flat or crocheting elements that have straight edges. 

Single crochet front loop only (sc flo) 

Step 1. Insert your hook into the front loop only of the next stitch. You should now have 2 loops on your hook. 

Step 2. Yarn over and pull through both loops as you would for any regular stitch. 

Congratulations! You have created your first single crochet front loop only. 

Step 3. To best visualize the effect, we can make a few of them to see how the design's shape is opening towards the exterior, like the edge of a hat. 

It may be harder to tell at the beginning if you need a blo or flo stitch, but as you use it more often, it becomes much easier and makes a big difference in the variety of shapes you can create.