20 Tips for Crocheting With Furry Yarn

Today I want to share with you 20 Tips for Crocheting With Furry Yarn. Novelty yarns add a lot of impact to a project but it takes some practice to get used to their unique properties.

Hopefully, after reading this tutorial you will have acquired a few tips and tricks to help you as you approach your next project using furry yarn!

These tips will work well for furry, fuzzy, eyelash, and other novelty yarns. Throughout I’ll refer to furry yarn, but the substitution of the other yarns is typically appropriate as well.

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20 Tips for Crocheting With Furry Yarn

Tip 1: Use a Larger Hook

• A larger hook is going to make working back into the stitches a lot easier. Swatching can help to determine the hook size that will work best for the project.
• When making blankets, scarves, hats, etc. I would recommend going with at least the suggested hook size on the label, if not larger.
• For amigurumi, I recommend a size H/8 (5.00 mm) hook and possibly even larger if the yarn is extremely furry.
  • You still want a tight material for the amigurumi when finished so the stuffing doesn’t show through. However, the fuzziness of the yarn will help to cover potentially larger holes.
  • Going a bit smaller on hook size than the label recommends, but not as tiny as you would if working in a regular worsted or DK weight yarn I feel helps to keep the balance between ghastly large holes in your project and being able to work back into impossibly small stitches.

Tip 2: Ball Up the Yarn

• It is never fun to be surprised by unexpected knots, breaks, or joins. Balling up the yarn prior to starting your project will help you to better plan your project.
• In all honesty, when using eyelash yarn (like Lion Brands Fun Fur) I find it cumbersome to ball the small skein (I tend to make a jumbled mess of it when I do) so I often don’t. It means living a bit dangerously and potentially having to deal with a knot or other issue mid-project, but it’s a risk I’m willing to take. That said, I personally find it easier to work from the outside of the skein rather than from the center pull in this case.

Tip 3: Maintain Even Tension

• It is going to be extremely helpful to maintain a looser, even tension rather than a tighter or mixed tension. Seeing the stitches is going to be difficult if not impossible, so maintaining tension will help with identifying stitches which leads to the next tip.

Tip 4: Feel the Stitches With Your Fingers

• Individual stitches are so difficult to see with furry yarn. All the fur loops around and covers the stitches. The solution is to feel the stitches with your fingers as you go.
• You may be amazed to find that when the eyes fail to be able to identify the stitches that your fingers can recognize the stitch length, shape, and placement based on experience from other projects.

Tip 5: Beginners Should Wait

• Don’t use novelty yarn as your I’m going to learn to crochet yarn. You are guaranteed to become quickly frustrated and overwhelmed if you do.
• Instead, stick with a smoother, medium worsted weight yarn, and once you’ve acquired the needed hook, yarn, tension, and stitch techniques with this yarn, then move on to trying simple projects with the novelty yarns like adding a border to a project.
• Using a lighter-colored furry yarn is also recommended when starting out as it will give you the best chance at identifying stitches as you work back into them. Using lighter yarn is a great tip in general when it comes to learning to crochet.

Tip 6: Use Simple Stitches

• Use stitches that are simple instead of overly complex stitch combinations. Stitches such as the single, half double, double, and triple crochet stitches, or work into spaces. Furry yarn hides stitch definition so it really makes no sense to do something intricate.

Tip 7: Count ALL the Stitches

• When using a smooth yarn you can typically count stitches every few rounds/rows to make sure that you are still on track. Because the stitch definition is hard to see with furry yarn it is important to count ALL the stitches, every stitch, every row to make sure that you are maintaining the appropriate count.

Tip 8: Keep Track of Your Rounds/Rows

• It’s so easy to lose track not only of the stitches but the number of rows that have been created. It may be possible to feel your way to a general count, but it won’t likely be precise. Using a notebook, row counter, or personalized method to keep track of each round/row as it is worked. As much as we think we’ll remember what row we’re on when we sit back down to work it’s likely that we’ll forget.

Tip 9: Use Stitch Markers

• Use a stitch marker to mark the beginning, ending, and other important stitches to help with stitch count and placement. The edges are especially important as it will help to keep them straight if the beginning and ending stitches of the row are worked properly each time.
• It may also be helpful to keep track of a specific number of rows by marking them. Then if you do lose count of your rows you have a way of figuring it out (see also Tip 8).
• Remember that stitch markers come in all shapes and sizes and can even be a regular smooth piece of yarn which will make them stand out from the furry yarn instead of being buried by all the fluff.

Tip 10: Work in Good Light

• Working in good light is going to help make crocheting with furry yarn a lot easier. Natural light is preferred but a good overhead bulb or lamp is also great.
• Honestly, this is a tip that I would give in general for crocheting but it’s even more important when working in novelty yarns. Adequate light is especially helpful when working with darker colored yarn.

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Tip 11: Take Your Time

• Take your time when working with furry and novelty yarns. It may be necessary to allow yourself additional time to finish a project compared to a similar project made with smoother yarn.
• If you become frustrated with what is happening with the yarn or project it’s important to note your place in the pattern and step away (also see Tip 8)! Come back when you’re ready to deal with the mess.

Tip 12: Fudge It!

• One of the trickiest parts of working with furry and novelty yarns is the lack of stitch definition. One of the most forgiving aspects of furry and novelty yarns is that they don’t have great stitch definition! That said, If you need to you can fudge your work a little bit now and then and nobody will ever notice because that fur is going to be very forgiving! Those little mistakes are going to hide easily within the project!
• That said, remember Tip 9 for using stitch markers. You will notice if the edges of your project sway in and out significantly.

