When I first started crocheting amigurumi, I had no idea what yarn was the best to use and I just grabbed whatever I could find on the shelves at Michael’s. After a year and countless amigurumi, I’ve tried pretty much all the brands out there and I’m here to help you avoid my mistakes (and wasted money)!
As a general rule, the best yarn for amigurumi is cotton or acrylic sport weight yarn. Cotton yarn has clear stitch definition which makes it conducive for beginners, while acrylic is softer and more cost effective. Using sport weight yarn means that amigurumi will look cuter and neater.
I’ve also compiled an entire guide of all my most used tools and at this link. There are so many options out there, and as a beginner it can be completely overwhelming to try and figure out where to start, but I’ve demystified it all for you with my favorite crochet supplies!
If you want to see a whole overview at a glance, take a look at this chart.
| Yarn | Fiber | Weight | Cost/skein | Cost/yard | Best… |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WeCrochet Brava Sport | Acrylic | Sport/DK | $3.49 | $0.01 | Sport Acrylic |
| WeCrochet Brava | Acrylic | Worsted | $2.99 | $0.01 | Worsted Acrylic |
| Nurturing Fibers Eco-Cotton | Cotton | DK | $5.50 | $0.04 | Soft Cotton |
| Paintbox DK | Cotton | DK | $2-3 | $0.02 | Inexpensive Cotton |
| Lion Brand Feels Like Butta | Polyester | Worsted | $4.99 | $0.02 | for Babies |
| WeCrochet Wonderfluff | Alpaca | Bulky (runs small) | $8.99 | $0.06 | Alpaca |
| Hobbii Baby Snuggle | Polyester | Super Bulky | $8.80 | $0.06 | Super Bulky Chenille |
| Sweet Snuggles by Loops and Threads | Polyester | Jumbo | $9.99 | $0.09 | Jumbo Chenille |
| WeCrochet Fable Fur | Polyester | Super Bulky | $4.99 | $0.07 | Faux Fur |
For in depth reviews and my own projects from each yarn, keep reading!
1. WeCrochet Brava Sport – Best Sport Acrylic Yarn
My favorite acrylic yarn to work with is WeCrochet Brava Sport. The acrylic fiber content means that it’s extremely soft, has good stitch definition, and is extremely inexpensive. Perfect for beginners! Brava Sport has a huge color palette that will suit all your amigurumi needs.
I have a preference for acrylic yarn because of its low price and also because of how soft it is. Acrylic tends to have a lower stitch definition and is fuzzy, and results in a slightly softer texture. WeCrochet Brava is high quality in that the yarn never feels cheap and it’s extremely easy to work with. It also comes in large sized balls (273 yards each), which gives you a huge bang for your buck.
A major plus of this yarn for me is that I can use it for many of the dolls I make since Brava Sport also includes a fair skin color (Cream), which can sometimes be hard to find.
For amigurumi, sport weight yarn is best for me because it results in smaller stitches that can create a cuter texture, and I think that for this range of colors and price, it can’t be beat.
If you’re getting started with amigurumi and just want to grab a few colors, WeCrochet Brava Sport is ideal.
| Yarn | Fiber | Weight | Cost/skein | Cost/yard | Best… |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WeCrochet Brava Sport | Acrylic | Sport/DK | $3.49 | $0.01 | Sport Acrylic |
More blog posts for amigurumi beginners:
- My Foolproof Guide to Crocheting Amigurumi for Beginners
- What’s the best stuffing for amigurumi? (+ how to stuff!)
- How to Sew Amigurumi Parts Together (easy photo tutorial!)
2. WeCrochet Brava – Best Worsted Acrylic Yarn
Sport weight yarn is my preference because I enjoy making mini and palm sized amigurumi, but if you prefer using worsted weight yarn, Brava has all the great qualities of Brava Sport, except in a larger size. Again, the huge color palette and low cost makes this yarn a winner!
WeCrochet Brava features a truly enormous color palette, including a few speckled options that complement the solids. I swear there are at least five shades of every color, along with many skin tones and grays. Brava even has an option for fair skin colored dolls, Cream.
Brava comes in larger skeins that are useful either for amigurumi but also for garments and bigger projects, and is machine washable.
If I were to make a larger amigurumi with worsted weight yarn, Brava would be my choice!
| Yarn | Fiber | Weight | Cost/skein | Cost/yard | Best… |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WeCrochet Brava | Acrylic | Worsted | $3.49 | $0.02 | Worsted Acrylic |
3. Nurturing Fibers Eco-Cotton – Best Soft Cotton
For those who prefer cotton, my choice is Nurturing Fibers Eco-Cotton.
Cotton yarn has a lot of advantages — the stitch definition is crisp and clear so that you can see each of the stitches very well. This is ideal for beginners who might struggle with fuzzier acrylic yarn, but is also a popular choice with seasoned crocheters who just like the look of the stitches showing so well.
