Another round up of cute new craft books to pick up or add to your wish list – some are are out now and others are available to pre-order. I’ve included Amazon links below but you can also order through other sites, like Bookshop (UK/US) which supports independent bookshops near you.
Sumikko Gurashi are the stars of 2 new books that have just been released in Japan. While both are in Japanese, they’re aimed at kids so should be easy enough to figure out, with a little help from the Google Translate app. Sumikko Gurashi Paper Craft has 8 projects to make, which are printed inside the book so all you need to do is cut them out, fold and glue. They seem to be mostly variations on boxes but they are very cute. Sumikko Gurashi First Bread Recipe will teach you how to make bread and decorate it to look like the characters. It starts off with basic breads and ends up with pizza, naan and even scones and pancakes. There’s step by step photos and lots of cute illustrations too. Get them both from Amazon Japan or CD Japan. Out now
Following the crochet and cross stitch books, there’s now Pokemon Knitting (UK/US) with 20 cute patterns to make. They’re split between Beginners, Easy and Intermediate so even if you’re new to knitting you should be able to make a lot of the book. The chosen Pokemon include all the big favourites including Pikachu, Eevee and Eeveelutions, starters and more. Out November There’s also a new Pokémon Origami (UK/US) book out now with 10 characters to fold.
Maybe you’d prefer to Knit a Mini Farmyard (UK/US)? Despite the subtitle, this isn’t just knitting patterns for adorable little animals but also includes a scarecrow, pumpkins, vegetable patch and even a field with pond so you really can create a whole playset. It’s also part of a series with Woodland, Ocean & Safari books (UK/US) already available. Out December
I was surprised to see Pompomania (UK/US) in the new releases section as I bought a secondhand copy years ago. It definitely deserves a reprint though as I’d forgotten how amazing it is. You can see some of the projects on the publisher’s website – it’s not just garlands and patterned poms, there’s also pom pom cacti, ice cream cones, hearts and animals. I promise to dig my copy out and actually make something soon for a review post. Out now
There’s been a lot of cash-in pop culture craft books lately but The Muppets Official Crochet Amigurumi (UK/US) definitely hasn’t spared any effort. The details really are incredible and it’s the sort of book I would buy just to look at – even if you’re not a fan, I insist you click through and look at how the toys have been photographed. If you do crochet, there’s 16 character patterns, from Kermit & Miss Piggy to the Snowths & the Swedish Chef. Out October
If you’re an anime fan, you’re probably familiar with nui dolls – collectible dolls of popular characters that you can dress up. With Cute Plushies and Mochi Dolls (UK/US) you can make your own hand-stitched dolls, whether that’s characters that aren’t available to buy, or even yourself and your friends. It all starts with one body pattern and then there are templates for 27 different dolls and lots of hairstyles, facial features, outfits and accessories so you can really customise everything to match your ideas. Out November
Check my previous book posts too as the preorder books should all be in shops now. What’s going on your wish list?
Leave a Reply