Amigurumi: Make it bigger or smaller – here’s how!
My Speckled Bird pattern
Are you interested in learning how to adjust the size of your amigurumi? In this article, you’ll learn the essential steps to scaling your amigurumi. And it really is quite simple. All you need to know is a little bit about yarn weights and hook sizes.
If you have purchased an amigurumi crochet pattern it should have all the information you’ll need. This should include info on the materials and tools required. It will most likely tell you the exact yarn that was used in the pattern and the hook size you’ll need. It should also hopefully tell you how big the finished item will be. If you follow all that to the letter you should make an amigurumi that looks exactly how the designer intended.
But what if you want to make a bigger version? The answer is simple, use a thicker weight yarn than the one stated in the pattern. Likewise, if you want to make it smaller use a thinner weight yarn.
A little note on yarn weights
If you look at the information on a yarn label it should tell you the weight of the yarn. (This is not to be confused with the physical weight which it will also tell you in grams). The weight of the yarn refers to how thick the strand is. Each thickness has a different name. To confuse matters further, yarns manufactured in the US have slightly different names to those in the UK. The easiest way to show you is in the chart below. The yarn goes from the thinnest to the thickest. These are the most common yarn weights available.
Please note: I will be referring to yarn using the UK terms in this article.
In the photo below the bunny on the left is made in Paris Drops cotton aran weight yarn. The pink bunny is made in Ricorumi cotton DK weight yarn. Both are cotton. Making amigurumi smaller with a thinner yarn can make your finished items look really cute. Pattern can be found here.
Hook sizes
Now that you know about yarn weights, you now need to make sure you have the right hook size for your project. On every yarn label it suggests what hook size to use for that particular yarn. But if you are making amigurumi then usually we would go down a hook size or two. This is so that there are less holes so the stuffing doesn’t show through. If you are using the same yarn as stated in your pattern it will tell you what hook to use.
It doesn’t take a genius to realise that if you are using a thicker yarn then you’ll need to use a bigger hook (and vice versa if you are scaling down). You might need to experiment with a couple of hooks with your chosen yarn to make sure you are happy with the result.
In the photo below, the Ogre on the right is using the yarn stated in the pattern (Paris Drops cotton, aran) using a 3.5mm hook. For the Ogre on the left I have used Ricorumi DK cotton yarn with a 2.5mm hook. Pattern can be found here.
Not all yarn weights are equal!
So you’ve made an amigurumi and you want to make it again in the same yarn weight but different brand and / or fibre. There is a good chance the two toys will be different sizes. Even though they may be labeled the same weights there can be slight discrepancies giving different results in your finished work. This is not something to be concerned about but good to know!
In the photo below the fox is made in Paris Drops cotton aran weight yarn, and the dog is made in acrylic DK yarn. Find the fox pattern here. (The dog is an adaption of the fox).
In most of these examples I have only gone up or down one yarn weight, but it stills changes the size significantly. In the example below the original bird is made in 4-ply cotton yarn. The big bird has been made in supper chunky yarn making the size difference rather drastic. This changes a small hanging decoration into something that can be used for a cushion. It’s good fun to experiment with very different yarns weights as the results can be pretty awesome.
In this last example, the blue octopus is made in aran weight yarn and the purple one is DK.
So, it really is easy to scale up or down an amigurumi using different yarns. there is no need to change the pattern in anyway. Just make sure you use the right hook too!
For more on amigurumi tips and tricks click here.
For more on yarn and choosing the right one for amigurumi click here.
