Amigurumi Hook Size: How to Choose the Right Crochet Hook

The hook size printed on a yarn label is chosen for scarves and sweaters, where fabric is supposed to drape. A stuffed toy needs the opposite: stiff, closed fabric that holds its shape and hides the filling. That is why the right amigurumi hook size is almost always smaller than the label suggests, and why one ball of yarn can call for two different hooks depending on what it becomes.

Why amigurumi uses a smaller hook

The hook sets the size of every loop. A large hook makes large loops with space between them; a small hook pulls the same yarn into compact stitches that sit shoulder to shoulder. In a garment those spaces make the fabric soft. In a toy they become holes, and once the piece is stuffed the fabric stretches and the holes open further, so white fiberfill shows between the stitches.

Dense fabric does three jobs at once:

• It keeps the stuffing inside and out of sight.
• It lets a piece stand firm instead of sagging under its own weight.
• It gives stitches a crisp outline, so increases and decreases blend into the surface.

The usual rule is to drop one to two full millimeters below the label’s recommendation, then adjust from there.

Yarn weight to hook size chart

Treat this amigurumi hook size chart as a starting point, not a ruling. Yarns in the same weight category vary in thickness, and hands vary in tension. Patterns on this site assume worsted weight (#4 medium) yarn with a 3.5 mm (US E-4) hook unless they say otherwise.

Yarn weight	Typical label hook	Amigurumi starting hook
Fingering (#1 super fine)	2.25-3.5 mm (US B-1 to E-4)	2.0-2.25 mm (up to US B-1)
Sport (#2 fine)	3.5-4.5 mm (US E-4 to 7)	2.5-2.75 mm (US C-2)
DK (#3 light)	4.5-5.5 mm (US 7 to I-9)	3.0-3.25 mm (US D-3)
Worsted (#4 medium)	5.5-6.5 mm (US I-9 to K-10.5)	3.5 mm (US E-4), up to 4.0 mm (US G-6)
Bulky (#5)	6.5-9 mm (US K-10.5 to M-13)	4.5-5.5 mm (US 7 to I-9)
Super bulky (#6), including plush chenille	9 mm and up (US M-13 and larger)	6.0-7.0 mm (US J-10 and up)

US letter sizes are not perfectly consistent from one maker to another, and metric sizes such as 2.0 mm, 2.5 mm and 3.0 mm have no everyday letter at all. Read the millimeter number stamped on the hook and treat the letter as a nickname. If the yarn itself is still undecided, the guide to the best yarn for amigurumi covers fiber and weight.

How to test fabric density

A small cup of fabric shows more than any chart. Abbreviations used below: MR = magic ring, sc = single crochet, inc = increase (2 sc in the same stitch), Rnd = round. Work in a continuous spiral with a stitch marker in the first stitch of each round.

Test cup (make 1 per hook you are comparing)

1. Rnd 1: 6 sc in MR (6)
2. Rnd 2: inc x 6 (12)
3. Rnd 3: (sc 1, inc) x 6 (18)
4. Rnds 4-6: sc 18 (18)
5. Do not fasten off. Leave the loop on a stitch marker so the yarn can be pulled out and reused.

Then run three checks:

1. The stretch check. Push a pinch of white fiberfill into the cup and stretch the fabric over it with your thumbs. If white shows clearly between the stitches, go down by 0.25 to 0.5 mm.
2. The hook check. If the hook has to be forced into each stitch, the yarn splits, or your hand tires after a few rounds, the fabric is too tight. Go up by 0.25 to 0.5 mm.
3. The shape check. Set the empty cup on the table. Good toy fabric holds its bowl shape on its own; fabric that collapses flat is too loose.

Inline vs tapered hook heads

Two hooks with the same millimeter size can feel very different because of how the head is cut.

• Inline: the head is the same width as the shaft, with a deep, flat-cut throat. It grips the yarn firmly and tends to keep loops the same size, which helps even tension. Some people find that the sharper throat catches on tight stitches.
• Tapered: the throat narrows gradually and the head is rounder. It slides in and out of tight stitches smoothly, but loops formed on the narrow part of the throat come out smaller than loops formed on the shaft, so tension can wander.

Neither is the correct one. With a tapered hook, slide each loop fully onto the shaft before completing the stitch.

Handles and comfort

Amigurumi means thousands of small, tight stitches, and a thin bare metal hook concentrates all the grip pressure in a narrow line across the fingers. An ergonomic handle, thicker and usually soft or shaped, spreads that pressure over more of the hand. It does not change the stitches; it changes how long crocheting stays comfortable.

Hook material affects glide. Smooth metal lets yarn slip quickly; wood and bamboo have more drag, which slows tight stitches down. Whatever the handle, stop when a hand starts to ache.

If your tension is very tight or very loose

Very tight

Signs: stitches are hard to enter, pieces come out smaller than the pattern says, and the fabric feels like cardboard. Go up 0.5 mm, hold the working yarn with one less wrap around the fingers, and make sure each loop travels up to the full width of the shaft.

Very loose

Signs: gaps appear even with the recommended hook, and pieces come out large and floppy. Go down 0.5 mm, or even a full millimeter, and check the test cup again. Gaps that show stuffing are also the first entry in the list of common amigurumi mistakes, and good stuffing technique will not hide fabric that is simply too open.

Changing the hook to change the toy

Hook and yarn move together. Going down to fingering yarn and a 2.0 mm hook shrinks any pattern without touching the stitch counts, which is the whole idea behind mini amigurumi. Going up to bulky yarn and a 5.0 mm hook does the reverse. Once a hook passes the stretch check, a plain amigurumi ball is a sensible first full piece to make with it.