Yes! That’d be awesome. Maybe people could send in pictures of things they’ve made with different yarn and you can review those too? Like if a specific type of yarn was someone’s specialty they could showcase what it can do. Just an idea! Also I love your videos! Keep doing what you’re doing cause you’ve been so inspirational to me!!! 🧶
Chenille yarn - 1) burn the end so the stuff doesn't fall off when you sew in the ends 2) when doing a magic ring make the sc stitches loose, that way there is less friction on the thread as you pull the ring closed and 3) use a metal hook to help slide in and out of the loops. I love working with chenille yarn, it's really soft and has great squishable results, I hope you give it another chance!!
"Just tell me...why? No wait, that's not positive. How? It's a deceptive marshmallow of doom!" 😂😂😂 I felt this so much. A friend of mine likes to make giant amigurumi and doesn't know how I can make tiny thread amigurumi. We both love "our own thing" and hate the other person's but respectfully appreciate each other's work!
I like using Bernat blanket yarn (not sure if its similar to what you used in your video) for amigurumi. Very soft and snuggly, my niece loves them. But I can understand it being a very frustrating fiber to work with (I have snapped many a yarn mid-project and filled the house with colorful expressions of my frustration). But it works well with the way I crotchet because I strangely can't 'see' the stitches in any fiber I work with. Like I conceptually understand that the 'v' denotes where a stitch is and I see a chain is made up of 'v's but something doesn't compute in my brain when I go to actually crotchet. It's weird and hard to explain. It took years for me to finally get the hang of crotchet because of it. But eventually I figured out I could I feel out individual stitches with my fingers as I go and the blanket yarn makes that easier to do.
This. I have gotten better at seeing the stitches but when I first started I did better with feeling it out. I did start with softer fluffy yarns but even with acrylic I got confused and found myself feeling it out. Now I can see it in acrylic and cotton types but on my fluffy yarns I feel my way around them.
Hey! As someone that loves using those specialty yarns as well as your standard 8ply Acrylic I just have some tips. With the faux fur yarn you wanna pair it up with your standard 8ply (so double strand them) so you can see your stitches! And with the Chenille you definetly have a bad brand there, have you tried velvet chenille? There's a few really good cheap brands in Australia, specifically at cheap dollar stores that you randomly find in stuff. I strongly reccomend that type of yarn, I've made a lot of your patterns with it and they turn out amazingly.
Oh my gosh, the fluffy yarn trick 👌👌👌 thank you! My son picked out fluffy yarn for me to make him a hat. I tried and failed twice and popped it in the too hard pile 🤣🤣 Love the idea of pairing it with normal yarn 🫶
This was not what I imagined when you asked “Will it frog?” I thought that you were going to look at work-ability with regards to being able to see stitches, be able to rip out stitches (aka frog it), etc. I have known some tempting fluffy yarns to become velcro when knit, so “Will it frog?” is a legitimate question. This was fun, too! I enjoyed going through the various types of yarn and yarn-adjacent things. The results were probably similar to if you had meant it more literally like I thought.
To get the fluffy yarn to work, you need to make the frog in acrylic first in the back loop only for the whole pattern. Then go back and single crochet with the fluffy yarn in the front loops. Kind of like when you make your feathers and scales, like on your owl bear pattern. It’s mostly decorative, not a foundation yarn like acrylic. Might try the mohair and chenille this way too. It’s twice the amount of work, just depends on the look you’re going for, but it should hold its shape properly and still be soft and squishy.
I just rewatched the frog video. The eyes and feet will stay in the acrylic yarn color, unless you put placemarkers were they need to go and then just add them when you are putting on the fluffy yarn. Or leave them in acrylic for a color and texture change up option.
Really? Is that how it's supposed to be used? I usually work with it as a foundation yarn by counting stitches with my fingers and using markers to mark rounds.
I absolutely love using blanket yarns. In fact, most of my stuff is made from it. My secret is, that's what I started with lol. I would recommend going up a hook size if you're feeling tension and make sure to relax your grip a little 😊
Watching you use embroidery floss made me smile! My current favorite crochet at the moment is DMC Pearl Cotton 8 and a 1mm hook and I rarely see people using things like to.
For chenille yarn, to help with the issue of not being able to see the stitches very well I put stitch markers at the beginning of each repeat in a round. For all of the stitch markers I use the same colour except for the stitch marker at the beginning of the round which I use a contrasting coloured one. It means there’s a lot easier to keep count and make sure you don’t miss any stitches, because if the count isn’t right between one stitch marker and another you know you’ve either missed or added a stitch. Also works well because chenille yarn you can generally frog a couple stitches just fine, but more than that and you’re gonna start losing/shedding yarn. Oh, and for chenille yarn I find that you can’t really use the magic ring method very well so it’s easier to do the chain 2 and slip stitch method. 🐸🐸🐸
As someone who has been too shy to try other yarns, I found this video really informative. I think a trip to the yarn store is in order 😆 The frog tower at the end made me smile so much. I was really rooting for you to be able to stack them all and you did!
I love big puffy yarn because the projects get big so fast. It makes me feel so accomplished. And I adore the finished projects being so soft and cuddly.
I love blanket yarn for a few reasons. There are no strands to split or accidentally poke your hook through, it's large which means projects work up fairly quickly and can make good size plushies out of small amigurumi patterns, and finally it actually helped a lot in my journey to learning to crochet! Since it can be hard to see your stitches you have to adapt to feeling your stitches a lot of the time versus seeing them and that means I had to get even more familiar with the stitch and the structure it creates without getting bogged down on it looking imperfect!
I loved this video. I've been making your patterns into smaller and larger items using different yarns. I've made your tiny frog and cockatoo into earrings using crochet thread that dollies are made from and I've made your gorilla very big to really small. I just love making things from your patterns. Thank you for being so creative.
I use the "fluffy disappointment" for knitting socks. In knitting you don't need to see your stitches, it is enough to feel them on your finger tips. It works quite well, however, frogging and resuming work is a real pain and correcting a mistake after finding out you've lost a stitch is pretty much a no can do. But you get nice, comfy socks and need less stitches overall to finish a sock. So that's nice :)
Not sure if someone commented yet but the french knitter makes I-cord. You can attach more by matching the knit stitches with the new cord or just sew them together if you aren't picky. It's great for stuff like baskets or rugs. You can also run wire through the middle to make shapes or letters.
