Most people meet crochet as a yarn craft—blankets, hats, chunky stitches on a large hook. But long before acrylic yarn, crocheters worked in thread: fine cotton on a slim steel hook, turning a single strand into lace, edgings, and motifs no wider than a coin.
That tradition is very much alive, and it starts with something you may already have in your basket—a skein of COSMO® embroidery floss.
What "Crochet with Floss" Means
Thread crochet uses the same stitches as regular crochet—chain, single, double, treble—worked at a much finer scale. Instead of a plump yarn, you work with embroidery floss and a small steel crochet hook (the kind sized in numbers, where a higher number means a finer hook).
The result is delicate, detailed, and surprisingly sturdy: lacy motifs, appliqués, jewelry, bookmarks, and tiny pouches and amigurumi.
Full COSMO® No. 25 skeins are six-strand cotton threads, which can be separated to adjust thickness. Work with all six strands for a fuller, quicker stitch, or crochet with three or two for finer, more delicate work. One skein, several possible gauges.
COSMO No. 25 floss offers over 500 solid colors across the full line; each Crochet with Floss kit includes a selection of these colors appropriate for the project. Each skein in the kit contains enough floss to complete the project.
Why COSMO Floss Works Beautifully with a Hook
The qualities that make COSMO floss a pleasure to stitch translate directly to the hook.
- Extra-long staple cotton gives the thread strength and a smooth surface, so it glides through loops instead of catching—important when every stitch is small.
- A natural silk-like luster means finished motifs catch the light the way fine threadwork should.
- Over 500 solid colors across the full No. 25 line—designed in Kyoto with roots going back to 1924—so you can shade petals, blend a gradient, match floss from another project, or expand beyond the colors in a kit.
What You Can Make
Ideas to try
Thread crochet rewards small, finished objects. COSMO's own Crochet with Floss kits lean into playful miniatures—food and animal pouches you can wear, gift, or rearrange into brooches and bag charms.
The same approach also opens up classic thread-crochet projects: lace motifs and snowflakes, appliqué flowers, jewelry, and fine edgings for linens.
- Tiny pouches and amigurumi-style motifs (food, animals, and more)
- Appliqués and flowers to sew onto embroidery, clothing, or bags
- Accessories—brooches, bag charms, and beaded or tasseled jewelry
- Lace motifs, snowflakes, and fine edgings for handkerchiefs and hems
Getting Started
A few tips for your first piece
You need very little: floss, a steel crochet hook, and a pattern or motif to follow. COSMO Crochet with Floss kits include step-by-step instructions plus a project-ready selection of No. 25 colors—each skein in the kit contains enough floss to complete the project.
- Start gently on difficulty. Try all six strands and a mid-size steel hook for your first motif; separate strands for a finer gauge once the rhythm is there.
- Keep tension relaxed. Thread crochet tightens fast; loose loops are easier to work into.
- Work in good light. Small stitches reward it, and floss's luster makes stitches easier to read.
Wear It, Gift It, Rearrange It
Finished pouches aren't only for display. Add a pin back for a brooch, clip one to a bag with a ball chain, or rearrange motifs into jewelry—small projects that travel well and show off COSMO color.
Change floss colors on the same pattern for a completely different look—cake to chocolate, bear to a new colorway—drawing from the full No. 25 line of over 500 solid colors.
From Needle to Hook
If you already embroider with COSMO, you're closer to thread crochet than you think—same thread, same colors, just a hook instead of a needle.
Crochet with floss sits naturally alongside the rest of the COSMO family: the same No. 25 skeins you reach for in cross-stitch and surface embroidery, put to a different, equally old use. It's a small, portable, endlessly colorful way to make something finished—one hook, one skein, and over 500 solid colors across the full line to choose from.