Cotton also tends to be much more durable and is stiffer than acrylic, which makes it ideal for babies or young children who might tug at amigurumi and pull them out of shape, and is always machine washable. Lastly, for those who want to be sustainable with their yarn choices, cotton is a natural plant fiber that biodegrades and is significantly less harmful to the environment than synthetic and even animal fibers.
Although the environmentally friendly aspect of cotton yarn really appeals to me, I generally prefer a softer and fuzzier texture for my amigurumi. I also often found cotton yarns to be stiff and inelastic, which made it rough on my hands and generally unpleasant to work with.
However, when I came across Nurturing Fibers Eco-Cotton, I finally saw the light. This yarn is soft and has a small elasticity that I truly enjoyed with with. Although I still wasn’t the biggest fan of how crisp the stitches were on the finished products, to someone else I can imagine this being a feature, not a bug.
To top it off, this yarn has a large array of colors and is relatively inexpensive for all its perks. If you’ve ever tried cotton and found it too hard and rough like I did, give this yarn a try! I even designed a super cute lion with it as you can see above.
| Yarn | Fiber | Weight | Cost/skein | Cost/yard | Best… |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nurturing Fibers Eco-Cotton | Cotton | DK | $5.50 | $0.04 | Soft Cotton |
4. Paintbox DK – Best Inexpensive Cotton
Although I just talked up Eco-Cotton, sometimes you don’t need the best quality stuff and just want to get it cheap.
For me, the best inexpensive cotton brand is Paintbox DK. It’s extremely popular for its low cost (often as low as $2.00 when on sale) and a large color palette perfect for amigurumi. For many amigurumi enthusiasts, this is their go-to.
In my personal experience, I don’t love Paintbox as much as Eco-Cotton because it’s not quite as soft, but if you don’t mind the texture and just want good quality cotton for cheap, this is where to go.
| Yarn | Fiber | Weight | Cost/skein | Cost/yard | Best… |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paintbox DK | Cotton | DK | $2-3 | $0.02 | Inexpensive Cotton |
5. Lion Brand Feels Like Butta – Best for Babies
Beyond cotton and acrylic, there’s a whole world of specialty yarn waiting to be made into amigurumi. Lion Brand Feels Like Butta is a unique chenille-like yarn that’s buttery soft and is a popular choice for baby blankets and shawls. However, I’ve used it for amigurumi in the past and created some extra cuddly amigurumi!
If you mainly create for babies, Feels Like Butta has a super soft texture that will give amigurumi a fuzzy exterior that young kids will love.
| Yarn | Fiber | Weight | Cost/skein | Cost/yard | Best… |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lion Brand Feels Like Butta | Polyester | Worsted (runs small) | $4.99 | $0.02 | for Babies |
6. WeCrochet Wonderfluff – Best Alpaca Yarn
Alpaca is another specialty yarn that I’ve loved experimenting with. Who says that you have to stick to cotton and acrylic for amigurumi? Alpaca is unique because the texture is so soft and fluffy and results in a really soft surface. It doesn’t keep its shape as well as cotton or acrylic (read: it’s more squishy), and the halo around the yarn can result in stitches that are barely noticeable.
I love using this yarn for amigurumi because I like how fluffy and soft it is, as well as how it obscures the stitches. Sometimes you can hardly tell that it’s crocheted!
Alpaca is a little harder to work with for beginners because the stitches can be harder to see, and is also can be a little more expensive. However, I’m completely in love with the results and have used it for many of my amigurumi!
| Yarn | Fiber | Weight | Cost/skein | Cost/yard | Best… |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WeCrochet Wonderfluff | Alpaca | Bulky (runs small) | $8.99 | $0.06 | Alpaca |
7. Hobbii Baby Snuggle – Best Super Bulky Chenille
Chenille yarn has been blowing up in popularity lately as a way to easily make large chunky amigurumi in a short period of time. This yarn definitely takes a little practice since the stitches are extremely difficult to see and managing the unique glide of the yarn is a small learning curve.
However, the results are so unique that it’s well worth it! Chenille is also a good stepping stone if you’re interested in working with faux fur but want to get some practice at an intermediary stage first. I love using velvet to create truly one of a kind amigurumi that are super fluffy and appealing to young children, which can also function as pillows or accent cushions.
Super bulky weight chenille is more manageable to work with than larger weights because it’s still relatively easy to grip and catch with your hook. Jumbo velvet yarns can be really fun too, so trying out worsted velvet is a great way to get some practice!
| Yarn | Fiber | Weight | Cost/skein | Cost/yard | Best… |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hobbii Baby Snuggle | Polyester | Super Bulky | $8.80 | $0.08 | Super Bulky Velvet |
8. Sweet Snuggles Yarn – Best Jumbo Velvet
If you’ve been wanting to make some of the truly giant velvet amigurumi out there, this is the yarn that you’re going to want.
