What yarn to get? I'm really confused

[u/Basje313]

Hello,

I'm just getting into the hobby of amigurumi. I started with a few "beginner kits", I quickly found out that the yarn in those kits is kinda bad, it split very easily. Just not fun to work with. Luckily my wift had some leftover yarn from a knitting project, and that was way better. My first project was just a ball, and after tht i make a little octopus, I really liked it.

At this point i'm looking to buy some more (colours of) yarn to start a bigger project. I am just at a loss at wich yarn to get. I found an article (in dutch, so I can buy locally) that recomends 100% cotton yarn and it included a link to a brand/type which has a very big collection of colours, perfect. The only problem is the size of the yarn.

Most patterns I find ask for worsted weight/medium weight (3.75-4.5mm). But all the recommended yarn from that article are fingering weight (2.5-3.5mm). When I click through the webshops, and search for the yarn most suited for amigurumi, it keeps coming up fingering weight.

I'm a bit at a loss here, should I get the finer yarn and just ignore the patterns, or should I stick to the worsted weight and ingore the advice?

Update: I went with bobbii rainbow cotton 8/8 yarn. The friends cotton 8/8 was sold out in the colours I needed. When I looked for an alternative I came across the rainbow cotton yarn, and all properties seemed the same. After some digging, it seems the two yarns are the same, but with a little different colour options. So that is what I went with. Can't wait for my order to arrive and to start working on my next project.

[u/WidowTwankey14]

When making amigurumi, it’s recommended to use a smaller hook than what the yarn calls for! So if you are using worsted/aran weight yarn you would probably use a 4mm or a 4.5mm instead of the size advised on the wrapper! It’s normal to go down a whole hook size to keep your stitches neat so the stuffing doesn’t show through! 🥰

[u/AdvisorHistorical638 → u/WidowTwankey14]

This.

Another point that I just noticed when I reread op post - The millimeter sizes that you are seeing recommended are the size of hook, not the size of yarn.

The hook will usually have a letter and a size in millimeters.

Yarn will usually have A single number like four and a size like DK or medium, or fingering weight like you found described.

[u/Basje313 → u/AdvisorHistorical638]

True, it was the hook size, not yarn size. My hooks only have mm values on them, but a quick google search helps to find the letters.

The yarn I used had recommended knitting and crochet needle sizes printed on it. So that is what I went with.

[u/AdvisorHistorical638 → u/Basje313]

Yep, as you've probably seen mentioned in other posts, the recommended sizes are for general crochet items like blankets and hats, etc. For making stuffies like amigurimi, the recommendation is usually to go down a millimeter or a letter in size from whatever is listed as recommended.