Ever see someone’s work and wonder… what hook and yarn did they use? Yeah, you’re not alone.
That’s why I created this guide for all my favorite and most used supplies.
There are so many options out there, and as a beginner it can be completely overwhelming to try and figure out where to start.
And the best part? All the links are clickable, so you can head directly to a link without having to search online for it.
Oh, and by the way…
Disclaimer: Please note that some of the links in this post are affiliate links and at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission. Know that I only recommend tools and services I personally use, test and believe are genuinely helpful, not because of the small commissions I make if you decide to purchase them.
Table of Contents
Yarn
Best Amigurumi Yarn (Brava Sport): This is my favorite acrylic yarn for amigurumi. 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.
Best Worsted Amigurumi Yarn (Brava): 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!
Best Value Amigurumi Yarn (Brava Mini Packs): If you’re just getting started with amigurumi and don’t want to break the bank, the Brava Mini Pack has 24 colors (in the whole rainbow) of worsted weight mini skeins. I would recommend this to beginners who don’t have much experience with yarn and just want to get a large color palette to get started. Each skein does not have a lot of yardage, so if your project uses a lot of one color, you might run out. If that’s the case, I would suggest looking up the exact color in the Brava Worsted to get more of the color you need.
Best Faux Fur Yarn (Fable Fur): 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!
Best Jumbo Velvet Yarn (Sweet Snuggles): If you’ve been loving the jumbo velvet amigurumi trend but aren’t sure where to get the yarn, look no further. Sweet Snuggles yarn by Michael’s is my go-to for all my jumbo velvet patterns, and I use it because of its large color palette and accessibility (most of the time, it’s not sold out!).
Best Super Bulky Velvet Yarn (Baby Snuggle): This Super Bulky plush yarn is great for more detailed plush amigurumi, and is my go-to because of how inexpensive it is and the huge color palette it comes in. This type of yarn is really popular for smaller plush amigurumi and it’s my favorite for the soft, cuddly look!
If you want a longer breakdowns and in depth reviews of my favorite amigurumi yarns, click here!
Crochet Hooks
Best Hook for Small Hands (Clover Amour): My most used crochet hooks are the Clover Amours, and I absolutely swear by them. Once you try them, you’ll never go back, and I’ve spent a long time slowly building up the entire set! These hooks have gentle rubber grip, but the magic is in the extra smooth tip that glides through yarn like nothing else! Most people that I know also love these, but I have found that some feel that it’s too small for their hands.
Best Hook for Large Hands (Furls Odyssey): If you have larger hands, give this hook a try! My friends who have larger hands tell me that it feels much more comfortable to hold than smaller rubber grip hooks. Although I personally feel that it’s a little heavy and unwieldy for me, my hands are on the smaller side, so you may get a better result. In any case, this hook is widely popular and seems to have an abundance of fans everywhere, so you’ll be in good company!
Notions
Tapestry needles (Chibi Bent Tip): I got this set of tapestry needles when I first started crocheting amigurumi and I’ve never replaced them! This set contains 3 tapestry needles in different sizes, and the best part is the tips are slightly bent which makes it wayyy easier to sew amigurumi parts together!
Safety Eyes (Snacksies Handicraft): Guys, I know how hard it is to find safety eyes in the exact size you want. I’ve trawled the internet to find a place to source large amounts of my most used sizes (between 4mm and 6mm), and I’ve found this delightful Etsy shop that is perfect for my needs. This shop carries inexpensive safety eyes that you can purchase in bulk — what’s not to like?
Stitch Markers (Clover Quick Locking Stitch Markers): Stitch markers are one of the most essential notions for amigurumi makers who are constantly working in the round, and I absolutely love this type of stitch marker! They are structured like plastic safety pins, which means that they never slip out of your work once you snap them in place (I can’t tell you how many times those split ring stitch markers have fallen out). They also have small ridges to prevent slippage even more, and this set comes in a bunch of different sizes so that you’ll always have the right stitch markers to use!
Scissors (Knitpicks Sharp Scissors): Any brand of sharp sewing scissors will do, but I love this pair from Knitpicks because their small size is perfect for amigurumi making, and also they come with a little sheath so that you can store them safely. A win-win in my book!
Miscellaneous
Polyester Fiberfill (Michael’s): Fiberfill (or polyfil, as it’s sometimes called) is what I use to stuff my amigurumi. You can also use yarn scraps, fabric, or even plastic bags, but polyfil can help you get an even distribution and the perfect amount of squish. I usually use this brand from Michael’s, but you can use whatever brand is most accessible to you.
