Sunday, 18 October 2015
How To Easily Enlarge Any Amigurumi
Ever spent hours on a project that's come out, well, disappointingly small? I have. Sometimes smaller looks cheaper (even though we, the creator, know it's not!) and if you're giving your finished project as a gift you want to make it look as impressive as possible. Today I'm going to show you how to easily enlarge any amigurumi - without changing the pattern at all!
First of all it helps if you familiarise yourself with the different yarn weights most commonly used for amigurumi. The thicker or heavier the yarn - the bigger your finished amigurumi will be.
Lightest to heaviest:
4ply
DK
Aran/Worsted
Chunky
4ply is a very thin yarn which is mostly used for very delicate work. If you wanted a very tiny amigurumi (say you were making a tiny mouse!) I would use 4ply yarn with a very small hook to match - like 2mm for example.
DK is probably the most commonly used yarn weight for amigurumi. If you made one mouse in 4ply and wanted to give him a big brother or sister, you could make the second mouse with DK yarn, and a bigger hook. This would give you a slightly bigger mouse than the first - whilst still being the exact same pattern. If you wanted to go one step further and give your two mice a mummy mouse, you could make another with aran/worsted yarn and an even bigger hook. Aran/worsted is slightly heavier than DK.
But why stop there? It's possible to make your amigurumi even bigger by working 2 balls of yarn at the same time. Take my Three Bears pattern for example:
Get the free Three Bears pattern here.
All 3 bears are made using the exact same pattern. Yes, with this pattern you get 3 patterns in 1! Using different yarn weights, working 2 balls at the same time and changing hook size I managed to create 3 bears of varying sizes - without altering the pattern at all.
For Baby Bear I used DK weight yarn with a 3mm hook. For Little Bear I worked 2 balls of DK yarn at the same time, which gave me a yarn that was twice as thick. I also went up a hook size and used a 4mm hook. For the biggest Mama Bear I worked 2 balls of yarn at the same time with a 5mm hook, one DK ball and one Aran ball. This gave me 3 very different bears, which were almost twice as big as the last. So, to summarize:
Baby Bear = 1 ball of DK yarn & 3mm hook
Little Bear = 2 balls of DK yarn worked together & 4mm hook
Mama Bear = 1 ball of Aran & 1 ball of DK worked together & 5mm hook.
If you've never used 2 balls of yarn at once I recommend watching this video - it's not difficult at all!
♥
That's all there is to it! A really quick and simple way to enlarge any amigurumi pattern. If you have any questions please let me know in the comments section. Can't wait to hopefully see your massive creations!
Julie xxx
Don't miss the next FREE Heart & Sew pattern:
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Thanks for the great explanation! Makes perfect sense... Happy Hooking
ReplyDeleteMade your bears in Aran weight one strand and then two strands. Now making one in 4ply with 2mm hook. Love the differences in size
ReplyDeleteI have to try it! Thanks for the explanation
ReplyDeleteI have to try it! Thanks for the explanation
ReplyDeleteDK not sure of abbreviation?
ReplyDeleteDouble knit, standard yarn in the UK
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DeleteI like making really tiny crochet lol micro crochet can't fit it on your finger tip
ReplyDeleteThank you...i have been trying to make a pattern larger by increasing number of stitches and have never thought to double up on my wool and use a bigger needle. Sometimes coming across a website by accident turns out to be a good thing..x
ReplyDeleteThis way is so much easier isn't it Cheryl? Enjoy making some big, cuddly amigurumi with ease now! x
DeleteI definitely enjoying every little bit of it. It is a great website and nice share. I want to thank you. Good job! You guys do a great blog, and have some great contents. Keep up the good work. enlarge
ReplyDeleteI definitely enjoying every little bit of it. It is a great website and nice share. I want to thank you. Good job! You guys do a great blog, and have some great contents. Keep up the good work. enlarge
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