Crochet

Patterns, projects and techniques

Crochet Yourself A Monster

by

If the cover photo isn’t enough to interest you in this book, there’s more!  This insanely cute book is full of the designs of Brenda K.B.Anderson who designs costumes for the extremely popular Sesame Street Live.  So, she’s got the credentials, right?  I can’t get over how cute some of these ‘monsters’ are.  I bet you’ll agree.

Looking for more Monster patterns? Check out these ones we found on Etsy.

Included in this book are such beastly objects as a Frankenstein lookalike, complete with bride, a large colorful fish bag, a tiki monster pillow, and a scary-cure skull shaped purse.  There are monsters to wear, monsters to store candy, and monsters to hug.  Overall, these 23 designs pretty much cover the whole monster universe.  There’s even a Zombie marionette!

cro robot afghan 0913

My absolute favorite project – and the one that will be the favorite of your little boy – is the Robo-blanky, an afghan showing six different robots.  You’ll get a chuckle out of this one.  In fact, the whole book will tickle your fancy.

After all the designs (great pictures, charts, instructions, and tips), there is perhaps the best couple pages ever written for anyone who wants to crochet animals or characters.  Anderson’s Special Topic, ‘Principles of Cuteness’, gives very specific information about creating cute crochet, quantifying very succinctly how things like eye placement and proportions of projects work to produce cuteness.  This information may well be worth the price of the book alone.  This gal creates those adorable – and sometimes scary cute – Sesame Street Character costumes as well as various sports team mascots, so I’m thinking she really knows her stuff.  This book proves that!

Book Specs:

Beastly Crochet by Brenda K.B.Anderson

Published by Interweave Press, September, 2013

ISBN:  9781596685741

Large softcover, 168 pages, cheerful and useful photographs and charts where appropriate

List Price:  $22.95 USD

Looking for more Zombie Themed Crochet Patterns? Check these out on Etsy.

Comments

  1. I’m really glad to see some more fun crochet choices and not just the traditional, older- style patterns and ideas that my grandmother would’ve done. This is a nice change! 🙂

Have you read?

The Official Stardew Valley Crochet Book: That Rooster Had Me Hooked

Apparently, this is the year chickens took over my crafting attention. First came the emotional support chickens, then the pocket chickens, and now a rooster has managed to talk me into looking at another crochet book.

Honestly, put a crocheted chicken in front of me at this point and I’m going to stop scrolling.

That is exactly what happened with The Official Stardew Valley Crochet Book. The rooster sucked me in before I had even properly investigated what else was inside. After all the emotional support chicken crochet patterns we’ve been sharing, you would think I’d have had enough poultry. Apparently, there is still room in the imaginary yarn coop.

Now, a little honesty before we go any further: I haven’t read this book yet or tried its patterns. This is a look at why it has caught my attention ahead of publication. I have a very good feeling about this one, and I’m expecting it to be a lovely addition to the crochet bookshelf.

What’s Inside The Official Stardew Valley Crochet Book?

The publisher describes a collection of 25 crochet patterns with variations for more than 45 amigurumi projects, created by ConcernedApe, Megan Lapp and Ryan Novak.

The announced projects include Junimos, Slimes, chickens, a Junimo Hut and familiar game items. There are simpler projects such as Eggs alongside more challenging makes, including the Mermaid Pendant.

The chicken variations are particularly tempting, with different beaks, combs and tail feathers, plus White, Blue, Brown, Golden and Void varieties. You can probably see why my attention keeps wandering back to the coop.

It is scheduled for release on 26 January 2027 through Random House Worlds, with 240 pages in the hardcover edition.

Why This Crochet Book Is on My Radar

What appeals to me is the combination of recognisable characters and slightly ridiculous little objects. Those are often the crochet projects that make me smile most. A useful blanket is wonderful, but sometimes you simply want a tiny yarn creature keeping you company beside the sewing machine.

If you’ve enjoyed our emotional support pocket chicken crochet feature, you’ll understand the attraction. Small, characterful projects have a way of becoming much more tempting than the sensible project already waiting in your basket.

For Stardew Valley fans, there is also the pleasure of making something connected to a favourite game. We’ve previously shared a Junimo crochet pattern, so this feels like a lovely next book to explore for readers who enjoy that crossover between gaming and yarn.

Would I Add It to My Crochet Wishlist?

Absolutely. I can’t yet comment on the clarity of the instructions, the finishing details or how the patterns work up. Those are things I would want to assess with the book and a hook in hand.

But based on the announced collection, I know this is going to be a good one for my kind of crochet browsing: plenty of personality, playful projects and chickens I’m already mentally choosing yarn for.

You can take a closer look at The Official Stardew Valley Crochet Book on Amazon.

I came for the rooster. I suspect I’ll stay for the rest of the farm.