My go-to yarn for making amigurumi is usually 100% cotton or a cotton/acrylic blend from a big-name yarn store. The pros are many: it’s easy to find, it’s cheap, and the color range is vast. But there’s another choice out there for amigurumi: hand-dyed yarn.

Hand-dyed yarn for crochet amigurumi
Check out those gorgeous speckles and tones.

The Uniqueness of Hand-Dyed Yarn

The colorways vary so widely that you’re almost guaranteed a one-of-a-kind finished product. The gradients and the speckles give your amigurumi a beautiful and unique personality, and you’re granted the satisfaction of supporting a small business.

But hand-dyed yarn comes at a cost: a single skein can run you upwards of $25, which makes this lady swoon and clutch her skirts. $25+ is a far cry from $3.99 at a big box store!

Once you’re revived by some good Samaritan’s smelling salts and check your email, you realize you bought one of these gorgeous hand-dyed skeins. Naturally, you horde it until you find the perfect amigurumi project. Not yet, my pretty, not yet.

Introducing Darwin the Turtle

When I saw Darwin the Turtle in Animal Friends of Pica Pau 2, I knew I had to feature my hand-dyed yarn from Long Dog Yarn. But should I use it for Darwin’s body or for his shell? I picked the body but I have plenty of yarn left so maybe I’ll do another version someday with a beautifully variegated shell.

Hand-dyed yarn for crochet amigurumi
Don’t those boots just kill you? Such a cute touch by the designer!

I purchased the Green Sea Turtle colorway from Long Dog Yarn’s Sea & Sky Yarn Club, which is dyed on a base of merino DK (double knit) superwash yarn. The merino wool held its shape well, despite the typical stretch of wool. It’s ever-so-slightly thinner than the Bernat Softee Baby Cotton I usually work with (also DK) but they paired together nicely and I didn’t have to change my hook between the yarns.

Hand-dyed yarn for crochet amigurumi
I embroidered the spots onto his shell and slip-stitched the accent round with the variegated yarn.

Overall, I’m pretty pleased with the end result. Darwin stands out among his peers – the yarn’s uniqueness is apparent. Don’t let the cost put you off! You use very little for amigurumi so your hand-dyed yarn will go a long way! I’m still scheming on how I’ll next use my precious skein but rest assured, you’ll hear about it.

Yarns Used for Darwin

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Hand-dyed yarn for crocheting amigurumi
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