I enjoyed Creepy Cute Crochet by Christen Haden. The writing is lighthearted, fun, and easy to follow. The first section, “Becoming Dr. Frankenstein with a Crochet Hook and Yarn (or, Why I Created the Creatures in This Book)”, is an entertaining intro to the author’s background and motivation.

The next several sections (“Tools of the Trade”, “Hook ‘Em Up: Crochet Basics”, “Embellishments & Weaponry”, and “Putting It All Together”) provide an excellent, step-by-step intro for any who have not created amigurumi before.

Then we get into the creatures themselves. The book has a good variety, covering: Devil, Nosferatu, Queen Vampire, Cthulu, Skeleton Bride & Groom, Medusa, Fuzzy Alien, Cleric, Amazon (not the bookstore), Corporate Zombie, Grim Reaper, Trojan (the historical figure–a crocheted version of the term’s other popular use would be uncomfortable and highly ineffective), Spartan, Cyber Zombie, Knight, Ninja, Day of the Dead Gal & Fellow, Monkey, and Robot. I really liked how the author included diagrams, as well as written directions, for the projects. Some designs are creepier than others, but all are completely adorable, and the few that I’ve tried so far have worked up quickly. All the projects in this book are a fantastic way to use up leftover tidbits of yarn.

My one quibble with the book is that it really would have been handy to have the Basic Body Parts section near the beginning of the book, right after the “Hook ‘Em Up” section, instead of at the end of the book with the conversion chart. Info that’s essential for the construction of all the projects should be presented before the specific construction details of each project.

That’s a minor quibble, though. The section is clearly marked in the table of contents, and flipping back and forth between desired sections wasn’t really a hassle or anything.

The conversion chart at the very end of the book is a handy little thing that I will probably use to sort out some patterns I encountered in Japan. It’s applicable to a lot more than just this little book.

On the whole, I very much enjoyed Creepy Cute Crochet and am sure I’ll be referring to it again and again.

Release Date: April 1, 2008 (USA)
ISBNs: 1594742324 (9781594742323)
Publisher: Quirk Books

MySF Rating: Four point five stars
Family Friendliness: 100%

Content:

Alcohol/Drugs: 0
Language: 0
Nudity: 0
Sexuality: 0
Violence: 0

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