Yarn Over vs. Yarn Under, and Blanket Yarn
The Yarn Over Single Crochet stitch is the standard. If you’ve just started amigurumi, it’s the one you learn first. Check out my video to demonstrate the difference, read on for which is best, and scroll to the bottom for completed projects in both examples.
The Yarn-Under SC has some benefits in worsted weight yarn. It skews less (the stitches line up in columns without much of a slant)- so if you’re working with a lot of color changes, it can look better. The stitches are tighter, without leaving holes, but it’s also harder to weave tails into. In most cases (at least in my patterns), when working with worsted weight (4) or finer, the Yarn Over and Yarn Under are interchangeable, and it’s up to you which look you prefer. (If the pattern doesn’t specify.)
Where it does make a huge difference, is in blanket yarn.
Worsted weight (4) and F hook. Yarn Under turns out slightly smaller.
Blanket (6) and J hook. Yarn Over is so bulky and tall, the shape already cups and won’t lay flat.
Can you use blanket yarn in any pattern? Yes- but with a simple rule change. If you’ve ever tried to make a pattern originally designed for regular or fine yarn, but with blanket yarn, you might notice it comes out longer or skewed. This is because blanket yarn Yarn-Over SC’s are taller in proportion. It’s almost like you made the whole thing with HDC’s instead. But we can prevent that problem!
Yarn-Under SC’s with blanket yarn come out much more proportionally like a SC. If you’re making one of my patterns designed for worsted weight yarn, but with blanket yarn (6), I recommend using a J hook and Yarn Under SC’s.
Both of these were made from my pattern, with the same hook and yarn (J hook, Bernat Blanket Yarn (6)). The blue was made with yarn over, and the yellow was made with yarn-under. The yellow is much more what it’s supposed to look like when made in worsted.
I’m not a huge fan of blanket yarn. It sheds, it’s expensive, it’s terrible to sew with, and you can’t really get any crispy details out of it. I struggled with it for a while without understanding why- but I think I’ve figured it out with the yarn unders. Let me know your experiences with it, and if you do make one of my patterns with this fuzzy nightmare string, tag me! Post a picture in a review so others know it’s possible!
Some examples in worsted: same pattern, different SC’s. Zoom in and see if you can spot the differences!
Yarn-Over
Yarn-Under
Yarn-Over
Yarn-Under