As someone who works almost exclusively with mercerized cotton for amigurumi I'm glad it made the number one spot for you. I really enjoy how easy it is to work with and you can get it in so many colours. I have a far too large collection of it.
With the light blue really fluffy yarn, I usually add a strand of normal yarn that is the same colour. So I would be crocheting with two strands... but the result is both fabulous and wonderful. Love your video!! ❤
For the blanket yarn: It works best for items that don't have a lot of structure to them. Soft, blobby potatoes that are super squishy are the right projects for them :) I like using it to make stuffies and lovies for babies.
Nice cotton can be SUCH a dream to work with! I tend to stuff my critters VERY tight and use smaller hooks to make things tight so there's no gaps, so I've found it works pretty well for me :D the mercerized cotton also just has a delightful finished texture to me
This was a great video! I have been thinking about making some plushies for charity and seeing the differences between all the various yarns was very helpful. I have a partial skein of that blanket yarn and it doesn't even want to stay wound in a ball, I'm impressed you were able to work with it at all. I call it Cthulhu yarn - the stuff of madness.
I found a yarn brand (definitely not in Australia but it's Alize Velluto) that's like a blanket yarn, but more like chenille. I mean it has the structure of a strand with fluff on it, but it's chonky like your blanket yarn. Best part is that it doesn't shed at all! Only at the ends, which is fine imo. I'd love for you to try using blanket yarn more often, I think it makes the best plushies
I used jumbo chenille yarn to make that balloon dog I was seeing everywhere and the magic ring took a painfully long time. Totally worth it for my giant balloon dog tho I love her lol
I love watching your reactions to different yarns. Blanket, chenille, and 'fluffy' were the best! But we all have the struggle, it's whether we stick it out if we want it. Try plastic, wood or ceramic hooks. I've even seen some bone hooks out there. I've had to change plastic to wood when having migraines because of the sound of the hook through the yarn. You just have to be careful your tension isn't too strong or you'll break the hook, if not metal. If the fuzzy yarn is too hard to see to get your stitches, try pairing a matching 8-ply with it and work it on the double. When I first used a fuzzy yarn like that, I had to go very slowly and feel each stitch, almost not even looking at my work, just feeling with my fingers. Hope these help and stay with your passion, we love seeing it!
That was amazing! I have tried most of these myself and came to similar conclusions as you. I have also tried Fluffy yarn a few times with very little success until I found a lady on TH-cam (sorry I can't remember who it was 😥) who suggested to crochet the shape in BLO with plain yarn and then just SC into the leftover loops with the fluffy yarn: the result is amazing, and it is really easy. 🙂
Blanket yarn: Agreed with other fans to try both XXL and small metal hooks, to avoid magic ring, and that glitter-blanket is harsher than regular. A hook change should help with the increases/decreases. Also consider a yarn-under OR tall, linked stitches (basically, vertical Tunisian done with a regular hook) to change the stitch texture. But also, it's important to use a pull-once approach. I tend to pull a large loop, then yank it back to size it to the hook shaft. That approach fails utterly with fluffy and fuzzy yarns. I can't tell if you were doing that. But if so, put a metal finger-ring, plastic tube, smooth bandage, bit of plastic wrap, or something on your yarn-pulling finger (change the tool rather than fighting your nature) and accept that it won't show if loops are loose on the hook and not quite identical; see if that makes a difference. When it glides loosely through your fingers without any pulling backwards, you may find the Deceptive Marshmallow of Doom transforms into a Faithful Marshmallow of Delight. When I first got the stuff, I made things and ripped them out repeatedly just because I wanted to feel the yarn in my fingers again; it really can be the joy it promises to be. If trying textured yarn with a smoother 2nd strand: Also test a thin strand, used just on the final yo/pull-through (if you're okay with handling 2 strands separately), to stabilize and help locate the top loops. For embroidery floss: Try two strands or chain-ply if you continue to lack a tiny hook. It comes in some much-longer lengths (spools and balls). Looking forward to your ranking-by-ease rather than result!
I don't use blanket yarn but I do use more chuncky yarn that is similar to blanket yarn. The thing is that if you want to give it a shape is beter to have a patern that is in more or bigger pieces or that you just more stufed it. It's harder to use cause you're used to thiner yarn. I was working with thiner yarn when I started crocheing and got used to it so it was a bit of a problem when I used chunkier yarn for the first time but now I somehow use both of the yarns easily. The think I do with my yarn for wich is recomendet 8,5 to 9,5mm hook is that I use 6mm hook. And in my opinion is easier. Hope I helped. Btw you are amazing and I love it when you and skeinspider complete chalenges togheter. ❤ That coment is for the rating yarn video. Sorry for late post
About the blanket yarn-totally agree. It feels so nice in the finish product but it has not elasticity to it so it’s super hard to stitch with. But! Bernet recently released a fleece blanket yarn that has solved the problem for me! The color selection is limited, but it works up so much better than the regular blanket yarn. I’m making a giant Snorlax with it now!
The secret to blanket yarn is to increase hook size (you already figured that out) and loosen up your tension a lot. It doesn't slide against itself, so when I use it, all the movement is the hook pulling in new yarn. Someone else said relax your grip and that made me realize I do hold the hook differently, sort of all in my fingertips instead of against my palm. I do agree with you about the lumpiness, so I wouldn't use it for amigarumi unless it was a REALLY big creature!
I love using blanket yarn because it works up much faster than regular yarn and doesn’t fray as I work. I always use about a size smaller hook whenever I work with it because it makes it easier to crochet more than one stitch into the previous stitch. It takes some practice getting the tension just right, but I love using it!
I prefer cotton because acrylic makes my hands itchy, for amigurumi I mostly used Yatsal brand cotton from discount stores or ozyarn online (in Australia) I don't think its mercerised but it's denser than the cotton I usually use for clothes which is the rainbow cotton from Hobbii
When i learned to crochet, started with acrylic. hated it, almost made me to quit.... but then tried different yarns and fall in love with mercerised cotton. 99% of my amigurumi made with it!
Really enjoyed this episode, ironically most of my stash is odds because of the fact that I mostly have others in my community donate me wool or we buy a random bag of wool from savers which you never know what size hook you really need. On the failed wool, I would always double yarn it. (Fauxmo with an acrylic in either as close to the same colour/contrast/grey scale yarn) same said for the fluffy or yarn I can’t see and feel the stitches in project. The pipe cleaners I used as introduction to framing because I could give a toy movement but I could also let an end stick out and have antenna for fun and they are fluffy to protect your hands a little.
