what size thread to use for crochet dolls

At that place are so many important factors when it comes to making amigurumi dolls and toys that it can be difficult to keep rails of it all. Simply don't fret, considering I've got yous covered!

Last month, I published first office of the Amigurumi Basics series: a series of 3 weblog posts designed to help shed some lite on the often daunting practice of making amigurumi. In Role ane , we talked about lots of of import things, similar how difficult amigurumi making actually is and what kinds of techniques/stitches are used, for example.

And don't get me wrong–those are very important factors in ami making! Only equally as of import (if nonmore important), are the tools and materials you use.

Today in Office 2 of the Amigurumi Nuts serial, I'll exist discussing the different tools and materials that are necessary for making amis, and I'll even provide you with recommendations on the items I love using most!

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Ready? Grab a snack and let'south get started!

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Amigurumi Basics: The Tools Y'all'll Need

(Part ii of three)

Overview

I should probably get-go by maxim that you don't needall of these things in club to make amigurumi dolls and toys, merely that these are the items I've constitute most essential and useful in my ami making practice.

For starters, you'll of grade need a crochet claw and some yarn. Y'all'll also demand some stuffing, as well every bit a needle to sew things together and weave in yarn tails. Scissors are also a must! But other than that, y'all can get past with just those basics.

Hook Size

The size hook you lot'll need depends on a variety of factors: what does your pattern call for? What weight of yarn are you lot using? Practise you need to size up or downwardly for personal tension that differs from the design designer?

My recommendation is that you get with a hook size that is at to the lowest degree two sizes smaller than what the label on your yarn recommends. After all, you lot don't want your stuffing to testify through your stitches, so using a smaller claw will brand for smaller stitches–and thus smaller holes.

I also highly recommend that y'all use an ergonomic hook. For some amigurumi patterns, you'll be working in some pretty tight spaces. This means that you lot'll be working your claw harder than usual, which of grade means that your hands and wrists will be working harder, also.

Hither's my favorite hooks: the Clover Amour ergonomic crochet hooks.

My love for these hooks is never ending–they're definitely my go-to hook pick. They're sturdy, inexpensive, come in pretty much every size you could ever need, and are beautifully ergonomic. I fabricated the permanent switch from your basic aluminum hooks almost three years agone, and I turn down to go back!

Other ergonomic hooks would work well, as well. If you have a favorite brand other than the Clover Amour hooks, feel costless to use them! Just make sure you lot trust the ergonomic quality of the hook–you don't want to exercise impairment to your hands or wrists past using a poor hook in these tight spaces!

Yarn

There are varying opinions as to which kinds of yarn work all-time for amigurumi. My advice would be to just play around with the dissimilar types of fibers and meet what you like all-time!

I've heard that cotton yarns work well, just I have not personally tried them. Instead, I try to stick to 100% acrylic yarns for a couple of reasons:

• Acrylic yarns are easy to intendance for, making them not bad choices for amigurumi. It's easier to go on your acrylic amis make clean (just spot clean and air dry!), and thus so easy to care for!
• Many acrylic yarns are also quite affordable. I'll talk more almost my favorites in a minute, but the price signal is a major cistron for me (and probably for some of you also!).
• Here's the best part: acrylic yarns tend to come in an abudance of colors. For example, Stylecraft Special Aran yarn comes in 36 different colors, and the Stylecraft Special DK yarn comes in 89!

For amigurumi purposes, I recommend that you stick with an aran-/worsted-/medium- weight yarn. No skeins are exactly alike of course, so some worsted-weight yarn might be thicker or thinner than some other worsted-weight yarn. Therefore, I also recommend that y'all stick with the same brand/line of yarn for your project.

However,youcan mix yarn brands if a make other than the one you lot're using has a color you merely have to apply. If yousdo mix brands, I propose staying in the aforementioned fiber content and yarn weight category.

Here'south my favorite yarn for amigurumi: Lion Brand Vanna's Option yarn.

Personally, I've had very few problems with Vanna'south Selection yarns: no random knots, no random cuts in the yarn inside the skein. Granted, I still struggle with finding the center pull without

Thread & Floss

Personally, I think the best part–the nearly defining office–of any amigurumi are the fine details that are added at the end of the making procedure. For my dolls, those fine details usually involve using crochet thread or embroidery floss to make footling details such as eyelashes, glasses, and fifty-fifty special stitching to add together flair to outfits!

Y'all can fifty-fifty use a thinner yarn to add details like this to your doll if yous like, just I beloved using embroidery floss and crochet thread because they are both inexpensive and easy to discover at your local craft shop.

Here's my favorite floss and thread options for amigurumi: DMC embroidery floss and Aunt Lydia's Classic 10 crochet thread.

Pictured above is some black #x crochet thread and some DMC floss in grey. For my dolls, I use the thread for eyelashes and outfit decorations, and that floss is perfect for outlining spectacles on a doll's face. Plus, one spool of black crochet thread will final you avery long time. I've been working from this aforementioned spool for the last three years, and I'm nowhere nigh the terminate!

