Amigurumi animals 15 patterns and dozens of techniques for creating cute crochet creatures

Adult/High School-Amigurumi, the Japanese art of crocheting small animals or toys, is currently popular, but as a textile art has been around since the 1950s. Most amigurumi are animals with proportionally large, round heads. This colorful and well-organized book includes an overview, an explanation of materials, a guide to reading patterns, and several pages of crochet techniques. For those with more experience, a section on designing animals from sketches is included. Fifteen patterns are offered with detailed instructions of varying degrees of complexity for items such as a pig, sausage dog, and monkey. Photos and drawings add additional support. A wonderful gallery of items made by a variety of creators appears at the end of the book. With at least three photos per page, this volume provides a host of ideas for those who want to pursue the art of amigurumi. There are many, many Web sites available with free patterns, but this book would be useful not only for beginners, but also for those who could use technique refreshers or who need to be inspired by the great variety of photographs of completed projects.-Jane Ritter, Mill Valley School District, CA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.