For the light blue fluffy yarn, there is a technique where you crochet with regular acrylic and work in fluffy yarn on top as you go (so you're not actually working stitches with the fluffy yarn). It takes some practice to figure out but pretty easy once you get the hang of it. Though to be fair you lose a lot of detail in the fuzziness so I'd use it more for a larger stuffed animal look than detailed amigurumi. With the pattern you were using it still may not have frogged that well.
The fluffy yarn probably needed to be paired with a similarly colored normal acrylic yarn to be able see what stitch to work into. Alternatively you can take a normal acrylic frog then crochet the fluff into it like a skin
My lord, the blanket yarn was how much?! I pick mine up on sale. It pops in and out a lot and bases around 10 where I live. I love making toys out of it because it is so soft. I use a 8mm hook and it takes a lot of practice to be able to see the stitches because it is fluffy. Once you get used to it you can make up things with it really quick. I made a hoard of dinos for a babyshower and it was super cute. It also looked like you were using a bigger stitch or maybe the hook was too big. If you don't get your stitches tight enough it will be harder to keep shape because this yarn is meant to be soft and flowy for blankets. It doesn't have a lot of structure so it needs a pretty solid stitch to make it hold up.
The issue many have with the blanket yarn is that it is thick enough for very loose crochet. When you use it for shaped items, it can seem problematic. I tend to crochet tight. I have used the thicker yarn for shaped items, (I am using tick 5 weight yarn for your skull.). I am using a small crochet hook, (4mm) which is not recommended to use with that weight yarn, but it allows me to crochet tightly, without me needing/wanting to pull tight on tension.
For the blanket yarn I would recommend a metal hook and a looser tension. I think the plastic hook might be creating too much friction against the yarn.
If you want to use the “fluffy yarn” (I think it’s called eyelash yarn), you can do what I did and crochet a base in regular yarn in the back loop only and attach the fluffy yarn with slip stitches. It is double the work, but the result is so worth it! Do make sure you take into account that crocheting in the back loop only does change the rotation, so you might have to adjust your pattern.
I use the Blanket yarn and I really like it. But I think I works best with patterns specifically designed with the yarn maybe. I don't use a hook larger than 8 because it will make it look lumpy like your frog.
Would love you to do a part 2 with velvet yarn! There’s some in spotlight but I’ve also gotten some from OzYarn (it’s called Yatsal Imperial Velvet Chunky Yarn). Finished projects feel nice, and it’s much easier to crochet with than blanket or chenille!
The faux fur yarn is KNIT ONLY imo 😂 I need every stitch separated on the needle to be able to see or work them lol. Made an amazingly soft and luxurious throw pillow though :)
I started my amigurumi journey with the Star Wars crochet book. I am allergic to acrylic (tested by a dermatologist, my fingers break out in hives if I try to use the stuff), so I bought a whole bunch of Shine yarn from Knit Picks which is a cotton/Modal blend to go with the book. My son still has a R2-D2 on his shelves from this original foray, and it stands on its own. I think the difference is I tend to crochet VERY tightly, and stuff my critters within an inch of their wee little lives. I am primarily a knitter, so I'm not constantly trying to wrestle yarn with no give into tight little knots. Though, I also do tatting, which is VERY MUCH wrangling unforgiving thread into knots. Maybe I just have a lot of suppressed anger. Who knows?
I've tried to use that exact type of blanket yarn before and I'll admit it's pretty hard on your hands but i use a really large hook or like really REALLY loose tension and it turns out looking okay. I mainly use it on giant plush stuff, one time I made a giant axolotl and it was super cute! Using blanket yarn for amigurumi was really difficult for me at first too 😅
I only work with catania yarn. I love it for amigurumi and even made blankets with it. True, they aren't very soft or cuddly, so they are more throws to lie on than blankets, but they have great shapes and working with it is just... It works so well ;-)
I use Chenille yarn quite often, mostly cause I love the floofy versions. But, it IS really hard to work with after using acrylic yarn for so long. Though, I have made a few of your patterns in the Chenille yarn, and they turned out ADORABLE. I've done the Rainbow Red Panda in a Pink verion and a purple version. And a floofy pink piggy (the tail was a pain to do with the chenille yarn, but well worth the effort)
Eyelash yarn is the devil incarnate for a main yarn!!! I keep it for trims, borders, & rabbit tails (the white). I tried making a seal in it & literally struggled to see the stitches, even more than with a binky (think chenille sized down to DK) yarn. O like binky for hoe soft the end results are, but to work with it's annoying. The smallest hook I've used is a 2mm btw...
I have a love hate relationship with chenille. I LOVE how amigurumi pieces turn out with it and it's plushness, but I HATE how it flakes with the MR and ends.
Agree. I jumped on the “plushie” train about a year ago. I still struggle with “hard to work” and “sheds everywhere”. I learned with bedspread cotton then did a lot with worsted weight cotton and acrylic. It became my comfort zone but I still do it all as I crave challenges and get bored with doing the same over and over. I loved her little experiment. Her patterns are wonderful.
I use the blanket yarn for 90% of my plushes. Definitely metal hooks. And I end up not doing any special stitches. It more lends itself to extremely large safety eyes or embroidered on felt bits. However, only the plush texture saves me from lumping it in with chenille and fur as devil spawn.
I'm not done with the video yet, but I wanted to comment this while I was thinking about it. You might have to use a a slightly bigger hook for the blanket yarn, it might also help if it was a metal one. I use a size K (6.5 mm) metal hook (I did add handles to mine so they don't poke my hand while I work though), but I also have an L (8 mm), and 2 N s from different brands (one is 9 mm and the other is 10 mm) hooks that are all metal. This might work better, I find working with this yarn to be my favorite because it's just right for how I hold it so my hand cramps far less. Still hard to do the magic ring though. This is after the video, I love that you made your own yarn for the last one. This is making me want to do that myself for making bigger projects.
I love the heavyweight yarn, I use bernat blanket which I can get on sale for $5-8 for a skein the size of the one in the video. I like it because it works projects very quickly in that it's thick and makes a larger project. I tried introducing my friend to it as a beginner but she couldn't work with it. So to each their own with what yarn we like
I prefer acrylic, however, I amazingly am currently using a fluffy yarn for a unicorn project and I can't see the stitches but I can feel them. I make sure and write down and use stitch markers. That way if I need to frog I can up to the last stitch marker. But always, always keep a running count in your head and down on paper so you wouldn't get lost. That's my tip for fluffy yarn. It is cheaper with acrylic, so that is what I use mostly.
