Amigurumi for Beginners

 

Amigurumi for Beginners is a tutorial instruction guide with patterns for 20 amigurumi animals written by Julia Simpson. Released 1st Nov. 2022 by Callisto on their Rockridge Press imprint, it's 210 pages and is available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book is currently included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free.

The book is logically laid out and accessible. The graphics are appealing and clear. The book is lavishly illustrated and I really appreciate the closeness and detail of the photography. The book has a short introduction including the history of amigurumi along with a short pep talk about why the author started crocheting soft toys.

There are two main parts. The first section includes a fairly thorough intro to crochet and tools and supplies. The chapter is well illustrated with clear photos of different brands of crochet hooks, what they look like, and the structural differences. There's also a handy chart with metric/US size and gauge measurements. The author presupposes no previous knowledge of crochet and the instruction is upbeat and positive (and reassuring). There's enough info here to start crocheting for both visual and hands-on learners. She also covers other supplies, like yarn and stuffing, safety eyes, embroidery thread, needle choices, etc. There are handy US vs. UK terms and explanations, which will be useful to a broad range of readers from most of the English speaking world.

The intro is followed by the 20 tutorials. Each tutorial contains multiple photos (mostly finished project photos), tools and supplies, and well written (not charted) instructions. There are no construction instructions or photos, although those -are- covered in the intro / general tutorial on how-to crochet. 

The author has included links to her online presence in the credits at the end of the book for readers who wish to follow or interact with the online community as well as links for readers who wish to source tools and supplies online.

Well done and a nice selection of patterns which are fundamentally different from one another, giving the reader a broad platform for creating alternative amigurumi and for customization.

Four and a half stars. Well worth a read for crochet interested readers. The dolls are cute, and most are quite small and quick to finish.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.