Tip 13: Pair the Furry Yarn With a Smooth Yarn

• When appropriate to the project, hold a regular, smooth piece of yarn (in DK or worsted weight) along with the furry yarn when crocheting. Note that this will modify the size and look of the project so work a small swatch to see if you’re going to like the outcome. Sometimes the smooth yarn will become nearly invisible in the yarn, sometimes it will show. A larger hook size may also be needed to accommodate the two strands.
• The smooth yarn will help to add more stitch definition, making it easier to identify the stitches to be worked.
• Note that using a smooth yarn of similar color to the furry yarn will help it to blend into the work while using a contrasting yarn will do exactly as it says provide contrast and be more visible. This is totally a design preference and decision.

Tip 14: Leave Long Tails and Weave the Ends in Well

• Some novelty yarns weave in well while some of the super chunky furry yarns seem to slip right back out after being woven in. To help with this weave the tails through the middle of the actual stitches rather than the spaces between them and weave in a zig-zag fashion meaning several stitches the right, then several to the left, and then several to the right again until the end is woven in. These two techniques will make the end less likely to unravel.
• Depending on the size of the furry yarn this can be done with a tapestry needle for those novelty yarns that are thinner or with a crochet hook for those that are thicker.

Tip 15: Use a Tapestry Needle to Unravel Stitches

• The best advice I can give is to try to never have to unravel stitches when working in novelty yarn. Ultimately at some point, it happens though, it just will. When it does happen take the unraveling process slowly. Some furry yarns will unravel just fine, perhaps too well as they can be slippery.
• For some of the yarns, like eyelash yarns, the strands are going to get tangled around themselves and ultimately stop the unraveling process. When this happens I find it helpful to use the blunt end of the tapestry needle (not the eye side) and “pluck” at the area around the core of the working yarn near the stitch you want to unravel. This loosens the strands and allows the stitch to release. Sadly, depending on the yarn, it may need to be done for every stitch to get them undone.
• Try identifying as early on as possible if you’ve made a mistake that can’t be ignored and must be removed (see Tip 12).

Tip 16: Practice! Swatch, Swatch, Swatch!

• This tip may be the most obvious, but the more you practice working with various types of novelty yarns the more you will feel comfortable with the way they respond and how to use them in your projects.
• Practice swatching in the yarns you want to use before actually using them in a project to get a feel for how they are going to respond. Try them with and without another smooth yarn (see Tip 13).
• Not all novelty yarns are created equal there are those with both thin and thick cores (the piece that all the fuzz strands are sticking out from). Playing around with a variety of novelty yarns will help you to identify those that you enjoy working with and those that you do not.
• There is no substitute for practice!

The next few tips are perhaps more specific to making amigurumi but you may find them applicable to other projects as well!

Tip 17: Use a Regular Decrease Rather than an Invisible Decrease

• When working with furry yarn you won’t be able to tell the difference between the look of a regular single crochet decrease and an invisible decrease like you can when making amigurumi in smoother yarn. Identifying the front loop of a stitch will be nearly impossible too, so be easy on yourself and use the regular decrease when using furry yarn.

Tip 18: Don’t Use the Adjustable Circle

• I’m a full supporter that the magic circle (a.k.a. adjustable ring, magic ring/circle, etc.) is the way to go when working in the round for making amigurumi, but when it comes to working with furry yarns I say don’t worry about it, the fur is going to cover things up.
• You can try the magic circle because depending on which method you use to make the circle and the novelty yarn being used some work better than others. My preference for most furry yarns is to Ch 2 and then make the designated number of stitches in the second ch from the hook.

Tip 19: Stitch Amigurumi Together Using Smooth Yarn

• When it becomes time to attach the limbs and pieces together for your amigurumi project reach for a coordinating yarn that is smooth rather than using the furry yarn. This will help to ensure that the limbs are securely and evenly attached.

Tip 20: Right Side? Wrong Side? You Choose!

• Worked up the furriest part of the yarn goes to what would regularly be considered the “wrong side,” of the project. The traditional “right side” will still be fuzzy but not as much. If working in turned rows this isn’t an issue but when working in the round it could be.
• This is a great opportunity to choose which is most appropriate for your specific project and design preference. You decide which side will face out as the “right side” and which will face in as the “wrong side.”
• Essentially there is no right or wrong side, it’s merely a design preference.

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Save These Tips for Later!

• PIN it to your Pinterest boards for later HERE!

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In Recap, 20 Tips for Crocheting With Furry Yarn

1. Use a Larger Hook
2. Ball Up the Yarn
3. Maintain Even Tension
4. Feel the Stitches With Your Fingers
5. Beginners Should Wait
6. Use Simple Stitches
7. Count ALL the Stitches
8. Keep Track of Your Rounds/Rows
9. Use Stitch Markers
10. Work in Good Light
11. Take Your Time
12. Fudge It!
13. Pair the Furry Yarn With a Smooth Yarn
14. Leave Long Tails and Weave the Ends in Well
15. Use a Tapestry Needle to Unravel Stitches
16. Practice! Swatch, Swatch, Swatch!
17. Use a Regular Decrease Rather than an Invisible Decrease
18. Don’t Use the Adjustable Circle
19. Stitch Amigurumi Together Using Smooth Yarn
20. Right Side? Wrong Side? You Choose!

Do you have any additional tips and tricks that you would add to the list? Please comment and share!

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Looking for patterns using novelty yarns?

These may be of interest! 1. Gift Card Stockings 2. Crochet Bat

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Copyright and Use Policy

This tutorial and its photos are copyright of Jennifer Hayes (Jen Hayes Creations) and are for personal, non-commercial use only. You may not copy, sell, republish, distribute, or translate my patterns, photos, or tutorials in part or whole. Share this tutorial on social media by using the social sharing buttons or a link to the tutorial. Thank you!