Top products from r/Amigurumi

Hi there!


I'd recommend heading over to /r/crochet subreddit if you haven't already. People post about Amigurumi there, too, and their sidebar has some information you can use to learn how to crochet.


Here's a direct link to said sidebar content.



> 1) What should I buy?



You don't need much to get started - a crochet hook or two, some worsted weight yarn, fiberfill (aka polyster stuffing), and a yarn needle. You may also want to get some stitch markers, but if you don't want to spend any more money than the bare minimum, you can use yarn or paper clips as stitch markers. Stitch markers are basically bookmarks, but for yarn crafts. They allow you to mark a certain place in your project so you know where you are, and can easily locate that place again in the future.




For amigurumi, I'd recommend a 4mm crochet hook. This may run on the smaller end (some people may use 5mm or 6mm) but I've read that this is a great hook size to use. The smaller the hook, the smaller the stitches. You want smaller stitches in amigurumi so that the stuffing wont poke through. Otherwise, if you use a hook that's too big, there will be gaps in your toy and it wont look terribly good.



As for yarn - as a starter, I'd highly recommend buying Red Heart Super Saver yarn. This brand is cheap, and it's acrylic, and versatile. It holds up well to time and washing, and it comes in a huge variety of colors. You'll be able to find it at places like Walmart, Joann's Fabric Store, and Michael's (basically, all the big box craft stores will carry it.) It's one of the cheapest yarns in terms of how much yarn you get per unit price.


The weight of the yarn indicates the size of the yarn strand, essentially (in other words, the width of the yarn.) You want something called worsted weight yarn. The Red Heart Super Saver yarn I was talking about before is going to come in worsted weight. Worsted weight is also known as size 4. Take a look at this picture. You see the one image that says 4 on it? That's what you'll see on a yarn label if the size is worsted weight. From that chart, you'll also notice that the recommended hook size for worsted weight yarn is 5.5mm or 6mm instead of the 4 I mentioned earlier. Why the discrepancy? If you're making stuff like blankets, scarves, hats, etc, you'd likely use a 5.5mm or 6mm crochet hook for worsted weight yarn instead of the 4mm. It's okay for these items to be rather "holey" but for amigurumi, since it's a toy, you're going to want to stuff it full of stuffing, and like I said earlier, you really don't want to stuffing to show through - which is why you want to go with a smaller hook. For fun, I'd recommend getting a few hook sizes, though, because I think you'll probably also enjoy making non-amigurumi projects, too.



> 2) Where to buy?


I don't know where you live, but if you're in America, I'd recommend some of the stores I mentioned earlier - Walmart, Michaels, and Joanns.



Of all 3, I noticed Walmart has the BEST prices for yarn. Red Heart Super Saver (RHSS) is $2.50 in Walmarts, but the same item will go for around $4 at Michael's or Joann's. Michaels' and Joann's offer a coupon (just google for "Michaels coupon" or "joann's coupons") - often you can get a 40% off or 50% discount for one item per day, but even WITH this discount, it often comes out to be MORE expensive than Walmart's base price of $2.50. If you don't have any craft stores near you, you can also order yarn online (Amazon.com). As for hooks - prices and availability can vary widely. I got my first set of hooks on Amazon for a GREAT deal - 22 hooks for like $7. (Here's the link). I'm not affiliated with them in any way at all. It's a great deal. I've seen similar sets going for like $60 or $70 at places like Walmart. Just note, I think the silver crochet hooks in this set may be mislabeled, but I haven't ever used them. I don't use this set anymore as I prefer a different (more expensive) type of hook now, but this is a great starter set, and it's cheap!!!


Yarn needles you should be able to find for cheap at any of the stores I mentioned. I'd get a metal one instead of a plastic one because the plastic ones can snap. You want a needle that has an eye thick enough for yarn to go through - not a regular sewing needle for tiny thread! These will go for about $2-$4. Should be pretty cheap.


Note: Joann's and Walmart do PRICE MATCHING. Google it! Walmart will price match with Amazon. I think Joann's will price match with Amazon, too. I've been able to save a ton of money like this. Bring your smartphone and show the cashier the equivalent product online for cheaper, and they'll match the price. If you have amazon prime, SIGN OUT first. Sometimes cashiers will refuse to price match if they see the "Amazon Prime" price (even if it's the same price for regular non-prime users) because they consider Prime a paid membership thing. Just sign out on your phone before showing the cashier, to be safe.


Fiberfill stuffing - super expensive at Michael's. Look at the price per unit if you have to go to Michael's. One time, I saw a huge bag for a certain price. There was another smaller bag, identical brand, identical product, just half the amount, for the SAME price. Such a ripoff, but they can get away with it in places that don't have Walmarts. Get it from Walmart, or Joann's. Brand doesn't really matter for a beginner. I think Fiberfill is a brand name, and is what a lot of people call it, but it's basically polyester stuffing. (Sort of like how people call tissues "Kleenexes.") You're looking for white polyester stuffing. A store associate can probably help if you're confused. Feel free to get store brand if you want. You can also order it online.


I found it ultra cheap at Walmart - $5 for 1 whole pound, which will be enough for multiple amigurumis.


> 3) What's the price range?


For the starting materials above? Well, I'd just buy a few colors of yarn, basic colors for what you want to make. Pick a really easy project first - something with simple shapes, without small details or small parts. Let's say you need 4 colors for your project (one skein of RHSS yarn will go a long way, by the way):


Crochet hook set: $7 from Amazon
Yarn Needle: ~$3
4 skeins of yarn from Walmart: $10
Fiberfill stuffing: $5


Total: $25

Optional:


Stitch markers $5 (BUY THESE ONLINE from Amazon! You'll likely get ripped off buying them in the store. I got like 100 stitch markers for something like $5 from Amazon, vs paying Michael's $6 for like 12 stitch markers that sucked.)


Stitch counter: $6 I use this one but some people just use a pen and paper. This basically helps you keep track of which row you are on in the project, so that when you put the project down for some time (a few hours, or a few days) you'll remember where you last were. Pen and paper worked fine for me in the beginning. There are also free apps that help you count stitches for Android and iPhone.


Total with optional items: $36

It doesn't have to be expensive to get started at all. Though, to get the best deals, you may need to wait for some things to arrive in the mail (like the crochet hook set.) If you don't want to wait for the hook set, just use the tips I gave you to find a good deal. Check the price of things online before you go out (Walmart, Michaels, and Joanns all have websites that list their prices and availability), check for Michael's Joann's coupons, and price match if you can.



> 4) How do I learn/where do I learn
I was in your shoes last year - didn't know how to crochet at all, but I taught myself from free online resources. If you have a local library, that's a great place to find crochet books, too. There are tons of videos on youtube that'll teach you how to crochet, and you can also find a bunch of links to show you the basic stitches. You'll probably want to start off with finding a guide on how to put the yarn on your hook first, and make a few practice squares just to get the hang of it. Your first few projects will likely look a little lopsided but that's okay. With practice, you'll get much better! My third amigurumi looked leagues better than my first one.


You can always post questions here or /r/crochet if you have any. I'd recommend posting to both for higher visibility.


Search for tutorials online. You'll come across a ton. I'd recommend watching and following alone with some "how to crochet" videos on youtube first. Get to know how to make chain stitches, and single crochets. Then learn how to increase single crochets and decrease. Learning is part of the fun! Then after that, head on over to a site called Ravelry.com - this is basically a huge collection of crochet patterns (many of them free!). They also have forums over there that you can use for questions.



Best of luck! And don't be discouraged if you don't understand something. I'd consider myself a decent crocheter now but when I started, I made a TON of hilariously silly mistakes, and yes, at times it was challenging. Some of the simplest things that I can do now without even looking took me days, or WEEKS to figure out on my own. If you get fed up, just put it down, do something else, and come back to it later. You don't have to master the craft in a day, and if you try, you'll just burn out and get discouraged. We all had to start somewhere. Luckily, I've noticed the community is very supportive and helpful, so don't be shy to ask questions!

I'm sorry you are getting so much different advice, but I only started recently too so here go's.

I learned how to crochet almost a year ago, and I started straight with this kit. It was FANTASTIC. It has a hook and yarn and teaches you all of the stitches. I definitely recommend it for you learning. There are a couple of other sets too, if you don't want Star Wars.

Then I bought these hooks so that I would have freedom for what I wanted to make with crochet. This set comes with stitch markers, which you definitely want for making amigurumi. I use quite a smaller hook than people here apparently. I seem to crochet large (the Star Wars character was supposed to be 3 inches tall and mine was 6in), so I use a 3.25mm hook usually. You will figure out your preference if you buy enough hooks to play around.

