Crocheted Flowers by Emma Varnam Honest Book Review

If you’re searching for an honest, experience-based review of Crocheted Flowers by Emma Varnam, you’re in the right place. This book promises realistic blooms, bright blooms, and a stunning collection of ultra-realistic flowers you can crochet and display all year long. The big question is simple: is it worth adding to your crochet library?

I’ve read through the book carefully, tried a pattern, reviewed the supports, and paid close attention to the details that matter most to crocheters. In this review, I’ll walk you through what’s included, who this book is suited for and where it may fall short so that you can confidently decide if it’s the right fit for your crochet library.

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Thanks to GMC Publishing for providing me with a copy of the book free of charge in exchange for my honest opinions. I do not guarantee a positive review of any product reviewed on my site.  All opinions shared here are my own. This post may contain affiliate links, which means that I may earn a small commission from purchases made through these links at no cost to you.

Patterns Included in Crocheted Flowers

Crocheted Flowers: 30 Stylish and Realistic Blooms to Create contains patterns for 30 different crocheted flowers, including:

• Anemone
• Auricula
• Bluebell
• Cornflower
• Cosmos
• Crocus
• Daffodil
• Dahlia
• Daisy
• Dianthus
• Dog Rose
• Forget-Me-Not
• Fuchsia
• Gerbera
• Hellebore
• Hyacinth
• Iceland Poppy
• Lavender
• Lily of the Valley
• Marigold
• Pansy
• Primrose
• Rose
• Snowdrop
• Strawflower
• Sunflower
• Sweet Pea
• Thistle
• Tulip
• Viola

The range is impressive. You’ll find cheery sunflowers, cool cornflowers, bristling thistle, fragrant lavender, delicate winter snowdrops, and happy gerberas. The variety allows you to create bouquets of the flowers you love most or design your own custom crochet bouquet. I love the idea of creating a unique flower garland from some of the flowers in the book as another way to add crochet to your home décor.

One thing I would have appreciated is the inclusion of foliage patterns. While the flowers themselves are lovely, leaves and greenery would make it easier to turn these into fuller arrangements without having to source patterns elsewhere.

What are the Patterns in Crocheted Flowers Like?

I found the patterns to be relatively vague in places and I would have welcomed more detailed color photography as tutorial images to help clarify some of the instructions. In my opinion, this would help make these patterns more accessible to a wider audience.  

As they were, I found myself re-reading instructions to fully understand them and just having to try it out to see if it looked like what I thought it should.  On the positive side, each pattern clearly lists the yarn shades used. That’s extremely helpful when aiming for realistic blooms or bright blooms that truly resemble nature.

What Crochet Terminology is Used in Crocheted Flowers?

This book uses UK crochet terminology, with a UK-to-US conversion chart included on page 140.

While I appreciate the inclusion of the chart, I did find myself flipping back and forth more than once as some abbreviations felt unfamiliar, even though they represented standard stitches. For example, dc2inc was used to describe a single crochet increase and in my experience, the usual abbreviation for that in UK terms would be dcinc or 2 dc in the same stitch.  So even if you’re adept at making the conversions yourself, you may still have to check them out to ensure you understand what’s expected.

Skill Level – Is Crocheted Flowers Beginner Friendly?

I would classify this book as intermediate to advanced.

On the surface, the book makes crocheted flowers more accessible by using heavier weight yarns and larger hooks than many ultra-realistic flowers books on the market. That’s a positive. It means you’re not working exclusively with thread-weight yarn.

However, the pattern writing style expects an existing level of crochet knowledge. The concise instructions can feel vague or unclear in places. As a pattern designer, pattern clarity is something I pay particular attention to. When I attempted the Cosmos flower (a personal favorite of mine), I encountered a few small issues. The errors have already been reported and corrections are available in the official errata sheet on the publisher’s website.

That said, beginners may find the expected knowledge level challenging. This is not a book that walks you through every tiny detail.

Supports Included for Makers

All support material begins on page 138 and includes:

• Tools and materials
• Abbreviations and conversions
• Crochet techniques
• Finishing off instructions

The explanations of the basic crochet stitches are included in the Crochet Techniques section and are accompanied by illustrations rather than crystal-clear photography. The book features detailed colour photography of the completed flower for each design, which is helpful for visualizing results. 

 In some of the written technique instructions, terminology felt inconsistent. One stitch explanation even omitted mention of yarn overs, which could prove confusing for anyone unfamiliar with that stitch.  For confident crocheters, this is manageable. For newer crocheters, it may be frustrating.

Supplies Needed for This Book

To complete the patterns in this book, you’ll need the following materials:

Hooks: 2.5mm – 3.5mm

Yarns Used Include:

• Scheepjes Catona
• Sirdar Snuggly Replay DK
• Stylecraft Bellissima DK
• King Cole Giza Cotton
• Rico Creative Bubble
• Scheepjes Merino Soft
• Stylecraft Special DK

You’ll also need:

• Tapestry needle
• Floral wire
• Stitch markers
• Glue
• Toy stuffing
• Plant stake
• Fork
• Bamboo skewer

Many of these designs use a small amount of yarn or small quantities of yarn, making them wonderful stash busters. If you have a stash of your favorite yarn in DK weight cottons, you’ll likely be able to dive in right away. Though, if you don’t mind playing around a bit, you can effectively use any yarn weight and hook size with these patterns, you just may have very large flowers or may have to play around with finding the ideal hook size.

These flowers would make great gifts, a handmade Mother’s Day gift, wedding décor, or decorative accents in plain bags and home styling. Many of these flowers are relatively flat so you can make a lot of unique crocheted creations with them.  

Is Crocheted Flowers by Emma Varnam Worth It? My Final Thoughts

This is undeniably a beautiful and handy book filled with pretty flowers that can be turned into everlasting bouquets or styled individually. It really offers a diverse repertoire of crocheted flowers whose uses don’t have to be limited to home accessories. Are they ultra-realistic? Not necessarily, but they are beautiful. While it is a visually beautiful collection, it requires a condient crocheter to truly get the most out of it.

The occasional vagueness makes this better suited to confident crocheters who are comfortable troubleshooting and interpreting patterns. I would not recommend it as a first flower book for beginners.

If you are an intermediate to advanced crocheter looking to crochet some pretty projects for your home, this may be a strong addition to your library.

If you’re newer to crochet, I would suggest starting with a book that offers more step-by-step photo support and clearer instruction before tackling this one.

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