So after getting a chance to work with Lion Brand's Fun Fur to make my little soot sprites, I decided to be a bit more adventurous and try out other novelty yarns.
I *LOVE* faux fur!
When faux fur yarn just came out, I saw people make all kinds of things with it including home décor, scarves, hats, outerwear, etc.
However, one thing I wish I had seen more was faux fur yarn amigurumi. As much as I love traditional amigurumi, I always dreamed of making my own little plush toy that I can hug and cuddle.
When making amigurumi using regular worsted-weight yarn, stitches typically have to be very tight to hide the stuffing inside. In turn, this makes the fabric very stiff and not very cuddleable.
Also, when you do try to cuddle and squish amigurumi, they don't always bounce back to their original shape on their own.
Sadly, just when I had the idea and courage to go for it and crochet amigurumi using faux fur yarn, my local craft store no longer carried the yarn. But then again, it's also the middle of the summer, so who can blame them.
I decided to reach out to Lion Brand Yarn to see if they would be willing to send me some of their Go For Faux yarn to try out as I'd love to crochet a little black cat amigurumi for Halloween this year.
They were so quick to respond and as soon as I got the yarn, I got straight to work.
Working with Lion Brand's Go For Faux is different than working with Lion Brand's Fun Fur.
Go For Faux is so plush and soft right out of the box and if I made a mistake and needed to take it apart, it was much more smooth to frog (rip apart) and didn't catch itself as much as Fun Fur did.
But for now, let me share with you some tips I've learned along the way on how to crochet amigurumi using faux fur yarn.
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Free Yourself from Distractions when Crocheting with Faux Fur Yarn
Crocheting with faux fur yarn is like crocheting blind most of the time. You can't see your stitches and rely on feeling them with your fingertips.
When crocheting with faux fur yarn, it's not the best idea to have all kinds of distractions around you because you can easily lose track of what you're doing.
Find a distraction-free place to work on your project. If you have to put something on for background noise, choose a show that you've already watched a million times and have memorized so you can really focus on your stitches.
Use a Larger Hook Size with Faux Fur Yarn
Faux fur yarn makes for some really soft and cuddly amigurumi. However, they're not the easiest type of yarn to work with.
You can't really see your stitches and many people have suggested the need to "feel" for the stitches, which isn't impossible, but using a larger hook size would definitely help with that.
The suggested hook size for faux fur yarns can be anywhere from 8.0 mm to 10 mm.
Count Your Stitches with Faux Fur Yarn
So when working in rounds, I suggest you count your stitches as you go (sometimes, out loud).
It's not impossible to go back and feel each stitch and count it that way, but that can be tedious if you have a large stitch count.
On top of that, you can easily make a mistake that way. So if you lose count, it's just better to frog the whole round and start over from the beginning of that round.
Use a Running Stitch Marker with Faux Fur Yarn
Speaking of frogging the round if you make a mistake in your counting, it's best to go back to the beginning of the round and start over.
I suggest using a running stitch marker like a scrap piece of yarn (in an obvious contrasting color) to keep track. This way, you're less likely to "over-frog".
Running stitch markers makes it possible to frog more than one row without losing your place.
How to Crochet Magic Ring with Faux Fur Yarn
Saving the best for last, this trick is probably the best tip I can give you.
When making the magic circle using faux fur yarn, sometimes the fur can get caught and it's not as easy to tighten the circle.
My tip is to use a small piece of worsted-weight yarn with the faux fur yarn to make the magic circle.
1. Line up the fur yarn with a small piece of worsted-weight yarn.
2. Make your magic circle while holding both the faux fur yarn and the worsted-weight yarn together.
3. Before you start making your base stitches in the magic circle, put your running stitch marker (white yarn) to mark your first stitch and make your base stitches go into the circle of both the fur and worsted weight yarn.
4. When you've finished putting all the base stitches into your circle, tighten your magic circle by tugging on the faux fur yarn first.
5. Once that stops budging, tighten the circle further by pulling both ends of the worsted-weight yarn in opposite directions.
Have you worked with faux fur yarn? What kind of tips do you have to offer? Share your tips with me in the comment section below!
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This is an original crochet tutorial written by Juli Anne of Once Upon a Cheerio. Please do not claim this crochet tutorial as your own. If you wish to share this crochet tutorial, you may link to this blog post but please do not reprint it on your site. You may keep a copy for personal use but please DO NOT sell or distribute the crochet tutorial.
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