Whimsical Stitches Book Review
Whenever I am at the book store or even at Joann’s fabric or any sort of craft store, I always took a look what they have at the book sections – I’ve seen many different kinds of crochet pattern books and thought it was always kind of a fun idea, but they never really left me in awe. I can’t say that’s the case anymore!
Lauren Espy, a friend of mine who’s amigurumi I’ve admired for a long time now, has entered the field of having her own book and it’s just the most darling crochet book I have ever seen. Lauren Espy is the founder of “A Menagerie of Stitches” and the title of her crochet pattern book is “Whimsical Stitches”, which I find extremely fitting. This book was created in collaboration with Paige Tate & Co. Publishing. Lauren has been a crochet artist since 2009 when her grandmother taught her the art form and she’s been going at it since! I actually found her initially on Instagram when her Chemistry Set went viral over the internet, which you can see here! This book is full of her own creations that include smiling food, animals, and plants!
This book is presented in a primarily white background with so many splashes of color throughout the entirety of the book! The tagline for it is “A Modern Makers Book of Amigurumi Crochet Patterns“ and I think she really hit the nail on the head when she made it feel modern. This doesn’t feel like a dated piece of work in the slightest and I think it’s great for all ages if you wanted to get into crochet, especially amigurumi. The book has a great beginning section that informs the reader about the abbreviations, materials needed, and different techniques and stitches, which was helpful when making this cute little coffee mug!
No matter who you are, I think you will find a section that tickles your fancy; the book is divided into five different categories. The different sections this book is split up into is in the Garden (Saguara Cactus, Succulent Planter, Sunflower, Tulip), At the Aquarium (Jellyfish, Octopus, Turtle, Whale), Down on the Farm (Bunny, Cow, Duck, Eggs, Pig), At the Bakery (Cookies, Cupcakes, Macarons, Mug & Donut, Pie) and At the Market (Bell Pepper, Berries, Eggplant, Onion, Peach, Pineapple, Tomato).
The instructions in this book are clear, precise and leaves the reader knowing exactly what they’re doing with confidence. The pictures are crystal clear and shows what needs to be done. Every single pattern is cute in it’s own right and what I think I like best about this book is how simple the patterns really do turn out to be. Any skill level can have a blast with any of these sets and I think this really does stay true to Lauren’s voice during the entirety of the book!
I wanted to test my hand and follow one of her patterns, so here is the little coffee mug that I made from it. Isn’t she fabulous?
I really do love this book so much and it’s inspiring to see a friend create such a beautiful project! If you would like your own gorgeous copy (It’s a lovely hardback) you can purchase your own here! The quality is so high and you can tell she put her heart into it.
You can check out Lauren’s work on her Instagram HERE and through her Etsy shop HERE! You can also read more about Lauren’s crochet journey and how this book came to be in Lauren’s blog post HERE entitled “How One Little Hobby Can Turn Into A Dream” on The Hook Nook Blog!
Amazing Job Lauren, this is such an undertaking and I don’t think you could have made your first book any more beautiful. Thank you for being you and sharing your art with us!
Time to save up money to purchase this awesome book. Plan to make the deserts first.
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You really make it seem so easy with your presentation but I find this matter to be actually something which I think I would never understand. It seems too complex and very broad for me. I’m looking forward for your next post, I will try to get the hang of it!