Mercerized cotton is my absolute favorite. Always sad that I can't find as much color as I want to (as lace size), but so perfect to work with for me ❤ I always love bamboo yarn, it's really soft and smooth, but too smooth to keep shape sometimes
personally i love working with the chenielle esp since it's only a $1.25 at my local dollar stores and its so soft it makes certain amigurmis less tedious
Love the video's you make. I always work with 5ply mercerized cotton. I have 2 favourite brands, which used together, have 225+ colors to choose from😍. But they might be difficult to find outside of Europe.
7:50 as for someone loving to use yarn like that for amigurumi, my general advise would be to definitely go down on the hooksize instead of up. Then i think it would have worked perfectly! In fact, i had an interesting experience with old yarn that was gained from a sweater or something so it didnt come with hook size and i tried almost every size from 4mm to 7mm, starting at 5 mm. The peculiar thing was, as i got bigger, problems seemed to get lesser. But only by going back even smaller i could get the amigurumi basic ball shape to stop becoming hyperbolic. Its been super weird 13:24 chenille lover here. Thats the saddest most cheap ass chenille i have ever seen, no wonder it didnt bringyou joy! Good quality chenille you can detectby trying it run through your fingers - if it behaves like those slithery fidget worms on the thin string, then its good! If it falls like a thin jewelry chain instead, its not. 17:30 work it alongside a strand of normal yarn. That way you can see what you are doing. Made a niffler that way. Hard esp. Using black but managable.
I use blanket yarn and I love it. I usually buy it when it’s on sale or I use coupons from Joann’s or Michaels. I’ve never paid $20 for blanket yarn 😮 Also I recommend tighting your tension when using it and it won’t become lumpy. 😊
Everything seems a tad more expensive here in Australia I've noticed. I watch a lot of crocheters from America and always shocked at how much cheaper it seems over there! We also don't seem to get coupons like you guys do, we just have sale weekends etc 🫶
This is absolutely amazing! I really love your designs with crochet, and the dragon is especially a favourite! (The orange one!) which is one of my first videos (I think) I watched of yours! And the owl, BUT THE FROG IS ADORBS! I love love love your patterns, and it’s really helpful. ❤
I would try the fauxMo again but held with a thicker yarn like fingering or dk. If you can’t do that or want to see it on its own, try double or triple standing it. FauxMo deserves a second chance 🥺💕
I was hoping to find out what yarn you use specifically/ where you buy your yarn. In the U.S at least, all the craft stores I visit only have a good variety of worsted weight yarn, and anything smaller will have maybe 3 colors available, and in much smaller amounts 😭
Oh sorry! I use 4seasons Marvel, which is an 8ply/DK 100% acrylic readily available from Spotlight stores in Australia. I believe it's equivalent in the US is redheart supersaver, but that's just from what folks have told me :)
As someone who does both crochet and knitting, some of fuzzy yarns you were unable to get frogs from would be ones I would mentally categorize as “can use to knit but not crochet.” I find the weirder textures easier to use while knitting since the loops are stuck on the sticks, unlike crochet where it can be a literal search and rescue to find every loop. That doesn’t stop me from petting the fluffy yarns in the store though 😂 Also, “doom marshmallow” will now be entering my vocabulary 😁
Agreed wholeheartedly: If you can't find the crochet stitches, put the yarn in the knit-this stash. Tunisian (Tunisian Knit Stitch or maybe extended Tunisian - add a chain-1) might also be an improvement. Not great for amigurumi, though.
Use Bernat blanket yarn it better and the 8mm work fine if you get a 6 bulky and the trick is not to be so tight on the stitches be more lose with it I make plushies with blanket yarn it just something you get use to
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I have gotten the most excellent advice from you all! I shall have to revisit fuzzy-frog-mountain in the future, and see if it changes the rankings!
Yes! That’d be awesome. Maybe people could send in pictures of things they’ve made with different yarn and you can review those too? Like if a specific type of yarn was someone’s specialty they could showcase what it can do. Just an idea!
Also I love your videos! Keep doing what you’re doing cause you’ve been so inspirational to me!!! 🧶
No. Lol. I know what I'm making
Anyone else love buying yarn, but then have problems figuring out what to use the yarn for?
Buying yarn and using yarn are two completely different hobbies!
Yes
Absolutely, I always tell myself to think of projects I wanna make before going yarn shopping but never do 🤣
I struggle with this so much
I’m pretty sure you just summed up the experience of every single crocheter ever
Chenille yarn - 1) burn the end so the stuff doesn't fall off when you sew in the ends 2) when doing a magic ring make the sc stitches loose, that way there is less friction on the thread as you pull the ring closed and 3) use a metal hook to help slide in and out of the loops. I love working with chenille yarn, it's really soft and has great squishable results, I hope you give it another chance!!
Some great advice here, but I'll admit at first glance all I saw was "Chenille yarn - burn." And I was like, yeah that checks out.
@@ComplicatedKnots 🤣
Hahaha! Chenille is the best but I def feel the burn it all down vibe too
For burning the ends, do you just take a lighter to it quickly?
@SaltedKenzie you do! Agree with the frustration and the amazing results when you power through. Definitely burn the ends. All the ends.
"Just tell me...why? No wait, that's not positive. How? It's a deceptive marshmallow of doom!" 😂😂😂
I felt this so much. A friend of mine likes to make giant amigurumi and doesn't know how I can make tiny thread amigurumi. We both love "our own thing" and hate the other person's but respectfully appreciate each other's work!
I like making tiny amigurumi too.
I like using Bernat blanket yarn (not sure if its similar to what you used in your video) for amigurumi. Very soft and snuggly, my niece loves them. But I can understand it being a very frustrating fiber to work with (I have snapped many a yarn mid-project and filled the house with colorful expressions of my frustration). But it works well with the way I crotchet because I strangely can't 'see' the stitches in any fiber I work with. Like I conceptually understand that the 'v' denotes where a stitch is and I see a chain is made up of 'v's but something doesn't compute in my brain when I go to actually crotchet. It's weird and hard to explain. It took years for me to finally get the hang of crotchet because of it. But eventually I figured out I could I feel out individual stitches with my fingers as I go and the blanket yarn makes that easier to do.
