Super-cute Crochet by Nikki Trench is a wonderful book, full of great amigurumi characters to make and with lots of detailed instructions on how to get them just right it is perfect for any crochet ability.
I always like to know what projects are available in craft books and unless you are able to browse through the book beforehand it is usually difficult to find this out so I have listed what is contained in this book. There are 36 projects in 4 catagories:
My family and other animals - Nicki (doll)
- Dylan (doll)
- Mrs Mittens (cat)
- Mr and Mrs Bertie Buff-Oprington (hen and cockerel)
- Hatching Eggs
- Buff-Oprington Baby Chicks
- Beryl and the Baby Bees
- Boris the Baby
- Boo Boo, Rebecca Bear and Baby Bruce (bears)
- Andy the Alien
- Camilla the Pretty Pony
- Pete the Guinea Pig
- Daisy the Cow
- Ned the Naughty Old Goat
- The Two Little Pigs
- Pickle the Puppy
- Melody the Kitten
- Bubbles the Rabbit
- Sugar Mice
- Dimitri the Donkey
- Cheryl the Snail
- Alan the Lion
- Elliot & Shakira the Baby Elephants
- Michael Story Junior (monkey)
- Oscar the Panda
- Kimmie the Koala Bear
- Buzz the Emu
- Alphonso the Alpaca
- Vince the Rhinestone Spider
- Dave the Dolphin
- The Fish Brothers
- Freddie the Sea
- Ralph the Red Nose Reindeer
- Sparkles the Snowman
- Blossom the Fairy
Each project has its own character story and beautiful pictures of the finished result.
There is a helpful introduction which tells you some of the history of amigurumi and the author's process for making the toys as well as helpful tips on assembly and the general materials and equipment that you will need. At the beginning of each project there is a list of materials required which is very clear and detailed. These projects are ideally made from DK yarn and a 4mm crochet hook. Other items you will need include: toy stuffing, safety eyes, scraps of material and felt, ribbon and beads (depending on the character).
The projects are clearly written out in detailed instructions and each project also has a list of the abbreviations used so that you don't need to flick back to a glossary page. Also included in the book are techniques pages showing you exactly how to make each different stitch and templates for the material accessories, which I think is a great addition. It saves a lot of time and fiddling to get the dress ,or whatever it is ,to fit the character you have just made!