Crocheting with embroidery thread means using six-strand cotton floss as your working yarn instead of standard crochet yarn, matched to a fine steel hook instead of a regular aluminum one. I use this technique for tiny amigurumi details and doily edging, not full-sized projects, since the thread is far finer than even lace weight yarn. It takes patience more than skill, but the results have a crispness regular yarn cannot match.
Strand Count and Tension
Standard embroidery floss comes as six loosely twisted strands you can separate. For crochet, I almost always use all six strands together rather than splitting them, since separated strands are too fine to hold consistent tension for more than a few stitches.
Held as a full six-strand skein, floss behaves close to a fine crochet thread, size 10 or so, but with less twist, which means it splits more easily under the hook if your tension is too loose.
My fix is to crochet slightly tighter than usual and check every few stitches that all six strands are moving together instead of fraying apart, a habit that takes maybe an hour of practice to build.
Hook Size for Embroidery Thread
A 1.5mm to 1.75mm steel hook matches six-strand floss best, roughly a US size 6 to 8 steel hook. Anything larger and the stitches gap open, showing the floss’s lack of twist instead of a clean fabric.
Steel hooks are shaped differently from standard aluminum ones, with a shorter, narrower head built for thread work, so a regular yarn hook in a small size will not substitute well here even at the same millimeter measurement.
What This Technique Is Actually Good For
Embroidery thread crochet shines on small, detailed work rather than anything with real yardage. Three project types use it well.
- Amigurumi facial details: tiny crocheted eyelashes, mouths, or trim where standard yarn would look bulky against a small stuffed shape
- Doily and edging trim: a fine picot or shell border added around a larger fabric or yarn piece, since the thread’s stiffness holds a crisp edge
- Miniature ornaments: snowflakes and small motifs under two inches across, where the thread’s tight twist keeps tiny stitches from collapsing
I would not reach for embroidery thread on anything bigger than a coaster. A full doily in six-strand floss can take four or five times longer to finish than the same pattern in crochet cotton, purely because the stitches are so much smaller per inch.
Where Floss Falls Short of Real Crochet Thread
Embroidery floss is not built for structural work the way crochet cotton or thread is. It has almost no twist holding the strands together, so repeated pulling through stitches over a large project can fray individual strands and weaken the piece over time.
For anything meant to hold weight or shape, like a bowl or a bag, I switch to proper crochet cotton instead and save floss for the decorative details layered on top.
Frequently asked questions
How many strands of embroidery floss do you use for crochet?
Use all six strands together rather than separating them. Six strands held as one gives you a working thread close to a fine crochet cotton, thin enough for detail work but thick enough to hold consistent tension. Splitting the strands makes the thread too fine to control under a hook for more than a stitch or two.
What size hook do you use with embroidery thread?
A 1.5mm to 1.75mm steel hook, roughly a US size 6 to 8 steel hook, matches six-strand embroidery floss well. A standard aluminum yarn hook, even at a small size, is shaped differently and will not give the same clean stitch definition on thread this fine.
Can you use embroidery thread instead of crochet cotton?
For small decorative work like amigurumi details or tiny motifs, yes, embroidery floss works well and is often cheaper than dedicated crochet thread. For anything structural or larger than a coaster, switch to real crochet cotton, since floss has very little twist and can fray under the repeated stress of a bigger project.
Wrap Up
Crocheting with embroidery thread is a detail technique, not a replacement for regular yarn or crochet cotton on full-sized pieces. Keep it to small amigurumi accents, edging, and miniature motifs, matched to a fine steel hook, and it holds up well. For a similar fine-thread technique with a different look, crochet with embroidery floss covers a few pattern-specific project ideas this page does not.