Book Review: Crochet Designs for Kids: 20 Projects to make for girls & boys

HHCC Book Review

Title: Crochet Designs for Kids: 20 Projects to make for girls & boys
Author: Lucinda Guy
Year Published: 2008

Rating: 8 out of 10 balls of yarn

The first thing that will grab you about this book is the illustrations. Well, they aren't really illustrations, they are combination photo and illustration rolled into one. The real life garments are modeled by cartoon drawings. The style of the photo/illustrations created by François Hall is what makes Lucinda Guy's books instantly recognizable from across the bookstore. I think it's a great, innovative way of displaying children's items.

The whimsical designs are separated by season, with 5 patterns each for Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter. There are 9 garments, 4 accessories, 2 bags, 3 stuffed toys, and 2 blankets. Of the 9 garments, 2 are for boys and 7 are for girls, although I think some of them could really work for either gender. The size range for the garments is slightly narrow (ages 2-3, 3-4, 4-5), and I wish Guy had included a wider range. The garments are made in thinner yarns and avoid any unnecessary bulk.

The patterns in this book should be accessible to almost all levels of crocheters. All of the patterns call for simple stitches or stitch patterns (mostly single and double crochet). In fact, it's quite impressive to see how much cuteness can be created with a narrow repertoire of stitches. Lucinda Guy makes frequent use of crocheted appliques, embroidery detailing, and buttons, so be prepared for some sewing. (You could leave off these details, but it would really be a shame to).

Overall, this is a great book for anyone who wants to crochet for children in the 2 to 5 year age range. The designs are cute, and the patterns should work well for even beginning level crocheters.

Review by Lindsey Stephens of http://www.poetryinyarn.com/, HHCC Member

This book was provided to the HHCC by the Trafalgar Square Books publishing company. Members of the HHCC may borrow this book from the HHCC's Crochet Library.