Pom-Pom Maker (Clover): Making pom-poms yourself is so easy with this amazing pom-pom maker by Clover! This set comes in all different sizes so that you can use them to make pom-poms for hats or mini ones for your dolls. I love this tool and it makes the whole process so easy for me!
Tassel Maker (Clover): Another amazing tool that I love is the Clover tassel maker! If you ever need to make tassels yourself, these make the process super easy. I think tassel makers are more optional than pom-pom makers because it’s easier to DIY them, but they’re still really handy to have around.
Yarn Threader (Clover): If you have trouble threading yarn through the eye of your tapestry needle, yarn threaders can be really helpful. They act just like needle threaders but are a little bit bigger to work for yarn!
Embroidery Thread (DMC): I use embroidery thread all the time to create the faces of my amigurumi, and my favorite brand is DMC. You can find them anywhere, but here are the links to my most used colors, black and pink.
Yarn Swift and Winder (WeCrochet): Have you ever come across a beautiful hank of yarn — except you have no idea how to use it? Swifts and winders are a complete game changer, and they make it super easy for you to turn that beautiful hand dyed yarn into usable cakes. This swift and winder set from WeCrochet are sturdy and work for all hank sizes.
Steam Iron (Beautural): This steam iron is perfect for steam blocking — I’ve gotten so much use out of mine and it works like a charm.
Designer and Business Resources
Photo and Video
Wooden Pins for Posing Amigurumi (Clover): If you’ve been wondering how everyone stands up their amigurumi in photos (like I did in the doll photo above), this is the secret. I stick these giant wooden pins in the back of my amigurumi to prop them up, and then I either angle the camera so that they don’t show, or edit them out later (see below). They’re super cheap, and worth every penny if you want to get professional looking photos and show your amigurumi off in their best light!
Wood Backdrop Paper (Ella Bella): Here’s another closely guarded secret — I use backdrop paper that just looks like wood in all my photos! Look carefully, you won’t be able to unsee it! If you don’t have a super photogenic table or convenient wooden desk, just buy this backdrop paper and lay it down near a window. For the back, I turned a shelf around to get an even surface, but you can get a wooden board that would work too.
Camera (Canon EOS Rebel T7): Okay, I’m going to be straight with you. I get asked all the time what my strategy is for taking photos, but props and editing software aside, my biggest tip for taking good photos is getting a good camera and lens. And to be honest, this isn’t cheap. So I wouldn’t go out and buy this camera and lens if you’re just getting started — your phone will do for now — but if you’re serious about wanting to up your photography game and have the funds to do it, I would definitely recommend getting this camera and lens. This camera might come with a (cheaper) lens, but you’ll have to switch it out for the one I recommend below to get the full effect. If you can’t afford any DLSR camera right now, I would recommend you ask around to see if anyone has one they can lend you. That’s how I got started, and it helped me feel more comfortable with using one before I committed to purchasing it myself.
Lens (Canon 100mm Macro): This macro lens is where all the magic happens! A macro lens basically means that the camera is able to take extreme close ups at a very high definition. For me, this is perfect because I had so much trouble getting a normal lens to focus on my tiny amigurumi details before I got it. I also use it for taking non close-up photos (all the photos on this page were taken by this camera + lens set), but it just means that you have to stand a little farther back to accommodate the super zoomed in macro lens.
Light Box (EMART): Light boxes are essentially tiny photography studios with a monochrome background. I use this to take all my step-by-step photos when writing my patterns, and the even white background helps make it look a lot more professional. I wouldn’t recommend the light box for taking finished project photos because it looks a little austere, but if you have no other option it can work.
Free Photo Editing (Snapseed on Apple and Android): Snapseed is my main photo editing software that I use on my phone! It’s super beginner friendly but has more advanced options than your photos app will have. I will usually throw all my finished photos into Snapseed and adjust the brightness, saturation, and shadows, and they’ll all look incredible afterwards! All of the photos on this page were edited using Snapseed!
Removing Objects from Photos (Touch Retouch on Apple and Android): Sometimes you’ll have photos with entire objects or specks that you’ll want to eliminate. Snapseed has a tool for this (I think it’s called healing), but I’ve found that Touch Retouch is far superior (and downright magical) when it comes to this specific tool. When I use wooden pins for standing up my amigurumi and they’re still visible in the final photo, I head over to this app to remove them and it works like a charm. It does cost between $3-5, but it’s completely worth it in my book. Several photos on this page were edited using Touch Retouch (especially the dolls)!