This. I have gotten better at seeing the stitches but when I first started I did better with feeling it out. I did start with softer fluffy yarns but even with acrylic I got confused and found myself feeling it out. Now I can see it in acrylic and cotton types but on my fluffy yarns I feel my way around them.
Hey! As someone that loves using those specialty yarns as well as your standard 8ply Acrylic I just have some tips. With the faux fur yarn you wanna pair it up with your standard 8ply (so double strand them) so you can see your stitches! And with the Chenille you definetly have a bad brand there, have you tried velvet chenille? There's a few really good cheap brands in Australia, specifically at cheap dollar stores that you randomly find in stuff. I strongly reccomend that type of yarn, I've made a lot of your patterns with it and they turn out amazingly.
Oh my gosh, the fluffy yarn trick 👌👌👌 thank you! My son picked out fluffy yarn for me to make him a hat. I tried and failed twice and popped it in the too hard pile 🤣🤣
Love the idea of pairing it with normal yarn 🫶
Oh my, what an amazing frog tower! I held my breath while you assembled it and it turned out so cool! 😮
This was not what I imagined when you asked “Will it frog?” I thought that you were going to look at work-ability with regards to being able to see stitches, be able to rip out stitches (aka frog it), etc. I have known some tempting fluffy yarns to become velcro when knit, so “Will it frog?” is a legitimate question. This was fun, too! I enjoyed going through the various types of yarn and yarn-adjacent things. The results were probably similar to if you had meant it more literally like I thought.
To get the fluffy yarn to work, you need to make the frog in acrylic first in the back loop only for the whole pattern. Then go back and single crochet with the fluffy yarn in the front loops. Kind of like when you make your feathers and scales, like on your owl bear pattern. It’s mostly decorative, not a foundation yarn like acrylic. Might try the mohair and chenille this way too. It’s twice the amount of work, just depends on the look you’re going for, but it should hold its shape properly and still be soft and squishy.
This is great advice, I'll have to try that!
I just rewatched the frog video. The eyes and feet will stay in the acrylic yarn color, unless you put placemarkers were they need to go and then just add them when you are putting on the fluffy yarn. Or leave them in acrylic for a color and texture change up option.
Really? Is that how it's supposed to be used? I usually work with it as a foundation yarn by counting stitches with my fingers and using markers to mark rounds.
I absolutely love using blanket yarns. In fact, most of my stuff is made from it. My secret is, that's what I started with lol. I would recommend going up a hook size if you're feeling tension and make sure to relax your grip a little 😊
Watching you use embroidery floss made me smile! My current favorite crochet at the moment is DMC Pearl Cotton 8 and a 1mm hook and I rarely see people using things like to.
For chenille yarn, to help with the issue of not being able to see the stitches very well I put stitch markers at the beginning of each repeat in a round. For all of the stitch markers I use the same colour except for the stitch marker at the beginning of the round which I use a contrasting coloured one. It means there’s a lot easier to keep count and make sure you don’t miss any stitches, because if the count isn’t right between one stitch marker and another you know you’ve either missed or added a stitch. Also works well because chenille yarn you can generally frog a couple stitches just fine, but more than that and you’re gonna start losing/shedding yarn. Oh, and for chenille yarn I find that you can’t really use the magic ring method very well so it’s easier to do the chain 2 and slip stitch method. 🐸🐸🐸
I do a lot of that same stuff when working with the fluffy yarn.
As someone who has been too shy to try other yarns, I found this video really informative. I think a trip to the yarn store is in order 😆 The frog tower at the end made me smile so much. I was really rooting for you to be able to stack them all and you did!
I love big puffy yarn because the projects get big so fast. It makes me feel so accomplished. And I adore the finished projects being so soft and cuddly.
I love blanket yarn for a few reasons. There are no strands to split or accidentally poke your hook through, it's large which means projects work up fairly quickly and can make good size plushies out of small amigurumi patterns, and finally it actually helped a lot in my journey to learning to crochet! Since it can be hard to see your stitches you have to adapt to feeling your stitches a lot of the time versus seeing them and that means I had to get even more familiar with the stitch and the structure it creates without getting bogged down on it looking imperfect!
I loved this video. I've been making your patterns into smaller and larger items using different yarns. I've made your tiny frog and cockatoo into earrings using crochet thread that dollies are made from and I've made your gorilla very big to really small. I just love making things from your patterns. Thank you for being so creative.
I use the "fluffy disappointment" for knitting socks. In knitting you don't need to see your stitches, it is enough to feel them on your finger tips. It works quite well, however, frogging and resuming work is a real pain and correcting a mistake after finding out you've lost a stitch is pretty much a no can do. But you get nice, comfy socks and need less stitches overall to finish a sock. So that's nice :)
Not sure if someone commented yet but the french knitter makes I-cord. You can attach more by matching the knit stitches with the new cord or just sew them together if you aren't picky. It's great for stuff like baskets or rugs. You can also run wire through the middle to make shapes or letters.
As someone who works almost exclusively with mercerized cotton for amigurumi I'm glad it made the number one spot for you. I really enjoy how easy it is to work with and you can get it in so many colours. I have a far too large collection of it.
With the light blue really fluffy yarn, I usually add a strand of normal yarn that is the same colour. So I would be crocheting with two strands... but the result is both fabulous and wonderful. Love your video!! ❤
I was waiting for someone to give this advice!
For the blanket yarn: It works best for items that don't have a lot of structure to them. Soft, blobby potatoes that are super squishy are the right projects for them :) I like using it to make stuffies and lovies for babies.
Nice cotton can be SUCH a dream to work with! I tend to stuff my critters VERY tight and use smaller hooks to make things tight so there's no gaps, so I've found it works pretty well for me :D the mercerized cotton also just has a delightful finished texture to me
This was a great video! I have been thinking about making some plushies for charity and seeing the differences between all the various yarns was very helpful. I have a partial skein of that blanket yarn and it doesn't even want to stay wound in a ball, I'm impressed you were able to work with it at all. I call it Cthulhu yarn - the stuff of madness.
I found a yarn brand (definitely not in Australia but it's Alize Velluto) that's like a blanket yarn, but more like chenille. I mean it has the structure of a strand with fluff on it, but it's chonky like your blanket yarn. Best part is that it doesn't shed at all! Only at the ends, which is fine imo. I'd love for you to try using blanket yarn more often, I think it makes the best plushies
I used jumbo chenille yarn to make that balloon dog I was seeing everywhere and the magic ring took a painfully long time. Totally worth it for my giant balloon dog tho I love her lol
I love watching your reactions to different yarns. Blanket, chenille, and 'fluffy' were the best! But we all have the struggle, it's whether we stick it out if we want it. Try plastic, wood or ceramic hooks. I've even seen some bone hooks out there. I've had to change plastic to wood when having migraines because of the sound of the hook through the yarn. You just have to be careful your tension isn't too strong or you'll break the hook, if not metal. If the fuzzy yarn is too hard to see to get your stitches, try pairing a matching 8-ply with it and work it on the double. When I first used a fuzzy yarn like that, I had to go very slowly and feel each stitch, almost not even looking at my work, just feeling with my fingers. Hope these help and stay with your passion, we love seeing it!
That was amazing! I have tried most of these myself and came to similar conclusions as you. I have also tried Fluffy yarn a few times with very little success until I found a lady on TH-cam (sorry I can't remember who it was 😥) who suggested to crochet the shape in BLO with plain yarn and then just SC into the leftover loops with the fluffy yarn: the result is amazing, and it is really easy. 🙂
Blanket yarn: Agreed with other fans to try both XXL and small metal hooks, to avoid magic ring, and that glitter-blanket is harsher than regular. A hook change should help with the increases/decreases. Also consider a yarn-under OR tall, linked stitches (basically, vertical Tunisian done with a regular hook) to change the stitch texture.
But also, it's important to use a pull-once approach. I tend to pull a large loop, then yank it back to size it to the hook shaft. That approach fails utterly with fluffy and fuzzy yarns. I can't tell if you were doing that. But if so, put a metal finger-ring, plastic tube, smooth bandage, bit of plastic wrap, or something on your yarn-pulling finger (change the tool rather than fighting your nature) and accept that it won't show if loops are loose on the hook and not quite identical; see if that makes a difference. When it glides loosely through your fingers without any pulling backwards, you may find the Deceptive Marshmallow of Doom transforms into a Faithful Marshmallow of Delight. When I first got the stuff, I made things and ripped them out repeatedly just because I wanted to feel the yarn in my fingers again; it really can be the joy it promises to be.
If trying textured yarn with a smoother 2nd strand: Also test a thin strand, used just on the final yo/pull-through (if you're okay with handling 2 strands separately), to stabilize and help locate the top loops.
For embroidery floss: Try two strands or chain-ply if you continue to lack a tiny hook. It comes in some much-longer lengths (spools and balls).
Looking forward to your ranking-by-ease rather than result!
Amazing video (as always!) You became my favorite TH-cam channel basically within a weekend and since then I've been very excited for Thursdays
Same for me here lol. Black yarn, in general, is very complicated to work with.
deceptive marshmallow of doom 😂😂😂 il never look at blanket yarn without laughing again! ❤
I don't use blanket yarn but I do use more chuncky yarn that is similar to blanket yarn. The thing is that if you want to give it a shape is beter to have a patern that is in more or bigger pieces or that you just more stufed it. It's harder to use cause you're used to thiner yarn. I was working with thiner yarn when I started crocheing and got used to it so it was a bit of a problem when I used chunkier yarn for the first time but now I somehow use both of the yarns easily. The think I do with my yarn for wich is recomendet 8,5 to 9,5mm hook is that I use 6mm hook. And in my opinion is easier. Hope I helped. Btw you are amazing and I love it when you and skeinspider complete chalenges togheter. ❤ That coment is for the rating yarn video. Sorry for late post
The blanket yarn is great for more simple plushies that are big, simple, and squishy. For that reason, I do enjoy it quite a lot!
About the blanket yarn-totally agree. It feels so nice in the finish product but it has not elasticity to it so it’s super hard to stitch with. But! Bernet recently released a fleece blanket yarn that has solved the problem for me! The color selection is limited, but it works up so much better than the regular blanket yarn. I’m making a giant Snorlax with it now!
I LOVED this video!! You've made me want to try out a pattern in all the random yarns I've collected and never used
Personally, I prefer using a metal hook with fluffy yarns, also when using size 6 and 7 yarns, I personally recommend a size 6mm and a size 7mm hook.
The secret to blanket yarn is to increase hook size (you already figured that out) and loosen up your tension a lot. It doesn't slide against itself, so when I use it, all the movement is the hook pulling in new yarn. Someone else said relax your grip and that made me realize I do hold the hook differently, sort of all in my fingertips instead of against my palm. I do agree with you about the lumpiness, so I wouldn't use it for amigarumi unless it was a REALLY big creature!
I love using blanket yarn because it works up much faster than regular yarn and doesn’t fray as I work. I always use about a size smaller hook whenever I work with it because it makes it easier to crochet more than one stitch into the previous stitch. It takes some practice getting the tension just right, but I love using it!
I prefer cotton because acrylic makes my hands itchy, for amigurumi I mostly used Yatsal brand cotton from discount stores or ozyarn online (in Australia) I don't think its mercerised but it's denser than the cotton I usually use for clothes which is the rainbow cotton from Hobbii
The stack looked like little ice cream scoops 😂❤
Mercerized cotton actually doesnt pil or shed like other cottons or fibres, thats why its so good to use. Its also resistant to mildew
When i learned to crochet, started with acrylic. hated it, almost made me to quit.... but then tried different yarns and fall in love with mercerised cotton. 99% of my amigurumi made with it!
Really enjoyed this episode, ironically most of my stash is odds because of the fact that I mostly have others in my community donate me wool or we buy a random bag of wool from savers which you never know what size hook you really need.
On the failed wool, I would always double yarn it. (Fauxmo with an acrylic in either as close to the same colour/contrast/grey scale yarn) same said for the fluffy or yarn I can’t see and feel the stitches in project.
The pipe cleaners I used as introduction to framing because I could give a toy movement but I could also let an end stick out and have antenna for fun and they are fluffy to protect your hands a little.
For the light blue fluffy yarn, there is a technique where you crochet with regular acrylic and work in fluffy yarn on top as you go (so you're not actually working stitches with the fluffy yarn). It takes some practice to figure out but pretty easy once you get the hang of it. Though to be fair you lose a lot of detail in the fuzziness so I'd use it more for a larger stuffed animal look than detailed amigurumi. With the pattern you were using it still may not have frogged that well.
