Today I am handing over my blog to Claudia who’ll be telling you all about her love of fluffy yarn and how to work with it.
(The following list contains affiliate links. I will earn a small commission on any products purchased at no cost to you).
Hi, I’m Claudia from CB’s Creations. Kate has kindly asked me to host this blog post for her.
I am an Amigurumi Crochet Designer for almost 5 years. I love to use different techniques in my crochet work. I also love to use fluffy yarn! You can read all about it in this blog post.
Crocheting with Fluffy yarn: Yes or No?
Amigurumi crochet patterns and fluffy yarn
If you have already made a number of amigurumi crochet patterns, then you have probably also used fluffy yarn in a creation. It looks so nice on a pair of boots or an edge of a dress of a doll or elf! But also whole wigs or beards and moustaches of fluffy yarn look nice. It gives your creation something sweet, something funny and something cuddly.
Big Fan of fluffy yarn
I am a big fan of fluffy yarn, so for me: YES! It is super fun yarn to crochet with. Fluffy yarn is not always the easiest yarn to crochet with. But I have some useful tips to make crocheting with fluffy yarn easier.
Use stitch markers
If you crochet with fluffy yarn, the stitches are not always clearly visible. Put a few stitch markers at a few fixed points and you know exactly how many stitches should come between those stitch markers. It is advisable to use a different stitch marker for the start! You have very simple plastic stitch markers but nowadays there are so many different stitch markers, you can hang everything on your stitch marker! For every crochet project you can buy a suitable stitch marker! If you love elephants, then you clasp a nice stitch marker with an elephant on every crochetwork! There are really so many nice stitch markers!
Use a bigger crochet hook
To make crocheting with fluffy yarn easier, it is wise to use a bigger crochet hook. The stitches will be a little bigger and you can find your stitches much faster! Do not crochet too tightly! If you have crocheted with fluffy yarn more often, you can even feel where you have to put the crochet hook in your work.
A special tip: white paper
I just got a tip the other day: use a piece of white paper under your crochet work, so you can see where to insert your crochet hook! If you are crocheting with white fluffy yarn, I recommend a dark coloured piece of paper.
Crocheting with cotton yarn first
If you don’t want a little edge of fluffy yarn, but the whole body for example, you can crochet the pattern with cotton yarn in the Back Loops Only first and then crochet in the front loops with fluffy yarn. But that is twice the work! The advantage of fluffy yarn is that you can smuggle a little with it, you won’t notice it!
Fluffy Yarn in CB’s Creations Patterns
I use fluffy yarn in multiple patterns, not only to make hair, but also to make beards, fake fur cardigans or fluffy legs. You can also use fluffy yarn as hair, by tying strands of fluffy yarn, then you don’t have to crochet with it and you still get a nice hairstyle.The biggest challenge to crochet with fluffy yarn is Gene the Raccoon. This one is crocheted only with furry yarn, without crocheting with cotton yarn first. But isn’t he sweet?!
Using acrylic yarn to crochet beards and hair
A good alternative to fluffy yarn is to work with acrylic yarn. You already have hairy acrylic yarn that you can use, such as for an edge. But ordinary acrylic yarn can be brushed out very well. You tie threads from the yarn on the head of your doll or creation and you gently brush them out with a cat brush. You can also make a beard with brushing out acrylic yarn.
Fake fur
Did you know there is another very nice and easy alternative to fluffy yarn and brushing out acrylic yarn? Use fake fur. Imitation fur is usually made of polyester, polyamide or acrylic. This results in beautiful furs that are sometimes indistinguishable from the real thing. Beautiful motifs can also be added and even more fun, they come in all kinds of colours, from short to long-haired. But that is a subject for another blog!
I will end with a little confession!
I am a Fluffy Yarn Collector!
I have a soft spot for fluffy yarn. It’s so nice to watch and so soft! If I see fluffy yarn on sale, I have to buy it! I have a large collection. So I always have yarn to create a nice wig for a creation. 😉
What about you? Are you also a fluffy yarn collector?
Thank you Claudia for sharing some awesome tips to make it easier to crochet with fluffy yarn. I do have a few balls of fluffy yarn but not as much as you! You can find Claudia’s fluffy yarn crochet patterns here.