In this photo, you can see that I used both black and white crochet thread–equally well as some blue floss!–to make the details on my mini Moana doll . See how the details brand her smoothen? It's the small touches like these that can really make an amigurumi doll stand out.

I specially love using embroidery floss for those smaller details considering it's quite cheap, and information technology comes inso many colors. You can use it for freckles, mouths, eyelashes, and so many different outfit embellishments!

Stuffing

This role is important. You accept to have some kind of stuffing for your amigurumi dolls and critters. Without it, your dolls would be flat and floppy!

There are several different options out there for stuffing your amis, such every bit:

• Polyester Fiber Fill
• Poly Pellets/Poly Beads
• Recycled plastic shopping bags
• Yarn scraps
• Cloth scraps
• Dried beans

Each option listed above has its own set of pros and cons. I've bundled them from my top pick to my least favorite choice for the reasons outline in the pros/cons lists beneath.

Polyester Fiber Fill

Pros	Cons
Washable (if your yarn is washable!)	Large amounts are usually needed for amis
Hands mold-able (fits into doll's nooks and crannies, such as in ears and toes)	Large bags tin can be difficult to shop or take up valuable yarn storage infinite
Cheap
Lightweight

Poly Pellets/Poly Beads

Pros	Cons
Inexpensive	Small, choking hazard
Heftier than fiber fill (helps add weight to dolls)	Need to exist sealed in something before putting them in doll
Easier to store than fiber fill	Tin be harder to wash without spilling
Pair with cobweb fill up (make full at top of doll, pellets at bottom)

Recycled Plastic Shopping Bags

Pros	Cons
Inexpensive	Harder to get to fit into  your doll's nooks and crannies
You probably already have a agglomeration	You may demand the ones you have for other purposes
Recycling = good for the planet	Make dolls heavy

Yarn Scraps

Pros	Cons
Free!	You may not be saving your yarn scraps
You probably have a agglomeration of these saved up	Yous may have other uses for your yarn scraps
Reuse your yarn waste	May accidentally come up through the stitches of your dolls over time
You become to look at all the pretty colors while stuffing your doll!	It will accept a lot of yarn scraps to stuff a whole doll
Volition fit nicely into your doll'south nooks and crannies

Fabric Scraps

Pros	Cons
Complimentary!	You may not be saving your cloth scraps
You lot probably have a agglomeration of these saved upward	Yous may not even take fabric scraps
Reuse your fabric waste material	Any frayed edges may accidentally show through the stitches of your dolls over fourth dimension
You get to look at all the pretty colors while stuffing your doll!	It will take a lot of fabric scraps to stuff a whole doll
Volition fit okay into your doll's nooks and crannies

Dried Beans

Pros	Cons
Inexpensive	Non washable
Adds a nice weight to your doll (like the poly pellets)	If the doll gets wet, the beans may get moldy
Good for rattle sounds	Potential choking risk
	Don't fit as well into your doll'south nooks and crannies

Here's my favorite stuffing selection: polyester fiber make full.

Despite its cons, I actually prefer using the polyester fiber fill stuffing option over the others. I accept been tempted to use the poly pellets in the past, only I since I intend to give my dolls to my future children, I accept decided not to use them.

The fiber fill stuffing is then easy to use. My biggest complaints are that it is hard to store the large bag (I make so many dolls, I have to get the big sized handbag!) and that sometimes tiny pieces of the fiber fill up comes loose from the clump I'grand holding and occasionally gets in my eyes. That's really more of a personal issue (I've got to be more careful when pulling the stuffing apart), but the pros far outweigh the cons for this one.

Saftey Optics (& Noses!)

I remember that rubber optics (and rubber noses!) are the perfect addition to any amigurumi doll or stuffed animal. You can always embroider or sew on optics–or even utilise felt and glue them on–but I just love the finished wait of a plastic heart on my dolls.

Rubber eyes, and indeed the noses too, come in a variety of sizes and colors. In this photo, I take set out ii dissimilar sizes of safety eyes: 6mm optics in black and 10mm eyes in black/blue. Each size of safety eye comes with its own size washer to keep the back; the smaller the eye, the smaller the washer.

I oasis't made many animal critters, so I don't have equally much experience with the safety noses, but I know that they too come in different sizes and colors. They add just the right amount of finishing to your amigurumi critters!

Of class, there are some downsides to using plastic safety eyes. For starters, they are non permanent, and they can therefore come off of your amis. This means that they could pose a choking take a chance to small children and pets, and then use with caution. That existence said, I have never had my 6mm condom eyes come off of my dolls, and I am comfortable gifting those dolls to my niece. Just be sure to watch your kiddos! The 10mm eyes photographed here, yet, don't fit as tightly onto their washers as the 6mm optics, so I worry that they might come off more easily than their smaller counterparts.

Another downside to plastic safety eyes is storage! If you're like me, you lot'll probably accumulate a variety of different sized and colored optics, each coming with their own sets of washers. To go along them organized, I recommend getting yourself a bead/jewelry plastic organizer case!