The fluffy yarn probably needed to be paired with a similarly colored normal acrylic yarn to be able see what stitch to work into. Alternatively you can take a normal acrylic frog then crochet the fluff into it like a skin
My lord, the blanket yarn was how much?! I pick mine up on sale. It pops in and out a lot and bases around 10 where I live. I love making toys out of it because it is so soft.
I use a 8mm hook and it takes a lot of practice to be able to see the stitches because it is fluffy. Once you get used to it you can make up things with it really quick. I made a hoard of dinos for a babyshower and it was super cute. It also looked like you were using a bigger stitch or maybe the hook was too big. If you don't get your stitches tight enough it will be harder to keep shape because this yarn is meant to be soft and flowy for blankets. It doesn't have a lot of structure so it needs a pretty solid stitch to make it hold up.
All of the frogs are so cute, the embroidery thread looked really nice with the frog.
17:25 try using a smaller metal hook :)
Happy Thursday! Absolutely love your stuff. :)
Hello! Glad you like it :)
The issue many have with the blanket yarn is that it is thick enough for very loose crochet. When you use it for shaped items, it can seem problematic. I tend to crochet tight. I have used the thicker yarn for shaped items, (I am using tick 5 weight yarn for your skull.). I am using a small crochet hook, (4mm) which is not recommended to use with that weight yarn, but it allows me to crochet tightly, without me needing/wanting to pull tight on tension.
For the blanket yarn I would recommend a metal hook and a looser tension. I think the plastic hook might be creating too much friction against the yarn.
If you want to use the “fluffy yarn” (I think it’s called eyelash yarn), you can do what I did and crochet a base in regular yarn in the back loop only and attach the fluffy yarn with slip stitches. It is double the work, but the result is so worth it!
Do make sure you take into account that crocheting in the back loop only does change the rotation, so you might have to adjust your pattern.
I use the Blanket yarn and I really like it. But I think I works best with patterns specifically designed with the yarn maybe. I don't use a hook larger than 8 because it will make it look lumpy like your frog.
Very interesting video. Great concept.
Would love you to do a part 2 with velvet yarn! There’s some in spotlight but I’ve also gotten some from OzYarn (it’s called Yatsal Imperial Velvet Chunky Yarn). Finished projects feel nice, and it’s much easier to crochet with than blanket or chenille!
So glad I stayed for Frog Tower, it was magnificient.
Omg I had to laugh! I love chenille and blanket yarn and it’s my fav!!! I look at acrylic and I’m like oh no… idk how you guys do it 😂
The faux fur yarn is KNIT ONLY imo 😂 I need every stitch separated on the needle to be able to see or work them lol. Made an amazingly soft and luxurious throw pillow though :)
I started my amigurumi journey with the Star Wars crochet book. I am allergic to acrylic (tested by a dermatologist, my fingers break out in hives if I try to use the stuff), so I bought a whole bunch of Shine yarn from Knit Picks which is a cotton/Modal blend to go with the book. My son still has a R2-D2 on his shelves from this original foray, and it stands on its own. I think the difference is I tend to crochet VERY tightly, and stuff my critters within an inch of their wee little lives. I am primarily a knitter, so I'm not constantly trying to wrestle yarn with no give into tight little knots. Though, I also do tatting, which is VERY MUCH wrangling unforgiving thread into knots. Maybe I just have a lot of suppressed anger. Who knows?
I've tried to use that exact type of blanket yarn before and I'll admit it's pretty hard on your hands but i use a really large hook or like really REALLY loose tension and it turns out looking okay. I mainly use it on giant plush stuff, one time I made a giant axolotl and it was super cute! Using blanket yarn for amigurumi was really difficult for me at first too 😅
i personally love using himalaya's baby dolphin for amigurumis :))
If you ever use faux mo or fur yarn again add a 3ply yarn with it. It will work out better. Thanks for the video quite enjoyable
Thank you as always for your informational videos! You are fantastic😆 I'm also biased towards Catania mercerized cotten yarn 🤣
I only work with catania yarn. I love it for amigurumi and even made blankets with it. True, they aren't very soft or cuddly, so they are more throws to lie on than blankets, but they have great shapes and working with it is just... It works so well ;-)
@@TanjaStelling-gs2bh Agreed haha! I love the colors and texture for amigurumi too!
I use Chenille yarn quite often, mostly cause I love the floofy versions. But, it IS really hard to work with after using acrylic yarn for so long. Though, I have made a few of your patterns in the Chenille yarn, and they turned out ADORABLE. I've done the Rainbow Red Panda in a Pink verion and a purple version. And a floofy pink piggy (the tail was a pain to do with the chenille yarn, but well worth the effort)
Eyelash yarn is the devil incarnate for a main yarn!!! I keep it for trims, borders, & rabbit tails (the white). I tried making a seal in it & literally struggled to see the stitches, even more than with a binky (think chenille sized down to DK) yarn. O like binky for hoe soft the end results are, but to work with it's annoying.
The smallest hook I've used is a 2mm btw...
Could you do more D&D monsters because my party really wants me to crochet the monsters that we fight so they have a visual representation
Oh my God the void Frog! Looking forward to more Void Creations in the future :D
You are such a ray of sunshine 🌞 you're so bubbly in your videos, and it brings me joy to watch them ✨️
I have a love hate relationship with chenille. I LOVE how amigurumi pieces turn out with it and it's plushness, but I HATE how it flakes with the MR and ends.
Agree. I jumped on the “plushie” train about a year ago. I still struggle with “hard to work” and “sheds everywhere”. I learned with bedspread cotton then did a lot with worsted weight cotton and acrylic. It became my comfort zone but I still do it all as I crave challenges and get bored with doing the same over and over.
I loved her little experiment. Her patterns are wonderful.
I use the blanket yarn for 90% of my plushes. Definitely metal hooks. And I end up not doing any special stitches. It more lends itself to extremely large safety eyes or embroidered on felt bits.
However, only the plush texture saves me from lumping it in with chenille and fur as devil spawn.
