Crocheted Birds by Vanessa Mooncie Review

I was recently given the opportunity to review Crocheted Birds by Vanessa Mooncie. In this book, Vanessa Mooncie provides the designs for 10 gorgeous, realistic amigurumi birds. Keep reading to learn more about this book and how you can enter to win a copy of the book.

I have been a long-time admirer of Vanessa Mooncie’s work when I stumbled across her on Instagram and saw this beautiful picture of a show-stopping crochet barn owl. As an absolute owl-fanatic, I was hooked. I later learned that the pattern for that same crochet barn owl is in this book Crocheted Birds: A Flock of Feathered Friends to Make by Vanessa Mooncie. So when the chance to review this book became available, I was obviously all over it.

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The designs in this book are absolutely gorgeous. I seriously love them. These designs aren’t your standard amigurumi designs though. They are meticiulously constructed and more of an art piece than a toy. The list of supplies needed for each bird is a little more extensive than you may expect because the designs utilize various gauges of wires which would require you to utilize pliers, glass teddy bear buttons for eyes and adhesives. Because of the wires and the glass eyes, these projects wouldn’t be appropriate to give to young children.

Check out the video version of this review here:

Patterns are given in Crocheted Birds for the following birds:

• Blackbird
• Robin
• Blue Tit
• Wren
• Budgie
• Dove
• Cardinal
• Swan
• Bald Eagle
• Barn Owl

The projects are a variety of sizes. The largest being the bald eagle, followed by the swan. My favourite design is the barn owl but the swan is a close second. The designs to create realistic bird eggs for each bird species in the book are also included.

Most people won’t have everything in their house to make the birds exactly as written but to get the desired effect, it’s worth the time to get the supplies. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, I was unable to obtain all the supplies necessary to make the birds exactly as written. But, I didn’t let that stop me. Knowing that my bird wouldn’t be exactly like the book, I decided to try one of the patterns with what I had on hand. I decided to give the cardinal a try since I had some red and black yarn on hand and after reading through the pattern, I figured I could accomplish something similar with my on hand materials.

The pattern worked up quickly and the techniques that are used in creating the patterns in this book really gave me an education in looking at amigurumi shaping in a completely different way. Rather than just working in rounds, short rows are used to assist in chaping the bird and creating the main part of the bird all in one piece. Despite the fact that I had never done amigurumi in this way, the pattern was clear and easy to understand. Charts are included for all of the patterns in this book to assist with ensuring the patterns are understood but honestly, I didn’t even need them.

Even without the exact same materials, my crochet cardinal turned out incredibly and I am really happy with how he turned out. I will probably make another one once I’m able tot get the proper wires because the legs on this one aren’t as strong as I’d like them to be, but I knew that was a possibility because I didn’t have the right materials on hand.

The book is written in UK terminology and after looking for it, I found that a UK to US terminology conversion chart was included in the resource section in the back of the Crocheted Birds book. The resource section itself was well instrated, helpful and just, well, cool. There is a section that shows you step-by-step how to make the birds’ legs and as I’ve never attempted to make birds’ legs from wire, I found it really cool how it was accomplished. The instructions were clear and easy to follow. The illustrations that accompanied the instructions were really helpful.

I think this book is best suited for intermediate level crocheters. Although there are great resources available in the book to assist you in creating the projects in Crochet Birds, ultimately, despite the clear instructions, I think the construction techniques may be confusing to beginners, and leave them frustrated.

I absolutely love this book and it has become one of my favourite pattern books that I’ve come across in a while. Not only are the designs gorgeous, the book has taught me a few things and the unique construction of each bird kept me thoroughly engaged and interested from beginning to end. If you’re interested in birds, amigurumi or even just trying different amigurumi shaping techniques, this is a beautiful addition to your crochet library.

If you want to check out Crocheted Birds: A Flock of Feathers Friends to Make by Vanessa Mooncie you can grab a copy of the book HERE.

Follow Vanessa Mooncie, the author/designer of this book on Instagram: @vanessamooncie. I’ve also reviewed another book by Vanessa Mooncie called Simple Crocheted Hats. You can check out that review HERE.

If you enjoy crochet pattern books, you can check out some more of my crochet book reviews on my blog: Kawaii Crochet by Melissa Bradley, Weekend Makes, Crocheted Toys by Emma Osmond, Dinosaurs to Crochet by Megan Kreiner, The Crocheter’s Skill-Building Workshop by Dora Ohrenstein. You can find all my crochet book reviews HERE.

Crocheted Birds Book Giveaway

Thanks to GMC Publications, I have a copy of this beautiful book to giveaway to one lucky winner.

The Crocheted Birds Book Giveaway on The Loopy Lamb is open to Canadian and U.S. participants and ends Friday, June 19, 2020 at 11:45pm Eastern Standard time.

To enter, use the King Sumo form below. If you are on mobile and have difficulty entering, please use a desktop computer to enter. Only the Email option is mandatory – all other tasks are optional, for bonus entries only. Please note that by entering your email below, you are subscribing to The Loopy Lamb email list. We will not send you spam, just notifications about new free crochet patterns, news and giveaways.