Mabel Bunny & Co. is probably one of my favorite crochet books. I first came across this book a couple of years ago and couldn’t resist that adorable dragon on the cover. I purchased this book when I was pretty new to crocheting and reading patterns. This book is a fun, charming book that I’m excited to share with you!
Let’s Chat About the Book
The book Mabel Bunny & Co. has fifteen beautiful designs from author and designer Claire Gelder. This book was first published in 2019 by Search Press. All the patterns in this book are written in US terms, with UK terminology in parentheses. Each design contains a difficulty level, from one bunny head being easy, two for intermediate, and three for advanced. Claire crochets her animals with Wool Couture’s Cheeky Chunky merino yarn made in Yorkshire, UK, and are approximately (27 1/2in) tall. Her mini animals are crocheted using Wool Couture’s Beau Baby merino yarn and are around (12in) tall.
The book begins with supplies recommendations for making her animals. Then, she talks about the color wheel and yarn she uses.
Next is the technique section, where she shows you how to do each stitch needed in a step-by-step tutorial. This section also has step-by-step instructions on how she sews, stuff, and assembles each toy. This book also includes embroidery, pompom, and curly tail making.
In the last half of the book are all the cute animal patterns. Each pattern includes a difficulty level, approximately finish size and tools & materials needed for that project. Each pattern instruction breaks down into parts; body, head, ears, arms, legs, tails, and how to make each one up. Again, Claire Gelder’s patterns are pretty easy to follow. If you’re familiar with pattern reading, you shouldn’t have any problem following along on any of the designs in this book.
Conclusion
I love this book most because you can crochet them with chunky yarn, making them big and cuddly, or with medium-weight yarn. With the fifteen patterns included, Claire introduces a mini version of three of the crochet patterns in this book. The mini or baby animals will be crocheted in the same manner as her giant animals. When I’ve crocheted most of the designs from this book, I’ve used a medium worsted weight yarn. They do come out small but still cuddly.
If you want to add some crochet books to your home library, I would consider this book Claire Gelder’s Mabel Bunny & Co. If you enjoy this book, you’ll be happy to know she has two other books available;
Robyn Octopus and Friends: 17 lovable animals to knit using chunky yarn.
Bonnie the Cow & Friends: 20 lovable animals and birds to crochet using chunky yarn.
I hope that you enjoyed this book review and found it helpful!
Happy Crocheting Journey!