The problem with amigurumi for a first time crafter is that you need A LOT of different colors. You don't buy 3 skeins (balls) of the same color, like for a scarf. Instead, you need like 4 different colors for each thing you make. I used Simply Soft yarn. It is usually about $4 a skein. It feels nice to work with, but is still kind of on the cheap side. As for where to buy, I completely agree with the first post.

I'd say in total, I probably spent near $70 on everything to stock up. I kept having to go back for yarn haha. I have now made upwards of 30 amigurumi, and have only had to replace 2 of the colors. So, for me, amigurumi had a decent up front cost, but you get a lot out of it.

------

I am now completely obsessed. The kits are a great way to learn (many people also love Youtube videos for learning and for patterns). Amigurumi are so much fun because you get to watch your creation come to life, more so than a scarf. So dive in and have fun! Feel free to message me if you ever have any question :)

P.S. Buy amigurumi eyes on Amazon. You get 100 for $7, while in Jo Ann's, you get 10 for $7.

Polyester Fiberfill.
You can buy it at craft stores. Walmart also sells it.

You can use cotton balls or scrap yarn as impromptu fiberfill or in a pinch.

Polyfil for stuffing toys, pillows, and amigurumi projects

As for hook size I like using a US C(2.75 MM) hook. My tension tends to be a bit of the looser side.

Other useful things to have it a tapestry needle. I like metal ones personally. Some prefer plastic ones. An example of a metal tapestry needle. This is a costlier option for its price.

Happy hooking!

I picked up a cheap kit at a bookstore — it contained a book of patterns (for amigurumi cacti), enough yarn for two projects from the book, and a crochet hook. EDIT: here’s the kit on Amazon, and there’s others if cacti aren’t your thing. I still had to use youtube to understand how to actually do the crochet movements (the book had written instructions for single crochet, slip stitch, etc but it’s much easier to learn those from a video). I liked the kit because it was self-contained, so I wouldn’t have to worry about leftover yarn if I ended up not continuing.

I wouldn’t focus too hard on how long it will take you to learn. Everyone learns at different speeds. Once I figured out the basics I just picked projects that I wanted to complete. It wasn’t about how long they took to finish, just about finishing the project. I think my first project from the kit took me at least a week. And the main project I had been eyeing (the reason I wanted to learn crochet) took a few weeks.

EDIT: okay so I recalled making a post on reddit in my early amigurumi days so here’s my 2-month progress post.. I had zero prior experience in crochet/knitting and was able to create the above in 2 months. I was crocheting every single day for those two months though because I really enjoyed it. You can see the cactus that I made based on the kit in the top left.

If you want to learn then pick a project (try to start with something smaller and simple) and complete it. And don’t worry if your first finished piece looks terrible lol. I kept my first completed amigurumi for sentiment I guess, but it’s hideous and it hides at the bottom of my yarn bucket. The first one is allowed to be ugly because that’s how you learn.

Thank you, me too. Halloween is the favorite holiday in our family. The spikes have a screw at the base.

RUBYCA 20 sets 21mm Silver Color... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00O8N9VZU?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Divorced dad here... Made these for my 6 year old daughter who lives across the country so she could have a personalized gift from dad this holiday. I used a kit from Costco and went to YouTube to learn how to crochet. This is my first project and I am excited to make more! Link to kit https://www.amazon.com/Disney-Princess-Crochet-Jessica-Ward/dp/1626864446

Kuuqa 264 Pieces Plastic Safety Eyes with Washers for Doll, Puppet, Plush Animal 6~12mm https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01IOZOQCU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_tEG4AbG4GWYVH

These were the ones I was looking at. I haven't used safety eyes yet, but they seem good for the price.

Thanks! It's a collector's edition. It's available at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Cthulhu-Leatherbound-Classics-Collection/dp/1435162552

I bought them off Amazon! Here's the link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00WX2O21G/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This is it:

http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Crochet-Kits/dp/1626863261

I got the pattern out of this book:
Unicorns, Dragons and More Fantasy Amigurumi: Bring 14 Magical Characters to Life! https://www.amazon.com/dp/949164324X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_5uMRCbVFEVPHD

I used this
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1464767556/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I did and still do, but this needle set has really helped make it less painful.