Video Editing (iMovie): I don’t have extensive experience with video, but I do have a bunch of YouTube videos that I’ve made and have had to edit lightly. I usually film videos with my phone (presently a Google Pixel 3a), but I use iMovie to do basic editing like cropping, adding music, increasing brightness, and eliminating background noise. Sorry, I don’t have a recommendation for PCs!
Software
Graphic Design (Canva): Guys, if you ever have to design anything, including giveaway posts on Instagram, beautiful posters, Facebook posts, sleek how-to guides, photo collages, Pinterest pins, or anything else under the sun, you need Canva. It’s completely free, has more templates than you can ever scroll through, and is insanely easy to use. It’s my hack to making everything I produce effortlessly beautiful and professional looking!
Pattern Template (Debrosse): Speaking of which, I actually write all my patterns on Canva! Debrosse has this amazing minimalist pattern template for Canva which you can adapt to your own needs (my patternn above is based off of it!). She makes it super easy to write your first pattern without forgetting any abbreviations!
Blog Platform (WordPress.org): Before I get into this, I want to state that there’s a WordPress.com, and a WordPress.org. If you want to have a blogging business, you need WordPress.org. A blogging platform is basically where you’ll write all your blog posts and organize them. You might also have a shop on your blog! If you want to have a website for selling patterns only, I would recommend Shopify, or just sticking to Etsy.
Blog Themes (Theme Forest): A WordPress theme is basically a template for what your blog is going to look like. Theme Forest has a bunch of different themes for all types of styles and they’re pretty affordable so it’s great for new bloggers! That’s where I got this theme as well 🙂
Hosting Service (Bluehost): Hosting is the server where all the data on your new blog is stored (think of it as if they’re hosting your content). You’re basically renting storage space for your website. If you’re just getting started with blogging, Bluehost is probably your best (and cheapest!) option. They have extremely low prices for the first three years with them, so I would recommend switching to a better hosting service at that point or after you hit 30,000 pageviews. They’re enough to get you started, but don’t have the most stellar customer service. (Full disclosure: as of summer 2021 I’ve switched my hosting to Cloudways, since my blog’s traffic has grown to the extent that I can justify the cost, but if I could do it again I would still start out with Bluehost for a new blogger!)
Course Offerings (Teachable): I love Teachable for hosting my courses! The annual fee is a little steep (~$400 for a basic plan) but it’s been worth it to me because of how seamless the set up is. Teachable has a lot of features all in one place that make it easy to build my sales page, add lots of video, text, and everything else I need to make my course amazing.
Affiliate Marketing (Shareasale): One of the most common ways to monetize your blog is to use affiliate links — you may have seen these disclaimers in your favorite bloggers’ posts and emails! Affiliate marketing is a type of monetization where you can generate unique links to your favorite products and get a commission (usually around 10%) whenever someone purchases through your link (at no cost to them). Shareasale is my favorite affiliate marketing network because they partner with WeCrochet and Lion Brand, my most used yarn brands, but you can find affiliate marketing networks for almost every single brand out there! Through Shareasale, I’ve been able to generate almost $1,000 in income during my first three months of monetization alone. You can do it too!
Scheduling Instagram Posts (Facebook Creator Studio): If you’re tired of posting on Instagram every day, I highly recommend scheduling your posts in advance using Facebook Creator Studio. The interface isn’t the nicest, but it allows you to schedule as many posts as you want on Instagram in advance, and that’s invaluable to me.
Email Marketing Service (Flodesk): If you’ve ever received an email from me and thought, “wow, that’s so beautiful,” I only have Flodesk to thank! Their simple and intuitive platform is miles better than any competitor (I’m looking at you, MailChimp), and their pricing is simply unimpeachable. If you have more than 1,000 subscribers on your email list, switching to Flodesk is a no brainer.
Education
How to Create a Profitable Crochet Blog (The Sewrella Method): When I first started my blog, I followed everything Ashleigh said in the Sewrella Method. It was invaluable and without it, I truly don’t think I’d be here. Unfortunately, it looks like Ashleigh has discontinued her course recently. I’ve also heard great things about CBA, but without having taken it myself, I can’t make a surefire recommendation.
How to Master Google SEO and Drive Traffic (Project 24): This course, while not cheap, was instrumental to my being able to drive significant traffic to my blog. After a year and a half, my blog is averaging over 40k pageviews during my peak season, and it’s mostly from organic traffic from Google. If you’re at the stage to be thinking about diversifying your traffic sources and earning money from ad revenue, I highly recommend this course.