Product Description

Amigurumi is the Japanese art of making knitted or crocheted stuffed animals, and it is taking the world by storm.These toys can be as simple or as complex as the maker likes - ranging from a tiny fluffy chick to an elaborate textured elephant.This book provides all the information you need to get started, with tips on choosing yarns and needles, and instruction in core techniques.All of the animal characters can be created using key shapes such as spheres, eggs, cylinders, and flat circles, which are quick and easy to stitch and put together. It includes clear step-by-step instruction for making 15 adorable animals, including a forg with webbed feet, a lion with a crocheted mane, and a cuddly mohair rabbit, plus ideas for creating your own unique designs.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #41316 in Books
• Published on: 2008-02-15
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 128 pages

Review
Waterstones Newsletter:Amigurumi is a Japanese term for tiny creatures which are either knitted or crocheted. The market for amigurumi books has become somewhat flooded recently, but for my money, Annie Obaachan's is the best you can buy. Find out a little about the history and culture of amigurumi in Japan, follow the easy instructions to learn the basic crochet stitches necessary, and you will be whizzing through the 15 cute and simple patterns in no time. The book tells you everything you need to know, from understanding abbreviations and symbols to reading a chart. Easy!The best section in this book, however, gives guidance on creating your very own, unique amigurumi. Combine a few basic shapes wth a little imagination, and it all falls into place! A gallery at the end of the book provides photo-inspiration for amigurumi of all shapes, styles and character, along with web-links and a brief introduction to a whole host of different designers.As an introduction to amigurumi this really is the best starting place. Other books will give you more patterns to follow and different styles to emulate, but no other book provides such a creative starting point, and wealth of amigurumi ideas and avenues to explore.

About the Author
Heather James received her Bachelor of Fine Arts at Tufts University and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, USA. She recently completed a Master's of Science at Trinity College, Dublin in IT in education. She has experience as a teacher, project manager, and designer, developing print and multimedia learning materials for children. She has taught crochet workshops, and writes about crafts on a popular crafts site, www.Whipup.net

Customer Reviews

Useful book to have
I'm new to crochet and bought this book as it has clear instructions on how to do the basics. The patterns look fun, although I have to agree with the other reviewer that they're not quite as appealing as some other patterns in other amigurumi books. I think this book will be best for beginners such as myself.

Japanese fun for everyone
This was the second book I bought on amigurumi, the first one being by Tomoko Takamori, and if the first one hadn't been so good I wouldn't have bought this one.

The presentation of this book is quite different.

It begins with instructions on how to work the crochet stitches, how to read patterns and how to design your own characters.
The main body of the book is the menagerie itself - 15 different items including bears, magpies, bunny, teddy, panda, monkey and mouse amongst others.
Finally the gallery - a section showing the work of other amigurumi craft workers along with one paragraph comments from them with their website addresses so that you can explore more.
I didn't find the characters in this book as appealing as the Takamori one, but it's well laid out and probably easier for anyone lacking confidence to understand and move on from. This, plus the gallery is why I gave it 5 and not 4

An excellent, fun, easy to use book
I'm new to amigurumi but have been crocheting for some time. I have trouble sticking to patterns and tend to veer off and do my own thing - this book is just perfect for me - not only does it have easy to follow patterns for a host of crazy little creatures, it also encourages you to create your own patterns and shows you how by giving you info on the basic shapes. Not for the crocheter who likes traditional step by step patterns, a real must for the crocheter who likes to experiment. A lovely gallery of amigurumi at the book gives lots of ideas too.