Theydomake some stitch-on safety optics, which take a loop on the back for them to be sewn onto the doll, rather than the post/washer setup.

Here's my favorite prophylactic eyes for amigurumi: these Darice 6mm black safety eyes from Amazon.

I'yard all about instant gratification, and Amazon Prime number is almost as skillful. And so when I found out that I can order a set of safe optics and become them to my business firmpronto, I was and so excited! I take ordered these particular safety optics 3 times now. They come in a 100 pack (l optics, 50 washers), they send fast and they are of a fantastic quality! I also really dearest that when they send them, they keep the washers and eyes separate in the bundle so that there'due south no mixing, which makes it easier for y'all to sort them out.

If you lot're in need of some black 6mm rubber eyes, I recommend yous check these out !

Needles

Now, youacceptto accept good needles for your amigurumi making. For starters, you'll need a good steady needle for sewing in your yarn tails that are made when you lot do colour changes or when y'all make split up pieces that demand to exist sewn to your doll (such as arms, ears, pilus, etc.). For this, a blunt-tip needle with a large eye is a great option because you'll exist able to hands thread the needle with your yarn and you lot won't accidentally stick yourself with a pointy needle tip.

If you're sewing finer details onto your doll (such as eyelashes, mouths, etc.), a smaller needle might work better. Try using a precipitous-tip sewing needle with a medium-sized eye; the sharper tip volition help yous piece of work your thread or yarn through the material of your ami, letting you put your stitchingexactly where you want it.

I don't actually have a favorite brand or choice for needles, but Ido recommend using two: the blunt-tip larger needle for sewing in ends and the sharp-tip smaller needle for sewing details. I as well highly recommend that you use a bent-tip needle whenever possible because it also helps you place your stitching exactly where yous want!

Scissors

Scissors are a very important tool for amigurumi making for this unproblematic reason: you demand to cut your yarn!

Some crafters might be more comfortable using larger scissors, others might find smaller pair of scissors to be more than helpful. Personally, I like to apply smaller pair of scissors with long, thin blades–this helps me to be certain I'm snippingexactly what I mean to snip and not something else by blow!

The most important matter when choosing your scissors is that they have abrupt blades; irksome scissors volition accept a harder time cutting your yarn, making more frustration for y'all! Choose pair of scissors with adept, precipitous steel blades. A sharp blade can make all the difference between a clean cutting and a frayed cut.

Once again, I don't have a favorite option for scissors, but the ones pictured here are from Warm Crochet. Yous tin get your very ain pair hither.

Stitch Markers

Oh, stitch markers. Not necessary for ami making, simply so very useful!

I was a stitch marker denier for many years, by and large because I just hated moving that darn thing…Every. Single. Circular.

At present, however, I understand there merits! Most amigurumi patterns phone call for you lot to work in what is oft called a continuous spiral, meaning that y'all practice not join each circular together. Instead, you piece of work in a continuous spiral all the way up through the blueprint without joining your rounds together. This makes for a seamless, beautiful doll.

When working in a continuous spiral, it's very important to employ a stitch marker! The marker shows the showtime stitch of the circular so that you know where your current round ends and where the next round should first. Always recollect to move your stitch mark up every circular so you don't lose your identify! Think of your stitch marker equally your lifeline: it always helps you discover your manner!

From a designer standpoint, stitch markers are likewise lifesavers! You tin can utilise them to indicate where y'all were last happy with your pattern. Make a mistake? Used a stitch yous don't similar? Simply frog your work dorsum to the last stitch marker–the terminal place you were happy with your design–and commencement again. Lifeline to the rescue!

There are alsolots of different types of stitch markers! For crochet purposes, the most common ones are locking run up markers like the one in my photo. These prune and un-prune, letting you easily motility your mark around as needed. They can come up in plastic or metal, and some handmade markers available on sites like Etsy fifty-fifty come with a hook size on them so that you tin can place the mark on a work-in-progress and not have to leave the hook with the project–that means you'll know exactly what size hook y'all were using when you come back to it!

Here'south my favorite stitch marker option: Outus Locking Sew Mark Ready

These sew markers are my favorite for a few reasons: they're inexpensive, they're available here on Amazon with Prime (hooray for almost instant gratification!), they come in a variety of colors, and they come with their own storage box! At present I don't feel bad if I lose a stitch marker or two which, to exist honest, is inevitable.

You lot tin too observe hundreds of nerd-themed run up markers on Etsy. I myself have some lovely Doctor Who stitch markers from Etsy, which I don't use very often anymore because 1) I've lost nigh of them and two) I don't want to lose the residual.

In that location are then many options to choose from!

So tell me…

What do you think are the best tools for amigurumi making? What would yous like to learn almost making amigurumi dolls?

Go out a comment and let's talk ami!

Ready for part iii? Click hither to continue on your ami-making journey.

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Source: https://yarngeekery.com/2018/02/14/amigurumi-basics-the-tools-youll-need/