61 of 63 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Cute but impractical, December 29, 2007
This review is from: Toys to Crochet: Dozens of Patterns for Dolls, Animals, Doll Clothes, and Accessories (Paperback)
The piggie on the cover is adorable, and is child-safe; many of the toys in the book are not, because they have seed bead eyes and other small sewn-on bits. The pig has embroidered eyes. Even the pig is a bit impractical as written, though - it calls for cashmere blend and alpaca blend yarns. For a children's toy?? I don't think so.
And therein lies one of the two big problems I have with the patterns in this book. Problem 1 is the yarns - many of the ones the author uses are exotic blends that are not a great idea for a children's toy that would need to be washed, and they are expensive for use in a toy; also, many of the yarns are ones that are commonly available in the UK but not so easy to find in the US, and it would be tough for US crocheters to get some of them at all. But the book doesn't give pictures of the individual yarns, and it doesn't give complete fiber content, so it would also take considerable effort to find yarns here that were a reasonable equivalent. Contrast this with another book of crochet toys that I received as a gift, which suggests the sturdiest worsted weight acrylic one can find, for the bright colors and washability.
Problem 2 with this book is that many of the toys made following the patterns will not come out the way the pictures look. Consider the mermaid, for example - nothing in the pattern tells you how to get her arms to pose the way the photo has them, and they definitely wouldn't pose that way if you didn't do something additional - pipe cleaners? Wire twist ties inserted in them? Something! The doll arms would all be floppy and hanging down, without some additional support, and the book doesn't describe any such support. Likewise the giraffe on the back cover - the pattern inside doesn't give any suggestions for how to make her little antlers/horns stand straight up, and if you just crochet them according to the instructions, what you'll have is two floppy chains hanging down over the giraffe's face.
That said, Larry the Lobster is too cute for words, and I'm definitely going to make one of those. I'm not going to use the recommended yarn, Lobster Pot Bulky, though - it's a mohair blend, again wildly impractical for a toy, and also hard to find. Easier to find, a bit cheaper, and about the same content and gauge, would be Lambs Pride Bulky. I'll probably test the gauge using a less-expensive yarn such as Lion Suede, which I suspect will work and be equally soft.
In short: many cute toys pictured, but the yarns called for are not suitable for toys, the seed-bead eyes are not suitable for little kids, and you'll have to do some work not described in the patterns in order to make the toys come out as pictured.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not quite what I expected, February 14, 2008
This review is from: Toys to Crochet: Dozens of Patterns for Dolls, Animals, Doll Clothes, and Accessories (Paperback)
I bought this book pretty much on the basis of the pigs on the front cover. Why is it that the best item is always the one shown on the cover? Indeed, as a toy for my little girl, I think the pigs are the only ones I'll really make. Possibly make the shark and lobster for our beach house but the long dangly bits of the lobster don't make it a toy for a small child. I can't comment on the yarns because we certainly can't get them easily in Australia, but it seems to me that a cheap, probably synthetic yarn that washes easily will be appropriate for toys for use by children. A bit disappointing, and I certainly agree with the previous review about the lack of instruction on how to make things stay in shape - how does the bear stand? Overall, probably a book to give to someone who likes collecting toy pattern books.
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fun and pretty toys, March 3, 2008
This review is from: Toys to Crochet: Dozens of Patterns for Dolls, Animals, Doll Clothes, and Accessories (Paperback)
These are some of the prettiest crocheted toys I've seen--very cute and clever. The directions are very clear and easy to follow, even for someone who's never tried crocheting a toy before (like me). So far, I've made the basic bear, the mermaid, and the foal.
Of course, if any of these toys are to be created for use by babies, some modifications are necessary--no beads or other small, detachable items should be used. Also, no instructions are given for stiffening some slender areas of the toys, like the arms and legs of the dolls, and the legs of the foal.
Still, a lovely book with plenty of good ideas. Not for beginners, but confident crafters will enjoy it.
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