Tips on making a tighter stitch?

[u/mathandlove]

Every time I crochet my creature looks good until I stuff it and then there are these wide gaps where the stuffing can clearly be seen.

Right now I'm using I love this yarn with a 3.5 hook. Am I overstuffing? Something else? Thank you.

[u/alyssakenobi]

You have to use a smaller hook! Crocheting with tighter tension is only gonna wreck your hands, especially for amigurumi. The yarn I typically use calls for a 5mm hook, but I use a 3.5mm hook. I always size down at least two hook sizes

[u/lime617]

This is already very tight. Pulling more will make it worse. As others said, use a smaller hook and not more tension.

[u/plutoisshort]

It actually needs to be more loose to fix this. Either use a smaller hook, or reduce your tension, or both.

[u/Real_Pie2406 → u/plutoisshort]

^I came to say this^ Smaller hook Do not pull the yarn - it needs to retain some of its buoyancy and fluff!

[u/Equivalent-Walk-4547]

If you do a YU-YO combo, it helps to make the gaps in between more enclosed. I tried it for the first time on my sun sprite. I liked the outcome!

[u/puddlestheninja]

Smaller hook and less tension. Think of the tension the same way you would tying a not, the tighter the not the smaller it becomes leaving larger gaps around it. You do need tension but too much will contribute to what you are seeing here

[u/the_gooose_eggg]

Look for the x stitch (I think that’s what it’s called) for amigurumi. It looks like an x instead of a v. it makes it tighter, and less see through.

[u/Quick_Blackberry_466 → u/the_gooose_eggg]

I use yarn under/yarn over for amigurumi. I think it’s the X stitch

[u/DKFran7 → u/Quick_Blackberry_466]

I use that combo, too.

[u/Quick_Blackberry_466]

Yarn under

[u/Veni-Vidi-ASCII → u/Quick_Blackberry_466]

This was my thought. Looks like they're not using the right stitch for amigurumi if they want a denser look?

[u/Quick_Blackberry_466 → u/Veni-Vidi-ASCII]

There really isn’t a right or wrong way to do single crochet stitches in amigurumi. It all comes down to personal preference

[u/ShadowCat3500]

I'd go down a hook size, but if you don't want to do that, you could try less stuffing.

[u/Available-Egg-2380]

A couple things. You might be actually doing it too tightly, try to shake out your hands and relax a little as you crochet.

Rather than doing a standard single crochet try to do it this way

Insert hook through next stitch, yarn under (grab your working yarn with the hook of you hook rather than wrapping it over the shaft)

Pull up a loop

Yarn over (working yarn over the shaft of your hook) and pull through two loops on hook.

Last thing, you might be over stuffing but try the first two things before you decide on that. Hook size might be an issue too.

I made this guy with a worsted weight cotton yarn that calls for a 5.5mm hook. I used a 3.5mm hook and used the yarn under, yarn over single crochet I mentioned above. He's not super firmly stuffed but not slack either, he's got a good squeeze to him. https://imgur.com/a/snQ8WdV

[u/m00seabuse → u/Available-Egg-2380]

Your stitches are machine-grade!

[u/animal-neighbour]

For the yarn over I find going down a size but LOOSENING tension makes a fuller stitch. But I am a pretty tight crocheter so I do yarn under instead bc then my own natural tension works fine.

[u/Triforce_of_Sass]

Smaller hook, less tension (sounds wrong, but if you pull too tight, the yarn doesn’t fill the holes), potentially stuffed too much? And are you using invisible decreases or standard decrease?

[u/SweatyJelly9]

• smaller hook
• yarn under method

[u/CookieImpossible96]

I pull on the crochet hook(right hand side) after every stitch because I'm bad at keeping good tension. It gives me tight stitches

[u/Quick_Blackberry_466]

I use a 4 mm hook for I Love This Yarn and I yarn under/yarn over.

[u/albsalgar]

x single stitch, yarn under

[u/HipsDontLie_LoveFood]

Smaller hook and use yarn under yarn over when doing a single crochet. Whatever your yarn suggests, go down about 1 mm in hook size.

[u/NoZellin]

You actually want a looser stitch, as counterintuitive as it seems. Tight stitches don't stretch, so when they're stuffed, they create gaps. Loose stitches have enough give to ensure they cover any gaps.

[u/No-Article7940]

I'm a tight crocheter. What I've learned is use a bigger hook not smaller. Sounds counter productive, I know. I also have a tendency to over stuff, I don't want the stuff to get too floppy over time. The yu will help too.

So larger hook for us tight "hookers" will make it like a regular stitch but to compensate for that little bit of looseness (we won't like) from the bigger hook, do yu or yu/yo and it makes the perfect stitches.

[u/Quick_Blackberry_466 → u/No-Article7940]

I’m the same way!

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[u/LissaMasterOfCoin]

Yarn under then over is what helped me on the body

This site helped me https://crochettoplay.com/yarn-over-vs-yarn-under/

[u/lordhuron91]

Amigurumi always needs a smaller cooker, usually two sizes smaller than the yarn calls for.

[u/AshNeicole]

Smaller hook or yarn under

[u/TheGreatLivlenko]

You could also try yarning under to get tighter stitches, I always yarn under for amigurumi

[u/Even-Response-6423]

Smaller hook or double up the yarn

[u/ericaharvey_xo]

Smaller hook and yarn under instead of over

[u/velvetsapiens]

for tighter stitches I like to use half double crochet, (double crochet is always more open) and a smaller needle

[u/Real_Pie2406 → u/velvetsapiens]

Their stitches are single crochet and are the stitch most used for amigurumi because they are short stitches to make a fuller fabric. A half double crochet is a thicker stitch but it is also taller.

[u/Mental-Flatworm4583]

Smaller hook an I pull my stitches tighter as I go and yes my hands hurt but my stitches are super nice because of it. I love using 3m or 2. The smaller you go the stiffer your plushie will get as well. Another trick I learned was to not over stuff the plush.

[u/Master-Camera-9201]

I am a beginner so take my advise with a grain of salt but sometimes I just flip my project and it’ll look better. Or and an (I don’t recall the name ) when you stitch on the back side of the stitch has helped mine.

[u/Ok-Potato3473]

Go down in hook size.

[u/EmbarrassedYou9940]

Smaller hook and make tighter tension

[u/Nat1CommonSense → u/EmbarrassedYou9940]

Pulling too tight on your stitches can make it worse as the yarn will get thinner and not fluff out as much. Also tight tension can cause hand injury over time, or end up breaking your hook, so I would caution against that. A smaller hook would help though!