Crochet Your Own Kawaii Animal Cuties: 12 Amigurumi Patterns and Materials to 2 Projects

I loved the size of the finished toys great for key chains and all the birds are cute

Love this, but not realising it was a kit, again my fault for not reading specs.Love just the same.

To get one thing out of the way first that I was curious about--I wasn't sure about what type of book this kit comes with. I'm not a fan of craft books being attached to boxes. Thankfully, this one connected to the box almost like a slipcover, and you don't have to keep the box/packaging in order to keep the book, which is a paperback. The box isn't really an integral part of the kit.I love amigurumi and have been making it for years, so it's hard for me to know for sure whether the book is good at teaching crocheting. I think the color changes might be hard for newbies, but there are so many videos available online that if a new crocheter gets stuck, it shouldn't be too hard to find help. As someone who has crocheted a lot, I found the instructions easy to follow.One thing I think of as a "cheat" with amigurumi is using felt instead of crocheting all the bits and pieces. Well, these patterns (mostly) don't do that! The pug has a bit behind the eyes, but it's understandable why a little bit was needed for those. (Though I wonder if something like what was done for the sloth's eyes might have worked, instead--little crocheted pieces to go behind the safety eyes.) Something I think was really novel with these projects was that the head and body are worked as one piece. What I'm used to seeing is making them separately and having to sew them together.I've included a photo of my finished sloth (aside from the sloth, you can also make a Shiba Inu from the included yarn.). I changed a couple things from the directions. I don't use polyfill for amigurumi. It can show through the stitches, and I don't like the look. I use leftover yarn, which also makes them feel more substantial and weighted, so I had to provide my own yarn for this. Additionally, I doubled the pipe cleaners, so I had to use another one that I had.Though this won't matter too much since there's only yarn provided for two projects, the yarn isn't as nice quality as I'm used to. It's not soft and smooth, and thus not super pleasant to crochet with. I started a separate knitting project while still working on my sloth, and even though I was already aware the sloth yarn wasn't great, I was astounded at the difference. I wouldn't want the quality and potential difficulty in using this yarn to dissuade newbies. So just know that different yarn, as you increase your yarn stash, can be a lot softer on your hands. The yarn quality is why I docked a star, because I didn't like working with it and wish the kit came with softer yarn. That being said, it doesn't matter as much once your cute little critter is made!

They are not as hard to make as I thought they would be. Follow the directions carefully I had to undo a few rows to get it right, but I got the head and body of the 1st one done in one evening. I will finish up tonight. Of course it doesn't look as good as the picture....

When summer heat hits, you certainly want something for the kids to do inside instead of get overheated outside or raise up the water bill and electricity bill by doing random playing around in the sprinklers or from leaving lights on. This little kit is really good for keeping them entertained inside. I am an avid fiber arts fan, spending my time knitting and crocheting. I have a huge stock of my own yarn, but there is something about kids wanting to do it themselves. This is the kit for that!The kit comes with everything you need to make cute little animals. I as an adult wanted to test the quality of the yarn and the way the patterns are written. The title is a bit misleading because it says it says it has 12 patterns. That is true, it does have 12 patterns, but you only have enough for 2 complete patterns. If you want to do more, you'll have to jump into your own personal stash or buy more.The yarn is not top of the line. It's a standard acrylic yarn that is rough. The patterns are small, just as amigurumi patterns are. If you are a completely new crocheter, you may get confused with the wording and stitches. If you are familiar with the stitches, then it will be easy to start. I wouldn't say this is a great beginner book, but a novice who has dabbled here and there. If you don't know how to make a split not or magic ring, or know how to pull up a loop, you'll want to avoid this book or watch videos before starting.The package itself is okay and has a cute turnout. The book I'll keep around for a while because it does have some adorable patterns that will make great keychains. Would I pay $25 for this? Usually I'd say no, but if you're looking for something of similar kits, it runs about the same price. So sure, I would spend $25 for this kit.