I'm not done with the video yet, but I wanted to comment this while I was thinking about it. You might have to use a a slightly bigger hook for the blanket yarn, it might also help if it was a metal one. I use a size K (6.5 mm) metal hook (I did add handles to mine so they don't poke my hand while I work though), but I also have an L (8 mm), and 2 N s from different brands (one is 9 mm and the other is 10 mm) hooks that are all metal. This might work better, I find working with this yarn to be my favorite because it's just right for how I hold it so my hand cramps far less. Still hard to do the magic ring though.
This is after the video, I love that you made your own yarn for the last one. This is making me want to do that myself for making bigger projects.
I love the heavyweight yarn, I use bernat blanket which I can get on sale for $5-8 for a skein the size of the one in the video. I like it because it works projects very quickly in that it's thick and makes a larger project. I tried introducing my friend to it as a beginner but she couldn't work with it. So to each their own with what yarn we like
Just recently found your channel. SO enjoyed your videos, especially this one. Talented, eloquent and funny not to mention educational ❤❤❤
The joy and excited-ness of watching you build the frog tower was incredibly endearing, frog tower is adorable!!!
I prefer acrylic, however, I amazingly am currently using a fluffy yarn for a unicorn project and I can't see the stitches but I can feel them. I make sure and write down and use stitch markers. That way if I need to frog I can up to the last stitch marker. But always, always keep a running count in your head and down on paper so you wouldn't get lost. That's my tip for fluffy yarn. It is cheaper with acrylic, so that is what I use mostly.
Mercerized cotton is my absolute favorite. Always sad that I can't find as much color as I want to (as lace size), but so perfect to work with for me ❤
I always love bamboo yarn, it's really soft and smooth, but too smooth to keep shape sometimes
I love your channel a lot ❤❤ you mean the world to me😊!!,
personally i love working with the chenielle esp since it's only a $1.25 at my local dollar stores and its so soft it makes certain amigurmis less tedious
Love the video's you make.
I always work with 5ply mercerized cotton. I have 2 favourite brands, which used together, have 225+ colors to choose from😍. But they might be difficult to find outside of Europe.
I'd love to see your ranking of how easy/pleasant the yarn was to work with, even if the end result wasn't exactly what you were hoping for.
Yes! I've recently become obsessed with cotton yarn for everything so I'm happy to see you enjoying it!
for the fluffy yarn i have i used stitch markers on almost every stitch 🙂
With the bernat blanket yarn I snapped 2 Plastic hooks... been using metal hooks ever since lol
My favorite yarn is the sweet snuggles yarn from micheals. The same type of yarn as the parfait yarn
7:50 as for someone loving to use yarn like that for amigurumi, my general advise would be to definitely go down on the hooksize instead of up. Then i think it would have worked perfectly! In fact, i had an interesting experience with old yarn that was gained from a sweater or something so it didnt come with hook size and i tried almost every size from 4mm to 7mm, starting at 5 mm. The peculiar thing was, as i got bigger, problems seemed to get lesser. But only by going back even smaller i could get the amigurumi basic ball shape to stop becoming hyperbolic. Its been super weird
13:24 chenille lover here. Thats the saddest most cheap ass chenille i have ever seen, no wonder it didnt bringyou joy! Good quality chenille you can detectby trying it run through your fingers - if it behaves like those slithery fidget worms on the thin string, then its good! If it falls like a thin jewelry chain instead, its not.
17:30 work it alongside a strand of normal yarn. That way you can see what you are doing. Made a niffler that way. Hard esp. Using black but managable.
I use blanket yarn and I love it. I usually buy it when it’s on sale or I use coupons from Joann’s or Michaels. I’ve never paid $20 for blanket yarn 😮
Also I recommend tighting your tension when using it and it won’t become lumpy. 😊
Everything seems a tad more expensive here in Australia I've noticed. I watch a lot of crocheters from America and always shocked at how much cheaper it seems over there!
We also don't seem to get coupons like you guys do, we just have sale weekends etc 🫶
Just found your crochet corner and I’m loving it all!!
Frogs are a favorite animal for me so I absolutely adored this video. And once you get the feel for it, embroidery thread is fun to crochet with.
I have found with chenneil that you have to use very little tension especially compared to normal yarn
I love that the final order seems to be a graduation of colour - perfect!
About 75% of my projects are blanket yarn lol. I make big Pokémon and other plushies
The fluffy disappointment can only be worked with lots of stitch markers. LOTS OF STITCH MARKERS.
Blue fuzzy yarn lol magic circle is never gunna work but a chain 2 circle could help maybe wife says use a 8 hook for it
That frog stack was like Yertle the Turtle in frog form. May void frog reign supreme.
This is absolutely amazing! I really love your designs with crochet, and the dragon is especially a favourite! (The orange one!) which is one of my first videos (I think) I watched of yours! And the owl,
BUT THE FROG IS ADORBS! I love love love your patterns, and it’s really helpful. ❤
17:34 for these yarn I use a larger hook, you really have to take your time but it turns out amazingly cute 😊
I would try the fauxMo again but held with a thicker yarn like fingering or dk. If you can’t do that or want to see it on its own, try double or triple standing it. FauxMo deserves a second chance 🥺💕
I don't know what this says about me but after watching this I am determined to try chenille and blanket yarn
I was hoping to find out what yarn you use specifically/ where you buy your yarn.
In the U.S at least, all the craft stores I visit only have a good variety of worsted weight yarn, and anything smaller will have maybe 3 colors available, and in much smaller amounts 😭
Oh sorry! I use 4seasons Marvel, which is an 8ply/DK 100% acrylic readily available from Spotlight stores in Australia. I believe it's equivalent in the US is redheart supersaver, but that's just from what folks have told me :)
As someone who does both crochet and knitting, some of fuzzy yarns you were unable to get frogs from would be ones I would mentally categorize as “can use to knit but not crochet.” I find the weirder textures easier to use while knitting since the loops are stuck on the sticks, unlike crochet where it can be a literal search and rescue to find every loop. That doesn’t stop me from petting the fluffy yarns in the store though 😂
Also, “doom marshmallow” will now be entering my vocabulary 😁
Agreed wholeheartedly: If you can't find the crochet stitches, put the yarn in the knit-this stash. Tunisian (Tunisian Knit Stitch or maybe extended Tunisian - add a chain-1) might also be an improvement. Not great for amigurumi, though.
Thank you for an interesting video=3 I love these froggies=3
Use Bernat blanket yarn it better and the 8mm work fine if you get a 6 bulky and the trick is not to be so tight on the stitches be more lose with it I make plushies with blanket yarn it just something you get use to