My 5 Must have crochet & amigurumi tools & notions.
Hey there crocheters, wellcome to the Knotty Bear blog!
If you’re just getting started with amigurumi and need a little guidance on what you need to get going then you’ve made it to the right place because today I’m going to share my top 5 essential crochet tools & notions that I use every day,
Plus read to the end for one additional tool for amigurumi designers that is sure to change the way you design your amigurumi and you won’t want to miss.
HOOKS
The first thing any crocheter/amigurumi maker will need is a good crochet hook. I personally prefer metal hooks to wood or plastics and I also suffer from some join pain, so for those reasons and more, my all time favourite hook is the Addi Swing hook.
Hobbii.com describes this hook as a “colorful and ergonomically shaped crochet hook that relieves your hand and shoulders while you crochet. The handle is made of silicone, and thanks to its long, ergonomic shape, it rests comfortably in your hand, ensuring you hours of strain-free crocheting.
Oh boy do I find this hook to be comfortable, before I would need to stop due to joint pain but thanks to this little hook I can crochet comfortable for hours if needed. (However remember to take breaks and massage those hands, it’s very important so don’t forget!). Addi hook can be purchased from Hobbii.
Another one of my favourite hooks is the Clover Amour hook, this hook glides through most yarns like butter, and the best part is even though it feels like a expensive hook the prices are much more affordable which is always win in my books. A full set of 9 hooks sells for just under $100 on amazon. https://amzn.to/3Z3GwzV
NEEDLES
The second tool that every crocheter needs are tapestry or darning needles. Unlike a sewing needle these have blunt ends so that they won’t split the yarn fibres and instead allow you to easily work into each stitch.
Much like my crochet hooks I also prefer metal tapestry needles for my crochet projects, especially when it comes to amigurumi, they don’t bend like plastic ones which can be annoying when working into tight amigurumi stitches, I also find they have narrower eyes (that’s the part you thread the yarn into) which means it isn’t stretching out the stitches when you work into them.
You can also find needles with bent tips which is supposed to make it easier to work into certain projects but I mostly find them annoying personally.
You can find these at most craft stores or online, I got mine on amazon as a 9 piece set for around $9 dollars Canadian. https://amzn.to/3M6bUpG
ROW COUNTERS
The next crochet notion I’m going to talk about is a little controversial as to weather it’s really a must have or not, I find them useful for larger projects like blankets or cardigans (if I can remember to use it) I am of course talking about row counters.
Row counters for those who don’t know are usually a digital device that can wrap onto your finger and each time you finish a row you can hit the little button to make sure you never lose your place.
I find these great for beginners who are still learning crochet basics and don’t have time to worry about counting rows.
I use this Row Counter from Lalylala.com where it describes them as “A digital row counter that is easy to use and helps you to keep track of your rows. It can count from 0 up to nine hundred and ninety nine thousand. Pushing the large button increases the count by one. If not used for a while, the counter will automatically turn into battery safe mode, memorizing the last row number.”
They come in 12 fun colours so you can buy the one that matches your vibe perfectly for around $6 Canadian per counter.
A GOOD PATTERN
The next important tool that every crochet and amigurumi maker needs is a quality pattern! Have you every downloaded a free pattern (or worse a paid one) and found yourself stuck or confused because of missing or unclear steps?
Unfortunately you’re not alone, there are a lot of bad patterns out there and with Ai taking over more and more of the internet it’s only gotten worse.
Luckily there are lots of places you can go to find quality patterns such as hobbii.com, Etsy (be sure to read the reviews), Ravelry, and amigurumi.com Just to name a few.
YARN
One of the last things you will need to ensure your projects come out looking their best is a quality yarn.
Now I could go on forever about all the yarns that I love (and maybe I will in another video, let me know if you would watch) but for today I’m going to talk about my all time favourite yarn for amigurumi and many other projects, and that is Hobbit’s friends or rainbow 100% cotton yarn in 8/8 or DK weights.
Now I know some of you will hear cotton and run, and before I tried this cotton yarn I would have agreed with you however Hobbii’s cotton yarn is super soft and crochets so smoothly, I cannot believe how good this yarn feels on my hooks.
Rainbow cotton comes in 51 colours for $3.75 cad per skien and Friends has a whopping 75 colours at around $3.5 a skien. Pro tip, Hobbii tends to have a lot of sales so if you wait you can usually pick these up on sale
DIGITAL JOURNAL
Now I promised that I would share one last amigurumi tool that you wouldn’t want to miss out on and that is The Ultimate Pattern Journal for amigurumi designers!
This is a digital journal made for Goodnotes app on the iPad but also works on other Digital journal apps. This Journal features amigurumi resource guides to help you make the perfect shapes and colour pallets, convent drag and drop stickers to help you draw the cutest amigurumi designs in seconds , there are 4 different page templates for recording and organizing all your notes, as well as 5 unique covers to match your vibe perfectly and so much more! all of this con be customize to your liking
I love having all of my notes in one place, even if I don’t have my iPad on me I can easily take photos and add them to my journal later so I never lose them.
The Ultimate Pattern Journal can be purchased right on this very website!!
Thank you all so much for checking out this blog, be sure to let me know what your favourite amigurumi tools and notions you can’t live without!
Stay knotty friends.