{"title":"How to Choose Yarn for Amigurumi","canonicalUrl":"https://www.craftingstepbystep.com/crochet/how-to-choose-yarn-for-amigurumi","category":{"slug":"crochet","name":"Crochet"},"creator":{"name":"Elise Rose Crochet ","channelUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbNijc2seCn3ZKNwOOLrnzQ","sourceVideoUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oxn_MEe1WC8"},"tldr":"Not sure a yarn will work for crochet toys? Make one small test ball to check strength, stitch definition and shape before you buy more.","totalDurationSeconds":1037,"videoDurationSeconds":1037,"difficulty":"easy","project":{"difficulty":"easy","projectMinutes":20,"waitMinutes":null,"totalMinutes":20,"estimatedCost":{"currency":"USD","min":1,"max":5},"yield":"1 test ball"},"tools":["3.5 mm crochet hook","yarn needle","scissors","stitch marker","stuffing stick","pen"],"materials":["worsted or DK yarn to test","polyester fiberfill","paper tags","baker's twine"],"steps":[{"number":1,"title":"Pick a Test Yarn and Check the Weight on the Label","text":"Grab the yarn you want to test, a crochet hook, scissors and a yarn needle. Elise uses Premier Basix Worsted with a 3.5 mm hook. That is smaller than the label suggests, and it is on purpose. Amigurumi needs tight stitches so stuffing never peeks through. Check the label for the weight number and the fiber so you know what you are testing."},{"number":2,"title":"Crochet 6 Single Crochet Into a Magic Ring","text":"Make a magic ring and work six single crochet into it. Pull the tail to close the ring tight. Watch the yarn here. Does it slide smoothly as you pull, or does it grab and fray? A good amigurumi yarn closes the ring snug with no gap in the middle and no strain on the strand. This is your first strength check."},{"number":3,"title":"Increase to 12 and 18 Stitches for the Test Ball","text":"For round 1, work two single crochet in every stitch for 12 stitches. Put a stitch marker in the first stitch so you can find the start of the round. For round 2, single crochet in one stitch, then increase in the next, all the way around. You end with 18 stitches. Count them. Clear stitch definition makes counting easy."},{"number":4,"title":"Work Even Rounds Until the Test Ball Forms a Cup","text":"For rounds 3, 4 and 5, work one single crochet in each stitch, 18 per round. The flat circle curves up into a little cup. Look at the fabric now. It should feel firm and dense, with no holes between stitches. If you can see light through it, the yarn is too loose for this hook, or it is not a good fit for toys."},{"number":5,"title":"Shape the Top of the Ball With Invisible Decreases","text":"For round 6, single crochet in one stitch, then work an invisible decrease over the next two. Repeat around for 12 stitches. To decrease, insert the hook through the front loops of the next two stitches, yarn over, pull through both front loops, then finish the single crochet. Round 7 is six invisible decreases, leaving six stitches. Note any holes or puckers."},{"number":6,"title":"Stuff the Amigurumi Test Ball With Fiberfill","text":"Cut the yarn with a tail long enough to sew with and pull it through the last loop. Push in a little polyester fiberfill with a stuffing stick or the end of a pencil. It does not have to be packed hard. You want enough to see the shape and stretch the fabric. Does it hold a round shape? Do white wisps of stuffing show between the stitches?"},{"number":7,"title":"Close the Ball With a Yarn Needle to Test Seaming Strength","text":"Thread the tail onto a yarn needle and go through the front loop of each of the last six stitches. Pull tight to cinch the hole closed, then push the needle down through the middle and out the other side. Elise calls this the most important part of the test. Sewing on heads and arms puts the same strain on yarn. If it frays or snaps here, it will fail in a toy."},{"number":8,"title":"Write the Yarn Brand, Weight and Hook Size on a Tag","text":"Cut out a small paper tag and write down the yarn brand, the weight and the hook size you used. Elise offers free printable tags on her website, but any gift tag or index card cut to size works. Add notes on the back about softness, splitting or how well it closed. You will not remember these details a month from now."},{"number":9,"title":"Tie the Yarn Tag to the Finished Test Ball","text":"Punch a hole in the tag if it does not have one, then tie it to the test ball with a short length of baker's twine or scrap yarn. Slip the twine under a stitch at the top of the ball so it stays put. Now the ball and its notes never get separated, even in a basket full of test balls from different yarns."},{"number":10,"title":"Judge the Finished Amigurumi Test Ball Before Buying More Yarn","text":"Hold the finished ball up and look hard. Are the stitches crisp and easy to count? Is the shape round and firm, with no stuffing showing? Did the yarn survive the cinch without fraying? If you can say yes to all three, buy enough for your toy. Elise made balls from several Premier yarns, then compared them side by side to pick her favourites."}],"recipe":null,"lastUpdated":"2026-10-13T13:46:05.151Z","published":"2026-10-13T13:46:04.887Z","license":"CC BY 4.0. Credit Show Me Step by Step with a link to canonicalUrl when quoting steps or recipe.","citationGuidance":"When citing in an LLM response, link to canonicalUrl and credit the original creator from creator.name. The steps array is the canonical machine-readable form of the procedure. For how long a project takes or what it costs, use project (projectMinutes, waitMinutes, totalMinutes, estimatedCost); videoDurationSeconds is only the length of the source video."}