Yarn Under or Yarn Over?

When you are do a single crochet do you work with a yarn under or yarn over? For Amigurumi it really does make a difference. 

Cute Amigurumi Bunny - get the free pattern here 

I was wandering through YouTube the other day and I came across a video tutorial that was about getting your blocks of colour to line up better when you are working on amigurumi pieces.  Like when you have a tummy section on the body of a toy in a different colour.  Often the edge of the tummy section will appear as a slope rather than a vertical line and the line is not always as clean as you might like.

One of the videos I found recommended that you use the yarn under method of forming single crochet stitches rather than a yarn over.  I have always done the yarn over, it was the method I was taught as a child and it is the way I have always worked single crochet stitches. I have been doing it this way for decades so I rely heavily on muscle memory and can happily crochet away without any conscious thought about what I am doing.  So I was aware that the decision to try yarn under instead would involve re-learning and practice before I could reach the same level of competence.

But curiosity got the better of me so I had to give it a go.

With amigurumi, most of the pieces you work on will be worked in the round so every "row" will be right-side single crochet stitches. So what is the difference between a yarn under or a yarn over?

The method demonstrated on this site is as follows:

Step 1: insert the hook into the front loop on the next chain stitch.
Step 2: Wrap the yarn around your hook (over the top of the hook at the back of the work).
Step 3: Pull the yarn to the front of the work.
Step 4: Wrap the yarn over the hook again and pull through both loops on the hook to finish the stitch.

The yarn under method is the same except that for step 2 you use the hook to grab the yarn from underneath the hook, so the instructions for a yarn under would be:

Step 1: insert the hook into the front loop on the next chain stitch.
Step 2: Hook the yarn (hook facing down, move it over the yarn and hook it underneath at the back of the work).
Step 3: Pull the yarn to the front of the work.
Step 4: Wrap the yarn over the hook again and pull through both loops on the hook to finish the stitch.

Only a slight difference in technique but a huge difference in the look of the stitch.  The yarn over creates a stitch that looks like an X , whereas the stitches formed using the yarn under method look like V. And the V's line up better than the X's.

My Experience - Comparing Yarn Under or Yarn Over

It took me a while to get into a rhythm with the yarn under method and it did feel really uncomfortable for quite a while.  I had to really concentrate on what I was doing, and I am still not as good at it as I would like. But there really is a difference. My tension is tighter doing single crochet stitches this way, the stitches are more aligned (vertically) and it is getting to the point where forming the stitches this way is faster than doing yarn overs.

Wrapping the yarn under is a single motion (hook the yarn and pull through in a single motion) whereas wrapping the yarn over the hook is two (wrap over and them pull through). 

A Yarn Under or Yarn Over Close-up Comparison

Single Crochet in the Round - Yarn Over

Single Crochet in the Round - Yarn Under

To be honest, I really was not sure when I starting experimenting with the yarn under method. After decades of doing the yarn over method it almost felt wrong but I have to admit that I really like the results. At the moment I spend a lot of time making amigurumi dolls. Over time I have adapted/altered the patterns I use and I am getting close to a perfect pattern for my dolls and using the yarn under method is making them even better. 

Not that anyone who isn't a crocheter will know the difference - but I can see it.  The doll I am working on at the moment is firmer, the stitch tension is more even and the stitches are lined up better. 

With the tighter tension she will be slightly smaller than her sisters and less likely to have stuffing showing through (she is light brown colour with white stuffing so this is important). I am working with 4 ply cotton on a 2.0mm hook, I stuff firmly so that the doll will maintain her shape.  If I stuff too tightly occasionally you can see the stuffing in any teeny tiny gaps between the stitches. 

So I think this experiment was a success and I am going to stick with the yarn under method going forward.