The right yarn and hook make amigurumi easier and neater. The goal is firm, tight stitches, so the stuffing stays inside and your little friend keeps its shape.
Choose your yarn
- Cotton: firm, holds its shape and shows stitches clearly. It has very little stretch, so it can be tough on your hands at first.
- Acrylic: soft, affordable and available in lots of colours. It is more forgiving, but it can look fluffy.
- Blends: a cotton and acrylic mix gives you a bit of both.
Yarn weight
DK (8-ply) and worsted weight are the easiest to start with. They are thick enough to see your stitches and thin enough to make small toys. Our patterns use DK cotton.
Hook size
Use a hook that is smaller than the one suggested on the yarn label. This makes the fabric dense, so the stuffing cannot peek through.
- DK or 8-ply yarn: 2.5 to 3.0 mm
- Worsted or 10-ply yarn: 3.0 to 3.5 mm
- Very fine yarn: 2.0 mm
A quick test
Crochet the first three rounds of any ball shape and look at the fabric. If you can see gaps between the stitches, go down a hook size. If the piece feels stiff and is hard to work, go up half a size.
Extra tips
- Start with a light colour, because dark yarn hides your stitches.
- Choose smooth yarn. Fuzzy yarn is harder to unpick.
- Keep the label of the yarn so you can buy more in the same dye lot.
Start stitching
Try our Sleepy Bunny pattern with a soft cream yarn, and learn how to start it in our guide to the magic ring.
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