Book Review: "Crafty Creatures" by Jane Bull

 "Crafty Creatures" (Jane Bull)
2013,
DK Ltd (London)
ISBN 978 -1- 40932 - 113 - 2

This book cover urges you to "follow the steps to sew and knit the cutest critters".  And indeed, each project has step-by-step instructions making them feasible even for a beginner. The book touches different crafts, including sewing, knitting and stitching, in animal-inspired projects.

The projects are divided into four sections... Woolly Animals, Friends in Felt, Sew Cute, and Animals in Stitches. There is also a final section called Sewing Kit and Useful Know-How. This section is particularly useful if you're new to stitching.

Woolly Animals shows us how to make a variety of knitted animals..kittens, ducklings; not all the projects require knowledge of knitting, though. I particularly liked the very easy to make woolly octopus.
Also, if you happen to have any singleton socks or mittens (I don't know about you, but I get them with depressing regularity) this  section shows you how to turn them into cute, little cuddlies.

Friends in Felt and Sew Cute must be the best sections in the books, at least for someone who loves sewing like I do. With clear and easy to follow patterns, all you need are pieces of cotton or felt, a few odd buttons, your trusty needle and thread, and you will be making bugs, dogs, elephants and ponies in no time... I don't know about you, but I love projects that come with the relevant patterns; it makes life so much easier.

Animals in Stitches reminded me of the famous wedding dress Angelina Jolie wore to her wedding to Brad Pitt. (I LOVED that dress; it was such a lovely way to immortalise the children's artwork). This section demonstrates how to transform our pen-and-paper doodles into stitched works of art ..think of how that could add wow factor to a linen bag or even to a plain tee-shirt!!  It also has some ideas for simple cross-stitch patterns of animals..these are really easy to make, even for a child or an absolute  beginner.

In the final section of the book the author demonstrates a number of different stitches, something which will definitely be handy if attempting the doodle art mentioned above. In this section, there are also the basics of knitting. Personally, I have no idea of knitting, and since I would love to make up one of the woolly animals, I will definitely be using this handy guide.

Overall, I think this is a worthwhile buy if you are still a beginner. The simplicity and straightforward-ness of the projects are also ideal if you're a seasoned crafter trying out a new craft, or if you simply need to make up something in a hurry.

Have you found this book review helpful?? Please let me know..
Cheers! See you Friday!