My Favourite Yarns To Use For My Amigurumi Projects

Hello Everyone!

When you are starting out in amigurumi, finding the right yarn for your projects can be a daunting and very expensive experience when faced with the plethora of yarn types available on the market today.  We are spoilt for choice really, but with a large percentage of yarn sales being made online, it can be really tricky to gauge the yarn you are purchasing, without it being a tactile purchase.  So, I thought I would put together this post, My Favourite Yarns To Use for My Amigurumi Projects so that I might be able to help you decide.  

I have tried 100% cotton yarns, cotton blend yarns and acrylic yarns and the ones I continue to gravitate towards are always either 100% cotton or a cotton bend. I don't like the end result I get with acrylic yarns as I find they have too much stretch, are far too fuzzy and pill. I much prefer the smooth, neat texture of a cotton or cotton blend yarn.

The following yarns are my personal favourites to date.  There are many yarns out there that I would still love to work with and form an opinion on, such as DMC Natura Just Cotton - I think the colour range is just gorgeous and it appears to be a lovely soft cotton, but the following are my true, tried and tested favourites!

100% Mercerized Cotton:

Mercerization is a process applied to cotton (hemp and linen can also be mercerized) to increase luster.  The mercerized fibers are able to absorb more dye, making the color of the dyed fibres brighter and deeper, giving the fabric a better resistance to multiple washings.   In addition to increasing luster and dye absorption, the  treatment increases strength, durability, smoothness, resistance to mildew, and also reduces lint. My favourite mercerized cotton yarn is;

Scheepjes Catona:

Scheepjes Catona is a mercerized cotton that has a gorgeous natural luster and is lovely to work with.  It is a 4 ply (sport weight) yarn which does not split and slides on and off my hook with ease.  I use it and love it with my 2.25mm Clover Soft Touch.  For a mercerized cotton, I already find Catona quite soft to begin with, but I believe as it is worked it softens up even further.  Catona comes in an enormous range of colours - 109 to be exact, which are all available in 10g, 25g and 50g balls.  At about AU$1.64 for a 25g ball here on Wool Warehouse, Catona is very affordable. The colour selection and range of sizes makes it easy to find exactly what you are after for those multi-coloured projects, with out breaking the bank.  An absolute winner in my opinion!

100% Unmercerized Cotton:

To make unmercerized cotton, you simply spin the fibres into yarn and leave it alone.  In their natural state, cotton fibres are short which results in a slightly fuzzier yarn when untreated.   Softer than mercerized cotton, unmercerized cotton feels great against the skin, and remains soft after washing for the 10th time, but is less durable and stains more easily due to the fact it has not undergone the structural changes of the mercerization process.  I still absolutely love to work with unmercerized cotton because it gives a lovely stitch definition, holds it's shape well with little stretch and results in a lovely soft, smooth fabric.  My absolute favourite 100% unmercerized cottons to work with are; 

Bendigo Woollen Mills Cotton 8:

Bendigo Woollen Mills Cotton 8 is an 8 ply (DK weight) 100% unmercerized cotton Australian made yarn.  I love to use this for my Sleepy Baby Loveys as it is so soft and squishy.  I like to use a 2.25mm hook for the amigurumi parts and a 4mm hook for the blanket.  Cotton 8 has a nice amount of fluffiness without being too fuzzy.  Like the Scheepjes Catona, it does not split and slides on and off my hook with ease.  Cotton 8 comes in 200g balls with 485m of yarn and is great value for money at AUD$14 a ball.  It is perfect for those single tone, larger projects.  

Heirloom Cotton 8:

Heirloom Cotton 8 is also an 8 ply (DK weight) Australian made yarn.  It comes in 50g balls with 120m of yarn. With properties identical to Bendigo woollen Mills Cotton 8, it is a wonderfully soft 100% cotton.  It is simply beautiful to work with and comes in a gorgeous array of 20 colours. At AUD$5.95 per 50g ball, it is a little more expensive than Bendigo Woollen Mills Cotton 8, but I think it is the way to go if you don't need a whole 200g to finish your project.

Cotton Blends:

Blending in yarn production, is the process of combining fibres of different origins, length, thickness and/or colour to make yarn. Blending is performed to give desirable characteristics to a yarn such as strength or durability, to reduce the cost by combining expensive fibres with less costly types, or to achieve special colour or texture effects. The blends I have enjoyed working with are cotton and acrylic blends; and cotton and polyester blends.  The following cotton blended yarn is my particular favourite for amigurumi;

Scheepjes Stone Washed:

Scheepjes Stone Washed yarn is a 78% cotton 22% acrylic blend that has a soft woolly feel. It is a 4-5 ply (sport weight) yarn and is available in 36 pretty colours. Scheepjes have done an exceptional job with the construction of this yarn, the texture and look of the yarn perfectly reflects the name of the line with a rich, but "washed out" appearance. The yarn is plied with a little bit of a halo effect (fluffiness) - which can make frogging a bit of a challenge, so if you are new to crochet or amigurumi, I don't suggest you use this yarn to start with.  Once again, I like to use this yarn with my 2.25mm crochet hook for amigurumi projects.  Scheepjes stone washed yarn comes in balls of 50g with 130m each for approx AUD$5.25.  

I hope you found this article on My Favourite Yarns To Use For My Amigurumi Projects helpful. I would love to hear about any of your favourite yarns for Amigurumi - because despite the fact that I almost need a new cupboard just for my yarn...I am always up for finding a new favourite!!

I hope you have a lovely day and happy crocheting!

(* This post contains affiliate links. You can learn more about affiliate links on my blog by reading this post.)

Share This Post