If you’ve been following me for a while, you know that I love, love, LOVE crochet books and amigurumi. So when the opportunity became available for me to review this amigurumi crochet book called Whimsical Stitches: A Modern Makers Book of Amigurumi Crochet Patterns by Lauren Espy, you know I jumped all over it.
Thanks to Paige, Tate & Co., they have provided me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review of this book. All opinions are my own.
First impressions upon receiving the book was that the cover is bright, fun and well…whimsical. I loved that it’s a hardcover book with a matte finish and the cover gives you a great selection of images from the patterns in the book. It’s one of those covers that invites you in and begs to be picked up if not by you, then definitely by any kids that may be with you.
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Whimsical Stitches has 25 different amigurumi crochet patterns for a variety of different items. From plants and animals to different food items, this book has a gets big points for cuteness factor. The book is split into 5 different sections: In the Garden, At the Aquarium, Down on the Farm, At the Bakery and At the Market. The patterns are grouped under these sections in the book. Some of the patterns in this book include:
- Saguaro Cactus,
- Octopus,
- Duck,
- Mug & Donut,
- Berries,
- Sunflower,
- Whale,
- Bunny,
- Macarons,
- Eggplant;
- and more!
The patterns in the book use worsted weight yarn to complete. Most people have yarns that could work for these projects already in their yarn stash and can easily get started on projects in the book right away instead of having to track down supplies. The patterns themselves don’t list the exact yarns used which may be problematic for anyone that was the EXACT same yarn but you could easily find similar colours in your stash or yarn shopping at a big box store.
Whimsical Stitches, of course, has a resource section. It details the stitches and techniques used for the patterns in the book and all stitches/techniques are accompanied by clear, step-by-step photographs. Since each pattern in the book has a face, instructions are given to instruct you how to do the mouth and eyelash stitching. When reading the instructions for how to embroider the mouth, I found the pictures to be particularly helpful in clarifying the written instructions.
The patterns themselves are clear, concise and loaded with photos to help you through the process of making your little amigurumi cuties. The photos in the book are bright, clean and helpful. I loved the amount of photos included to help you through the process. If I were a beginner or someone newer to amigurumi, the pictures included really help to guide you through the process to help ensure you get the best results possible. For example, to make the wings of the duck pattern, there are 18 pictures, spread across a 2-page spread to walk you through making the wings. I think that level of detail is great to include and can help you through what may have been tricky spots had photos not been included.
Overall, I think it’s an adorable book of amigurumi crochet patterns and definitely worth adding to your crochet library if amigurumi is something you enjoy. I wouldn’t hesitate to give this book as a gift to a fellow crocheter. I think this book could be accessible to a relatively newer crocheter due to the level of detail given in the photos to walk you through the patterns. Lauren Espy has done a wonderful job of making this book accessible to as large an audience as possible and I won’t hesitate to recommend her book to any friend that should ask me about it.
If you want to check out Whimsical Stitches: A Modern Makers Book of Amigurumi Crochet Patterns by Lauren Espy you can grab a copy of the book HERE.
Follow Lauren Espy, the author/designer of this book on Instagram: @amenagerieofstitches.
If you enjoy crochet pattern books, you can check out some more of my crochet book reviews on my blog:
- Crocheted Birds by Vanessa Mooncie,
- 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.
