Amigurumi is the art of making knitted stuffed dolls and its earliest forms of knitted dolls can be traced back to the Shang dynasty of 1600 BC China while the first amigurumi dolls appeared in the early 1970's in Japan and were given the name amigurumi which means "stuffed toy".

Amigurumi is normally crocheted out of yarn using small hooks and basic crochet techniques such as the single crochet stitch or magic circle. Although less common, they can also be knitted.

When it comes to making amigurumi there is no hard requirement on the shape or size and many different types of yarn can be used. Some of the best weights of yarn are sport yarn followed by light worsted, DK or even medium worsted. Below you will find some of the different types of yarn that are popular in making amigurumi.

Synthetic Blend

One of best type of yarn to use when making amigurumi, blended yarn is yarn consisting of two or more different materials, an example being our milk cotton yarn, which is a blend of cotton and milk fibre. The blend of the yarn allows it to inherit the best characteristics of its components, making is easy to work with and allowing for tight stitching and the end result is a solid and will not go out of shape easily. Synthetic blends are also usually more affordable compared to other yarns, making it perfect for all skill levels. 

Cotton Yarn

100% cotton yarn is a great alternative to a synthetic blend as it does not tend to fray, which allows the end product to display tight and pronounced stitch work. Cotton yarn is popular in making amigurumi because of its good stitch definition compared to the fuzzier stitches of other yarn types such as acrylic. Cotton is also quite durable, making it a good choice when making something that will be used less delicately. Cotton can be machine-washed and is inelastic, making it less likely to stretch out of shape.

Acrylic

Acrylic yarn is a popular and very affordable type of yarn that can be used to make amigurumi but it has a tendency to fray and split. This makes it difficult to identify individual stitches, hence being less beginner-friendly for amigurumi and the end product also being fuzzier compared to other yarn alternatives. A smaller hook is recommended when using acrylic yarn to ensure tighter stitches for neater and cleaner stitches in your end product.

Wool

Wool is not often used in amigurumi but instead used in clothing such as sweaters. This is due to its higher price and lack of stitch definition that makes it impractical in the craft of amigurumi. It may also cause itching and allergies in people who are sensitive to the material due to its nature as an animal product. Wool can also get ruined during washing and has trouble holding its shape after some time.

As a general rule for making amigurumi, synthetic blends and pure cotton yarns are usually recommended to give you the best crocheting experience and quality of the end product. Interested in trying out amigurumi for yourself? Head over to our milk cotton collection and get yourself some soft and colorful yarn for your craft!