Extreme Amigurumi: Finding Yarn & a Hook

Hello, all! I thought it was about time I put together the ultimate guide on everything you need to know to get started making extreme amigurumi! When I started making extreme amis, I had no idea how much interest it was going to generate! People have been asking me for tips and tricks ever since, and while I've shared here and there about it, I thought it would be nice for both you and me to have a concise series of posts right here! First, we'll talk about yarn, where to find it and what hook size goes with it. Exactly what type of yarn you'll need will depend on just how extreme you want to go. Below are a few options.

Wool Roving

This was what I made my giant fox and sloth with. Those were the first two extreme amis I ever made. You can read more about them HERE and HERE. Pros: If you're trying to go as extreme as possible, this is the yarn to go with! You can't go much bigger than this, (and honestly, you don't really want to). It's really nice and soft and it's going to create a very impressive ami! Also, because it's pure wool, you can use a felting needle to felt the ends together and reduce waste! You can also use felting to add detail to your ami. Cons: It's really thick and so your hook is going to be massive. If you have trouble with fatigue while crocheting, you might want to reconsider using this yarn and go for a lighter option. Because this yarn is so thick, it's very difficult to add a lot of detail to your ami without it looking bulky and weird. If you use it, remember that less is more. It's also very expensive because it's pure wool and at $28 a pound, you could spend up to $200 just on the yarn. Where to find this yarn: You can find wool roving HERE and HERE. These are both wonderful and reputable brands that I highly recommend. What hook to use: I used a 40mm hook with this yarn which is the recommended hook size. I bought mine from Wool Couture Company HERE.

Couture Jazz (Jumbo 7 weight)

Couture Jazz by Premier Yarns is the yarn I used to make my giant unicorn, bunny, and owl. Those were by far my favorite to make and if I were to recommend any yarn over another, this would be it. You can read more about them in my previous posts HERE, HERE, and HERE. Pros: It's very lightweight while still having the thickness needed to create an extreme ami. It's a woven/knit yarn (kind of like a cheesecloth texture) and is made into a tube so that it has a hollow middle. Because of this, you can fold the messy ends into the middles and then sew the ends together to create a clean yarn join when adding more yarn. It comes in lots of great colors and I personally feel like it's just the right weight for making extreme amis. Not too thick, but not too thin. Cons: Because they come in such small skeins, you have to buy a lot of yarn meaning it's not going to be a cheap project. To make one of the extreme amis I made, you would spend around $200 just for the yarn. But thankfully, Premier Yarns offers a discount for bulk purchases so you won't have to spend quite that much! (Also, it's free shipping!) Where to find this yarn: You can find Premier Yarns Couture Jazz yarn HERE. Joann's also sells Premier Yarns yarns online HERE, although the color options are more limited. I've seen Walmart and Joann's carry this yarn instore. What hook to use: I used a 25mm crochet hook which was the hook size recommended. You can find one HERE. I also spotted a 25mm crochet hook at JoAnn's the other day!

Extreme acrylic

EDIT: This yarn is not available any longer. This is a specialty yarn that I used to make my giant penguin. This would be my second favorite yarn for making extreme amigurumis. Pros: It's acrylic, so it's cheaper than wool! It's not as thick as wool roving so it's a lot easier to manage. It's about 1/3 to 1/2 the thickness. It's also very soft. Cons: As far as I know, it's only available online as a specialty yarn at Mama Knows Luxury's Etsy shop and only available in eight colors so you'd be limited in what you made. If you pull too hard, it tears easily, so you have to be careful when sewing pieces together that you don't pull too hard. Where to find this yarn: You can find this yarn in Mama Knows Luxury's Etsy shop HERE. (You can also find my extreme penguin crochet kit there as well. Find it HERE.) What hook to use: I used a P/Q (15mm) hook. I bought a Clover Amour hook and you can find it HERE. You'll also be able to find this size in local craft stores such as JoAnn's, Hobby Lobby, and Michael's.

Bernat Blanket yarn (Super bulky 6 weight):

This is a super easy option for making extreme amigurumis. I've never personally used it to make an extreme ami, but a few people have used my giraffe and sloth patterns using this yarn and come up with some very impressive amis! Pros: It's readily available and cheap compared to the other options! You can find it in almost every craft store and online. It's fun and easy to work with and super soft. It's also very durable and comes in a ton of different colors! You can take almost any pattern and use this yarn instead of worsted weight and come up with a bigger ami! Cons: Your ami won't be quite as extreme because it's not nearly as thick as the other yarn options discussed. Where to find this yarn: You can find this yarn at almost any craft store and online just about everywhere. Find it HERE. What hook to use: You can use any size from an H to a K hook just depending on how tight you want your stitches to be.

Other options:

If you want to look for other yarns on your own, I would recommend looking for a Jumbo 7 weight yarn. This yarn usually requires a 20-25mm crochet hook and I think it's the perfect weight for making extreme amis! It's not too thick so that it's difficult to manage, but it's also not too thin so that you have to increase your stitch count to get an ami that's extreme. It's just the right weight and works up quickly so you're not working on your project forever. It's amazing how many jumbo yarn options there are out there if you really start looking! Just search for "jumbo 7" or "super bulky" on any yarn site and you'll get results. Here are few other yarns I've seen around (that are readily available) that look like they'd be perfect for extreme amigurumi. I haven't yet personally tried any of these so I can't give you a personal recommendation, but if I try them in the future, I'll post an update here.

• Bernat Mega Bulky Yarn(Bernat brand)
• Bergere De France Waouh Wool Yarn (Bergere De France brand)
• Yarn Bee Runway Hit Yarn (Hobby Lobby brand)
• Yarn Bee Showstopper Yarn (Hobby Lobby brand)
• Yarn Bee Eternal Bliss Yarn (Hobby Lobby brand)
• Chunky Luxe Big Yarn (Loops & Threads brand)
• Red Heart Irresistible Yarn (Red Heart brand)
• Lion Brand Wow Yarn (Lion Brand Yarn)