Creepy Cute Crochet: Zombies, Ninjas, Robots, and More!

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5 responses to “Creepy Cute Crochet: Zombies, Ninjas, Robots, and More!”

1. 

   Miranda Prince

   October 12, 2010

   Review by Miranda Prince for Creepy Cute Crochet: Zombies, Ninjas, Robots, and More!
   Rating:
   I absolutely *love* things that exist at the intersection between creepy and cute: Ugly Dolls, OrneryBoy, Emily, you name it. I also love amigurumi (Japanese crocheted dolls). So buying this book was a no-brainer for me. I even went against my general rule of looking at craft books before I buy them, and bought this one sight-unseen on Amazon.

   Fortunately, my gamble paid off. This book is full of really cute patterns. It’s well-written, well-photographed, and the instructions are easy to follow. My favorite pattern is the monkey (on the cover), but they are all adorable. In a few weeks, I should have an army of little crocheted ninjas, monkeys and zombies marching across my desk!

   This would be a great book for anyone who likes to crochet fun little toys. If you’re an absolute, never-picked-up-a-hook beginner, you might want to start with a “how to crochet” book or website, but this would be a good book of patterns to start out with (just don’t expect it to teach you crocheting from the ground up). For everyone else, beginner to experienced, this book is completely appropriate.

2. 

   Kristin Edwards

   October 12, 2010

   Review by Kristin Edwards for Creepy Cute Crochet: Zombies, Ninjas, Robots, and More!
   Rating:
   This book is a little more challenging than I expected and some of the terms are confusing. I took some of my questions to some crochet forums and have gotten some help, but some of the instructions even confused the seasoned crochet veterans (Cthulhu’s face is a good example). However, the results, when you get them, are really great. This book is way more in depth that others I have tried (Amigurumi World: Seriously Cute Crochet) and uses a variety of stitches that look cleaner and give more shape than just using single crochet. Also it has tips for fringe hair, different styles of eyes (using sculpty, beads etc.), making felt weapons, which adhesives to use, how to stuff so it isn’t lumpy, and a very good list of needed and optional supplies. Most of the projects can be completed in a day’s time easily. The writing is also very entertaining and I love that she uses both a visual representation of the pattern (circles with symbols) and the standard written out version. Overall I would say this is a great book for a somewhat experienced crocheter who is looking for a little bit of a challenge and some serisouly imaginative patterns.

3. 

   Quickbeam

   October 12, 2010

   Review by Quickbeam for Creepy Cute Crochet: Zombies, Ninjas, Robots, and More!
   Rating:
   My home is about 3/4 craft books and I’ve seen the good and the bad. What I absolutely adore about this book is that the author is extremely careful in describing how to make the finishing touches that make these pieces work so well. I figured the eyes (which are amazing) were something you purchased in some doll parts store but the instructions on how to make them are pretty engaging.

   Like other reviewers, I’d not recommend that you use this book to learn to crochet. What it does brilliantly is to take your crochet skills and help you do the finishing in a way to make the product extra special. The monkey is genius.

4. 

   K. Robinson

   October 12, 2010

   Review by K. Robinson for Creepy Cute Crochet: Zombies, Ninjas, Robots, and More!
   Rating:
   Adorable book with fun patterns, but some confusion too.

   The construction techniques are fairly simple – easy stitches, etc. But there are a few poorly worded or vaguely described parts that were extremely frustrating to get the hang of. I learned that if you are a somewhat experienced crocheter and get the general idea of her instructions – you can probably wing it when you get a little lost.

   I made a perfectly cute pseudo-Cthulu little guy, and it worked up in less than 3 hours. And that includes the time spent wrestling with new techniques, cheap yarn, and frustrating face-tentacles.

   Absolutely NOT a book for a beginning crocheter, but simple enough to be a small and quick project for someone who is still getting familiar with the art. Lots of opportunities for inspiration and customization!

5. 

   Genevieve Hayes

   October 12, 2010

   Review by Genevieve Hayes for Creepy Cute Crochet: Zombies, Ninjas, Robots, and More!
   Rating:
   “Creepy Cute Crochet” contains instructions for crocheting 20 “creepy” creatures including: the Devil, Nosferatu, Queen Vampire, Chuthlu, a skeleton bride and groom, Medusa, a fuzzy alien, a cleric, an Amazon, a corporate zombie, the Grim Reaper, a Trojan, a Spartan, a cyber zombie, a knight, a ninja, a Day of the Dead (Los Muertos, not the zombie movie) gal and fellow, a monkey and a robot. All creatures are made in rounds of single crochet, using the same basic pattern, with only the embellishments really changing between designs.

   I like this book very much, and I think many of the designs are very cute and original. For me, the corporate zombie pattern alone made this book worthwhile. It is also a very nicely presented book. It is a full colour hardback with all patterns given as both charts and as written instructions. However, this is a far from perfect book. For starters, although these patterns seem simple enough for a beginner, no basic crochet technique instructions are provided. Also, the patterns in this book are a bit on the repetitive side. Is there really a need for both a corporate zombie and a cyber zombie in the same book? Similarly, there is very little difference between the knight, the cleric, the Trojan and the Spartan. Nevertheless, there is still enough in this book to make it worth your money, and I highly recommend it for people looking for something that’s a little edgier than bears and bunnies.
   

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