A few months ago, I came across this book by the Japan Amigurumi Association. At first, I had no interest in purchasing this book. I had already made amigurumi toys for a couple of years and felt pretty confident in my skills. I figured this book would be a repeat of things I already knew. My local library had a digital copy of it, and I decided I would check it out and see what it all had inside. As I was skimming through the chapters, I came across many techniques I hadn’t learned. That’s when I decided to purchase my copy of the book.
Let’s talk about the book!
The Complete Guide to Crochet Dolls And Animals is an excellent book for anyone wanting to learn how to crochet and make an amigurumi toy. This book doesn’t contain a lot of reading, for it’s more of a step-by-step instruction manual. However, there are 240 colorful pages inside and seven chapters filled with tons of photos, information, and step-by-step instructions.
Chapter one talks about the basics of making amigurumi. The tools and materials needed and how to read a crochet diagram.
Chapters two and three will teach the basic and advanced crochet techniques needed to start your project. In chapter two, you’ll learn how to make a magic circle, circular foundation chain, and an oval foundation chain. This chapter also discusses the basics of turning posts, increasing and decreasing stitches, and various stitches like the picot, crab, loop stitch, etc. Chapter three goes into even more techniques, like changing yarn colors at the start or mid-row of a project. You’ll also learn how to make an open mouth, a foot with a boot, and fingers for your amigurumi. This chapter also offers more advanced stitches; bobble, shell, crocodile, waffle stitches.
Chapters four and five go into the assembling and the finishing process for your toy. Chapter four focuses on sewing, seaming, and stuffing your pieces, while chapter five teaches you how to secure and bind your details. This chapter also introduces how to embroider the face, make and attach hair, and tint cheeks.
The last two chapters focus on creating your original design, where you’ll learn how to take what you’ve learned and make a unique amigurumi of your own. Finally, the last chapter in this book offers a couple of diagram patterns that you can try independently.
I took the last two chapters from this book to create this cute little mouse. The mouse pattern is just one of the patterns found in this book. I took the book’s various techniques and made my unique amigurumi from that mouse pattern.
Conclusion
The Complete Guide to Crochet Dolls and Amigurumi book offers a wide range of techniques and information than I had previously mentioned throughout this review. It is an excellent book if you’re a complete beginner, a novice, a designer, or anyone wanting to brush up on their amigurumi crocheting skills. However, if you’re looking for another pattern book, you won’t be getting that from here. Instead, the book has tons of amigurumi photos that I’m guessing are to inspire you.
I’m glad that I added this book to my crocheting book library. I hope you get a chance to check it out too!
Happy Crocheting Journey!