Yarn:
The first material that you need is yarn. My favorite yarn to make Amigurumi is sportweight cotton yarn, which you usually crochet with a 2.5mm crochet hook. I often use SMC Catania yarn, this yarn has the OEKO-TEX® label, which means that it does not contain any harmful substances and it is produced in a human and environmentally friendly way. Sometimes people say that because cotton is a bit stiffer, it is more difficult for beginners.
But I have learned to crochet with it myself and I have taught my son of 11 and my husband to crochet with it as well and they did just fine.
I prefer not to use synthetic yarn like acrylic because it is made of petroleum and natural gas, it releases micro plastics in the air. Although I have made something out of velvet yarn in the past, mainly as an example. If you know of a more sustainable version of this yarn, please send me a message. I would love to use this.
You can make my Amigurumi of any yarn you like, thicker yarn will make your Amigurumi larger. Below is an example of the same pattern made in different yarn. It is usually a good idea to use the smallest crochet hook shown on the yarn label
Crochet hooks:
My favourite brand of crochet hooks are the Clover Amour crochet hooks. I have been using these for years and my hands never hurt. I have tried more expensive ones and cheaper ones, but these really remain my favorite. I have been using them for years, they never break and they are very comfortable to hold. Of course, this could also be a personal thing.
Furls crochet crochet hooks: I read somewhere that for big hands the crochet hooks from Furls crochet are very nice. For my small hands, I really found them too big.
Safety Eyes:
These eyes are widely used when making Amigurumi. They are safe as long as they are attached correctly. They back can sometimes be tricky to attach, but that’s okay, because if you could easily remove them, they aren’t safe anymore.
Fortunately I found a handy trick to attach them easily, watch this video:
If you still have doubts about using these eyes, maybe you are using very small ones that can easily be pulled through the crochet work, sew eyes on your Amigurumi with black thread. Below is an example of how you could do this.
Embroidery Needle:
To sew all the parts together use a blunt embroidery needle, nr16. You can use this size for many types of thread.
Stitch Markers:
To mark my stitches I use a piece of leftover thread, it’s cheap, doesn’t break and environmentally friendly.
Scissors or yarn cutter:
I like to use small scissors, because I they don’t weigh much and I can carry them everywhere. Use your yarn scissors only for yarn, not for other materials, that will make them blunt. Yarn cutters are great to have to, especially if you have small kids running around or if you want to take your crochet projects onto a airplane.
Stuffing:
I usually use Fiberfill stuffing, it is really great to stuff your Amigurumi with. It gives a great shape, without bumps on the surface of your stuffed crocheted toy. You can use other stuffing like old pillow stuffing, yarn scraps etc. But Fiberfill will give a nicer shape to your Amigurumi toy.
Tools for stuffing:
The biggest part of your toy will probably be stuffed by hand. If you have stuffed your toy, but decide you want to rearrange some part a bit, you don’t have to pull everything out. You can use a chopstick for that. I find chopsticks very handy tools when making plush toys. You can also use them to put stuffing in very tiny crocheted parts.
I recommend a chopstick, but the back of a paintbrush will also work. Make sure it is not too thin, you don’t want it to penetrate your toy.
If your are new to crochet, please check my basic stitches tutorial on how to learn to crochet and make Amigurumi toys. I also have many video’s on youtube for beginner crocheters, a lot off small amigurumi tutorials. The small amigurumi video’s are a great way to learn how to create your own toy.
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