Book Review: Crocheted Softies by Stacey Trock

Hi everyone!

Today’s book review is going to be on Stacey Trock’s second Amigurumi book titled Crocheted Softies. Comparing this book to her first book, which you can check out here, she has done another wonderful job in coming up with more adorable designs. With this book, the designs featured are animals from around the world.

book-review-crochet-softiesMuch like the first book, Stacey provides information about different stitches, yarn and yarn substitutes, and how to make child-safe eyes. She also has different yarn weights, a glossary of abbreviations, and resources where you can purchase different yarns and other materials towards the back of the book. Throughout the book, Stacey provides little tips to help you create each stuffed animal. Featured in the book are two different animals from each part of the world. For example, from Africa she features a cute giraffe and elephant. She even created two different aliens from outer space.

crochet-softies-book-reviewWhat I love about this book is how well-written it is. Stacey makes it easy to create each of these animals by providing detailed instructions that are easy to follow. Most of the animals start off with a basic head and body shape, so once you have that, you can continue on with whatever animal you are making. I highly recommend checking this book out and discovering your next project.

To find out more information about Stacey Trock, please visit her website: http://www.freshstitches.com/

Be sure to check out and subscribe to my blog for all future projects, hauls, and much more. As always, thanks for stopping by!

Caron Cake Crochet Blanket Pattern

Hey everyone!

In my last post, I talked about my review of the Caron Cake yarn. This yarn has definitely made a name for itself in the yarn community, to the point where some Michaels stores are running out faster than they can put these on the shelf. After picking up a couple to start with, I decided to make my very own crochet pattern. Since I love making baby blankets, I thought it was very fitting to make a blanket using these Caron Cakes.

caron-cake-bumbleberrybumbleberry-caron-cakeI was looking through my Crochet Stitch Dictionary book, which I have a review on, to help me decide which stitch to use. I decided to go with the V-stitch. I found this stitch to be very pretty, but very simple. I ended up using 3 Caron Cakes in the colorway Bumbleberry. The finished baby blanket measures to be a total of 43” x 36”.

If you are interested in making this baby blanket, please see below for the free pattern.

caron-cake-blanket-3caron-cake-blanket-2caron-cake-blanket-4Yarn-Caron Cake in Bumbleberry (I used 3 cakes)

Hook: I-9

Blanket measures: 43” x 36”

PATTERN:

Ch 130 +2 for foundation chain

Row 1: 2 DC in 4th ch from hook, *skip next ch, 2 DC in next ch; rep from * to last 2 ch, skip next ch, 1 DC in last ch, ch 3 and turn.

Row 2: *Skip next 2 sts, 2 DC between 2nd skipped st and next st; rep from * to last 2 sts, skip 1 st, 1 DC in turning ch, ch 3 and turn.

Row 3 and on: repeat row 2 until desired length

And there you go! I hope you enjoyed this pattern. If you have tried this pattern, or made something similar, please let me know in the comments below.

Be sure to check out and subscribe to my blog for all future projects, hauls, and much more. As always, thanks for stopping by!

Book Review: Cuddly Crochet by Stacey Trock

Hey everyone!

Today I’ll be reviewing Stacey Trock’s book titled Cuddly Crochet. I first discovered this book a few years ago when I was listening to Stacey’s podcast Crochet Chat. Sadly, she no longer has this podcast, but I am grateful that I was able to discover her website and her books. Her website is amazing and very colorful. She designs adorable amigurumi, which I just had to try out for myself.

cuddly-crochetcuddly-crochet-bookWhen it first started looking through this book, I noticed how detailed it was. She gave instructions for how to make each piece, different yarns she used and yarn substitutions, and of course different toys, hats, and blankets to make. For me, I wanted to start with something simple so I wouldn’t get discouraged and upset if something was confusing and didn’t turn out the way that I would like it to. I settled on making a bear. The bear turned out super cute and I couldn’t wait to get started on the next stuffed animal.

crochet-bearOverall, I think this book is well-written, detailed, and provides lots of beautiful pictures so you know what you are making. At the beginning of the book, Stacey provides different hat sizes, discusses different crochet stitches, and provides an alternative for child safety eyes. Towards the back of the book are different resources where you can find yarn substitutions, pattern abbreviations, and yarns featured in each pattern. Stacey also provides a list of different websites you can visit to purchase yarn, hooks, and other materials. If you are interested in crocheting amigurumi, this is one book you should definitely pick up!

crochet-bunnyTo find out more information about Stacey Trock, please visit her website: http://www.freshstitches.com/

Be sure to check out and subscribe to my blog for all future projects, hauls, and much more. As always, thanks for stopping by!