Mostly thanks to TikTok, giant amigurumi have become extremely popular recently. I wanted to try out the trend, so I made a few giant plushies and I love how they turned out! Although it took a little practice to get used to working with giant yarn, each plushie came together insanely fast, and the finished product was big enough to hug.
It’s been a struggle trying to source the right kind of yarn, but at long last I stumbled upon the perfect yarn for these giant velvet amigurumi at Michael’s. It comes in a whole rainbow of colors and has enough in each skein to make one or two amigurumi, which is a major win. The yarn is insanely soft, and also a little squishy so that it’s not too difficult to pull through stitches.
Since this yarn is jumbo weight it can be a little unwieldy to deal with. Since velvet is fuzzy it also can be a little harder than usual to see stitches, but not as difficult as faux fur. I’m so glad I found this yarn because now it’s my go-to for jumbo amigurumi!
| Yarn | Fiber | Weight | Cost/skein | Cost/yard | Best… |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sweet Snuggles by Loops and Threads | Polyester | Jumbo | $9.99 | $0.09 | Jumbo Velvet |
More blog posts like this:
- Ultimate List of Free Chunky Blanket Yarn Amigurumi Patterns
- Jumbo Strawberry Free Velvet Crochet Pattern
- My Foolproof Guide to Resizing Amigurumi (no math required!)
- My Foolproof Guide to Crocheting Amigurumi for Beginners
9. WeCrochet Fable Fur – Best Faux Fur Yarn
Faux fur enthusiasts, this is for you! I love using faux fur for my amigurumi projects, and WeCrochet Fable Fur has a huge range of colorways resembling natural fur. It’s also definitely the most cost efficient faux fur yarn out there!
Faux fur is a specialty yarn that is fairly difficult to work with but results in amigurumi that look like store bought plushies. I love using it because of its unique look and how soft it ends up being.
The main difficulty that comes with faux fur yarn is being able to work into the stitches because they are impossible to see. The main tactic is to feel for the holes in the stitches with your fingers before working a stitch, and also to use stitch markers liberally. However, this is still definitely an intermediate yarn and I would recommend giving velvet a whirl first before trying faux fur.
WeCrochet’s Fable Fur is my favorite faux fur yarn because of its large color palette that include a tons of natural looking styles. It’s also relatively low cost, and the best of all — cruelty free!
| Yarn | Fiber | Weight | Cost/skein | Cost/yard | Best… |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WeCrochet Fable Fur | Polyester | Super Bulky | $4.99 | $0.07 | Faux Fur |
Commonly Asked Questions
Is Paintbox yarn good for amigurumi?
Paintbox yarn is an excellent inexpensive cotton yarn for amigurumi. It has a large color palette, comes in small skeins, and runs between $2-3 per ball. Cotton yarn is ideal for crisp stitch definition and also for durability. It is machine washable, perfect for amigurumi.
Is cotton or acrylic yarn better for amigurumi?
Cotton yarn is better than acrylic for amigurumi because of its high stitch definition and high durability. Cotton can be machine washed and is inelastic, making it less likely to stretch out of shape. Acrylic is softer to work with, but also results in obscured stitches.
Is DK yarn good for amigurumi?
DK yarn is ideal for making amigurumi because it is thin enough to produce small, neat stitches, but is also not too difficult to work with. It serves as an easy medium between sport and worsted weight yarn, and can create amigurumi that are roughly palm sized.
What is best yarn for amigurumi?
The best yarn for amigurumi is DK weight cotton yarn. Cotton is ideal for amigurumi because of its durability and good stitch definition, and also because it can be machine washed. Brands like Ricorumi and Paintbox have DK weight cotton in large color palettes, perfect for amigurumi.
I need to say thank you so much for all the time you put into all your tutorials ! You are detailed and honest and I trust your opinion because of it.
I am heading out to purchase some cotton yarn and I was wondering if there was a favorite from Hobby Lobby or Joannes or Michael’s? Those are the stores I am able to get to at this time.
I love making baby snugglers, loveys and ragdolls. I make them for foster kids as I was a foster too many times and when the police and social workers came they gave me only a few minutes to grab a bag and put a change of clothes in it and I would have loved anything to hug but had none so I I love knowing these little ones will have something to hold on to.
One more question-sorry but do you recommend yarn over or under or a combo for amigurumi?
Blessings dear one and thank you much <3
Linda
contact me please at my email and yes add me to your news if you still send?
Hi Linda, I’m really glad that you’ve been enjoying my blog and learning a lot! I would stick to Lion Brand yarns from either Joann’s or Michael’s. Even the cheaper Lion Brand yarns tend to be higher quality than Red Heart – you can just look for the Lion Brand label and search for cotton or acrylic yarns (look on the back of the label for fiber content).
I would recommend yarn over if you’re just getting started, but I personally prefer the yarn under. It doesn’t really change anything structurally but I like how the little “x” looks instead of a “v”!
Best,
Julia