Crochet guide
Micro crochet
Micro crochet is ordinary crochet made very small. The stitches are the ones you already know, worked in fine thread with a tiny steel hook, and the finished pieces are often under two inches (a few centimeters) tall. The usual way in is to step down in size a little at a time.
On this page 8 parts
What micro crochet is
Micro crochet is crochet at a very small scale. It needs no special stitches. What changes is the size of the thread and the hook, and with them the size of every stitch.
Pieces are tiny. Micro patterns describe toys and other small things from about 1 cm to 4 cm tall, which is well under 2 inches.
The thread
Micro crochet is worked in thread, not yarn:
- Fine crochet thread, in cotton. See crocheting with thread for how thread is sized: the higher the number, the finer the thread.
- Sewing thread, for the smallest pieces. The finest crochet thread, size 100, is itself about as fine as sewing thread.
The hook
The hooks are steel hooks, the smallest made. The hooks named for micro and miniature crochet run from about 0.4 mm to 1.5 mm. The finest of those are smaller than the smallest hook on the steel hook size chart, which stops at 0.75 mm.
The size follows the thread and the hook
A pattern does not have a fixed size. Worked with a thicker thread and a larger hook, the same pattern makes a larger piece. Worked finer, it makes a smaller one.
That is also how an ordinary small toy pattern becomes a micro one: the rounds stay the same, and only the thread and the hook change. See amigurumi basics and what a bigger or smaller hook does.
How to step down
Come to micro crochet in steps.
- Start with a hook of about 2 mm and a thread to suit it. That is already small beside yarn.
- When that feels comfortable, change to a smaller hook and a finer thread.
- Go on down a step at a time, and stop wherever you like.
Crocheting with thread has the same advice for thread: begin with a thicker size and move to finer ones.
What is made
- Tiny toys and animals.
- Flowers and other small motifs.
- Jewelry, such as earrings.
- Miniatures, for a dollhouse for example.
Patterns
This guide gives no pattern. The patterns on this site are listed under crochet patterns.