Customer Reviews

Kyuuto! Japanese Crafts!: Amigurumi

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I have not tried this type of crochet before and I have been crocheting for over 40 years. But I picked up my hook and some scarp yarn and had 2 animals created in a flash. The animals got 2 thumbs up from my 18 and 21 year old daugthers with them begging me to make them for friends with new bubs on the way. I love the no written instruction type instructions as I believe that any young crocheter will just look at the simple pictures for each round and power on ahead. No deciphering long wordy explainations that bog most new crocheters down.Each round has a stitch count, a diagram of what to do in a round and detailed and consise instructions at the beginning of the book. I think that we may see a whole new generation of crocheters who started with these animals. I have been making stuffed toys from many books on the market recently, even translating knit ones to crochet, but the ones the kids like to pick up and cuddle are the Amigurumi from this book. I can't wait to try them all.... and it is a great way to use up the stash.I think IMO that these are for the young and Funky(but apparently if you still use the word Funky you are dating yourself) They have proved very very popular here!

I, unlike the other 2 reviewers, have a high opinion of this book. If you can crochet in the round, you will find this book easy to follow. If you can't: take a lesson then try again. One reviewer mentioned the symbols used. Although the symbols are not commonly used in a lot of crochet books, the symbols are clearly defined on page 5 of the book and are easy to understand. There are only 4 symbols to learn. It isn't that hard! So if you want to create cute crochet animals, give this book a try. It's a lot of fun.

This is the first amigurumi book I purchased. I like the look of the toys and I like the simplicity of the charts that are used. I've made several of the toys and have adapted some patterns to make my own patterns. My 11 year old daughter, who has never crocheted before, finished the duck (with prompting) in a very short time and is excited for the next one. She's making the tiny bear now.

On the down side, I've found that some of the directions are difficult to understand. I'm a long time knitter, so I understand shaping and such, but I've only just started crochet. The butterfly wings completely stumped me. I thought I understood what was being illustrated in the charts, but it didn't look at all like the finished product in the picture. I kept expecting to have an "aha" moment, but I finally just "did my own thing", based on previous knowledge, and finished the pattern--not rocket science, and maybe I'm just thick or something.

The pictures are nice and they're great idea starters. I would prefer that the patterns be put alongside the color pictures, rather than the pictures grouped at the beginning and the patterns at the back of the book. However, this isn't enough of a distraction to downgrade an excellent volume of creativity.

I'm very glad to have this book as my introduction to amigurumi. It's a great medium and I'm enjoying it, thanks to this author's introduction.

This book is written a little differently from other crochet books, but I think that actually makes it easier to follow. I wish more books were written using the same symbols used here. As other reviews mention, there are post type drawings used to represent stitches. You can glance at the book and see very easily if you are increasing or decreasing stitches. I was a beginner when I started making animals from this book, and I was able to follow it fine. I have not found any problems in the patterns in my book, so perhaps this was a problem with older editions? My book also has color pictures in it. The selection of animals in the book is very cute and covers a wide range of animals, including those sometimes not seen in other books like the donkey. My favorite so far is the butterfly. A few small complaints: I don't like how the pictures are separate from the patterns. I also don't like the way the yarn used is listed (it is a bit confusing about what weight yarn to use). These are minor complaints though, and overall I highly recommend this book.
Patterns included in this book are: 4 different bears, 2 Rabbits, Dog, Butterfly, puppy, kitten, frog, duckling, sheep, elephant, lion, pig, tiger/cat, donkey, boy and girl, and seal.

This book itself is darling with photos that will amuse and inspire, yet the instructions would be difficult for a beginner. If you are a crocheter already, you can figure things out on your own, but several things were left out that are needed if you are just starting to create Amigurumi. Perhaps there were elements lost in the translation, so be prepared to just go from the photos. I bought Amigurimi World right after this one and would have to recommend the latter much more for it's simple, complete directions.

I like the way the patterns are written in a symbolic fashion. A quick glance at the book and you know what to do. I found myself wishing for more crochet books written like this and have translated a couple of other patterns into this style. The straight forward directions made me realize how easy it can be and how needlessly complicated other pattern books are. The book is full of full color photos of each pattern taken from multiple angles and the patterns come later with a small b&w photo for reference. I would buy any book from this author (Tamoko Takamori).

i really like the designs, presentation and pictures in this book. the reason that i'm giving it only 2 stars is that some of the instructions on the patterns are incomplete. like the first pattern on page 50/51. when you get to the arms and legs, the instructions only indicate 3 rows. you can tell from the pictures that there are more than 3 rows, and it probably won't be too hard to figure it out, but my feeling is that after paying for a pattern book, i shouldn't have to decipher incomplete instructions. (especially on the first pattern listed) the missing instructions are disappointing, but it is still a book with cute ideas and at least can be used for inspiration.

This was about one of the third books I bought when I started crocheting amigurumi stuff. While I would have to say there other books I like better, its still got some cute animals in here. The symbols are not hard to understand just different then following most patterns. There are some parts of the patterns (arms and legs) that dont specify how long they should be but I assume that leaves room for personal taste. While there some patterns I will make i'd have to say for me its about a 50-50. I'll most likely make at least half of what the book has to offer.

I loved the Amigurumi I have crocheted so far and they look very professional. Mostly have used Red Heart Super Saver Yarn.

The only problem is that in some places it does not tell you the total rows of a arm or leg and just takes you to where the next X rows are all the same and not what X is. Usually I make it a little long and compare the product to the image before taking off a few rows.

This is an awesome book - the toys are very easy to make, and there is a good variety (bears, ducks, frogs, cats...) There are a lot of beautiful colour photographs. The patterns are given using symbols, which I found much easier to follow than traditional crochet patterns. I have already made two of the dear little bears, and plan to get a lot more use out of this book! Excellent for any level of crochet experience.
Libby