Crochet Creatures of Myth and Legend
Author – Megan Lapp – Creator of Crafty Intentions
Publisher – Stackpole Books
ISBN – 9780811771481
I own a lot of crochet books. I probably don’t NEED more. Especially as I often create my own patterns.
But when I saw “Crochet Creatures of Myth and Legend” by Megan Lapp, I fell totally in love!
This is a truly amazing book. The designs are intricate, customisable and absolutely gorgeous!
The book measures 28 cm tall and 21.5 cm wide – that’s 11″ by 8.5″. There are 238 full colour pages, so this is quite a substantial book.
The book opens with an introduction from the author, Megan Lapp, followed by details of the materials used to create the lovely creatures. Experienced crocheters will be able to easily adjust for a variety of other yarn weights.
This section concludes with a glossary of the terms and stitches used, laid out in a very clear table format.
The creatures are divided into two sections. The first are called “Cute Critters” and these are smaller, simpler projects. Perfect for less experienced crocheters.
The second section are the “Standard Size Creatures” and this part has the amazing, complex creatures shown on the cover etc.
The “Cute Critters” are:
- Alce Wingless Griffin
- Alicorn
- Cockatrice
- Dragon
- Gargoyle
- Griffin
- Hippogriff
- Jackalope
- Pegasus
- Phoenix
- Unicorn
- Wolpertinger
- Wyvern
The “Standard Size Creatures” are:
- Dragon
- Kraken
- Feathered Serpent
- Owl Griffin
- Phoenix
- Unicorn
It is important to note thatall the Standard Creatures, and some of the Cute Critters have alternative body parts allowing you to actually make a very large number of variations. With a little imagination you could even interchange parts from different projectss to make even more amazing creatures.
Each pattern has a detailed materials list then a table showing how many of each component to make for this project. Some patterns share components, and, as previously mentioned, some have optional ones. This is all clearly explained.
The Cute Critters all have these component lists, then you turn to the relevant pages to find the patterns for each component. These patterns are all grouped together. It is easy to follow this.
There are also colour photo instructions for any tricky or unusual assembly requirements.
I found the instructions and patterns very clear and easy to follow. The terminology is in standard American but it was easy enough to convert for a British crafter like myself.
The Standard Creatures are, in my opinion, the real gem of this book. Especially the dragons.
These are larger, very attractive creations with wired bodies and lots of (optional and swappable) detailing.
The Cute Critters may well be suitable as toys for children, but the Standard Creatures are more ornamental and suitable for teens and adults.
The Standard Creatures often include simple and more complex versions of various body parts. The many, many pictures throughout the book show the different options so you can choose what features you own creations are going to have.
As with the Cute Critters, the instructions are very clear and detailed. The Standard Creatures are more suitable for experienced crocheters though an intermediate crafter would probably be able to create the simpler variations.
Working through this book would teach a crafter many new and interesting techniques.
There is a detailed index at the back.
I have been very impressed with this book. The designs are really beautiful and look very impressive. But the patterns are clear and easy to use. Perfect!
So far I have made a few of the Cute Critters – who are indeed very cute! And am currently working on a big dragon. This is the perfect book for anyone looking to use up some glittery, metallic or fancy variegated yarns.
I would not recommend this book for the absolute beginner, but it has a lot of wonderful content for improvers and onwards. I particularly recommend it for experienced crocheters who are looking for exciting projects that they can customise and personalise.
The book is available in both paperback and Kindle versions.
The following links are to the book on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk. These are affiliate links which means that if you buy after clicking them, I may get a small commission for sending customers to Amazon. This is at no extra cost to yourself at all. Thank you.
Crochet Creatures of Myth and Legends on Amazon.com
Crochet Creatures of Myth and Legends on Amazon.co.uk
