*This post contains affiliation links.
If you're as bad as I am with plants, but talented with a crochet hook and yarn, Kawaii Crochet Garden, a crochet pattern book available today, is a book for you. Written by Melissa Bradley, better known by her designer name Yarn Blossom Boutique, contains 40 equally cute patterns for houseplants, bulbs and garden accessories. It was published by David & Charles, a British publishing house that you should check out if you are creative like me!
The book is available as of today: order yours now!
What to expect from this book?
Each one of the 8 chapters of the book represents a color (red, pink, blue, white, green...) and contains 5 patterns, generally 2 potted plants, 1 vase, 1 bulb and an accessory. Obviously, the maker can have fun with the colos they chose and switch them up for more contrasting pots or flowers. Melissa discusses the theory of colors in a very concise and effective way in the first pages of the book, which is a good help to support your choices.
Not a fan of those little kawaii faces? You can still make the projects and not add a face; it will make your flowers more neutral and discrete.
Towards the end of the book, visual instructions are offered for basic and special stitches. Those are very practical and useful, but make sure you read the end part before you start crocheting!
Testing: the sunflower 🌻
This wouldn't be a testing article if I hadn't tested the patterns, so of course I did! I went to the yellow chapter and decided to make the sunflower. I brought it to my office because I'm not there often enough to take care of plants, and also because... I'm just terrible with them!
It's a question of preference but you should now there is a lot of sewing pieces together involved in the book, especially with the sunflower which has 20 petals to sew on the central stem. There is also some metallic thread involved in the making of a couple patterns, in order to give them more structure. While it's not so complicated to use, it does require a little more patience and attention to detail.
Since the sunflower has a big head with 20 petals, I used a heavy duty metal wire I had lying around at home. I would even recommend adding some weight to the base of the pot to make sure it doesn't fall down from the flower's weight.
Generally, this book has patterns that are great for beginners. Each pattern is identified as easy, beginner or intermediate, definitions which you'll find at the end of the book. This means the techniques proposed are very simple and easy to understand.
I liked:
The book's format: it's stays open while you crochet
The chapters being divided by color
The clarity of the instructions and the book overall
I didn't like:
That there was a lot of sewing involved
Working with metal wire
The things I disliked were more related to personal taste than a critic to the book itself, but I think these are things you should know before you get going. If you're a huge plant lover (like I can imagine a couple of you right now), you'll definitely like this book from Melissa Bradley, which is full of cuteness and Spring joy.
Psst! You'll probably like her first book, Kawaii Crochet, too!
⭐️ Giveaway: win your copy of the book!
One lucky crocheter will be getting my copy of Kawaii Crochet Garden.
To register, you just need to follow some simple instructions on my Instagram post about this book. You'll get 5 extra chances if you subscribe to my newsletter (current subscribers are included if they participate on Instagram as well).
If you liked this post, you'll be happy to know I have received many other fun books to review, so more testing articles are definitely coming!
💌 Never miss Les Mailles à Mailloux news by registering to my newsletter!
Find me on:
Ravelry (patterns)
Etsy (patterns and creations)
Comments