Happy-Gurumi | Book Review

 

Title: Happy-Gurumi, 20 Super Cute Amigurumi Toys to Crochet
Author: Vanessa Chan
Publisher: Martingale
Photographer: Brent Kane
ISBN: 978-1-60468-481-0

Happy-Gurumi includes a collection of 20 super cute amigurumi toys to crochet.

The book is broken into three separate themes:

• The Great Outdoors (Bumblebee, Little Blue Bird, Hot Air Balloon, Daisy, Squirrel, Sun and Ladybug)
• Animal Friends (Frog, Rabbit, Turtle, Dog, Elephant, Whale and Ostrich)
• Crochet Party (Ice Cream Sundae, Party Balloon, Root Beer Float, Party Cat, Present and Birthday Cake)

Happy-Gurumi is filled with fun and coluorful amigurumi projects. Not only will they make you smile as you crochet them, they will make anyone who sees them smile too!

Take a look at the patterns you get inside:

Aren’t they fun?

I really love the open puppet style mouths Vanessa Chan used for the Sun and the Whale designs!

My favourite designs are:

• Party Cat
• Daisy
• Bumblebee

My children also have favourites! In case you want to make one of these for a child and aren’t sure which one to pick…maybe this will help 🙂

Andrew is 4 and his most favourite designs are Ladybug, Turtle and Dog – in that order.

Darla who is 6 next month loves Ostrich, Little Blue Bird and Party Cat (also in that order).

Each design included in Happy-Gurumi would make a fantastic gift – my children love the toys included.

Each Design in the book includes the Project Details (Skill Levels, Finished Size and Gauge) in the side-margin directly below the project photo.  The Skill Levels for the patterns included are Beginner, Easy and Intermediate.

Each Design also includes a very detailed Materials List. Every pattern included in this book uses Lily Suger’n Cream Yarn and a 3.75 mm (F) hook. I love how Vanessa Chan designed the projects using a yarn which is easy to find and easy to substitute (i.e. Bernat Handicrafter Cotton Yarn is a great substitute if you are in Canada!).

Some projects make use of other supplies such as safety eyes and noses and felt for embellishing your finished amigurumi. The exact sizes you need are listed in your Materials List; even for the felt! To print the templates included throughout the publication you must ensure your pages printed to a correct size-scale and the instructions explaining how to do this properly are located on page 2.

The patterns are written using American Crochet Terms and standard crochet abbreviations.

The abbreviations used are included at the end of the book on page 79.

You will also find suggestions for where to find the supplies you may need for your chosen project on page 79.

The basic crochet stitches, embroidery stitches and assembly tips are included in the end of the book from page 73 – 78.

If you want to try your hand at amigurumi this book would be an excellent place to start! You have 20 patterns to choose from and the instructions are extremely well written. You can begin with some of the Beginner Level Patterns and move up to the Easy Level and then finally to the Intermediate Level, as you become more comfortable with using felt and assembling your amigurumi parts.

I love books filled with bright and colourful pages and fun patterns. Happy-Gurumi has both – if you love making crochet toys then this book would be a great addition to your Crochet Library.

You can purchase your own copy of Happy-Gurumi by Vanessa Chan directly from Martingale here:

Or if you prefer you can purchase a copy at Amazon.

Shopping from Canada

Shopping from the U.S.

Shopping from the U.K.

A special thanks to Martingale for providing me with a review copy of this book!  All images used with permission from Martingale and their Photographer Brent Kane.

For more information about Martingale – visit their Website, Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter !