I've been meaning to chat about this book with you for months and months as I bought it way back in the Spring, but somehow I just haven't found the time to do it before now. But as I mentioned the other day, I'm on a mission to catch up with myself re my hooky endeavours and I've got some lovely bits and bobs to share with you.
So this book then....Cute and Easy Crochet
There are 35 projects in the book, and almost every one is guaranteed to bring forth an ooooh or aaahhhhh or wwwoooowww.
It's incredibly inspring, makes you want to start crocheting first thing in the morning and not stop until last thing at night.
It makes you want to crochet things just for the pure joy of it. Do I need another crochet bag? Probably not, but oooooh that one is just soooooo cute!
There are one or two familiar projects in this book. Things that remind me of my own style of hooky.
The colours are softer than my own choices, but the style is definitely familiar.
Yes, definitely right up my street.
The styling and photography throughout the book is sublime, with each crochet project sitting in beautiful surroundings. There is a touch of shabby chic about it, with pale distressed furniture mixed up with quirky accessories. I love it. I love the whole look and feel of this book, and just flicking through the pages is enough to make one sigh with pleasure.
Many of the projects in the book are made using Laughing Hens "Rooster" yarn, and this defines the overall style and colour palette. They are kind of soft, but not pale. Think pretty vintage rather than sweet icecream or baby pastel.
This is page 97 and when I landed here my oooooohs and aaaaahhs and woooowwws definitely went up a notch. How totally, fabulously adorable are these sweet little Russian dolls? They almost took my breath away with their cute little flowers and sweet little headscarves. Awwwwwwwwww!!
The very uselessness of them appealed to me enormously, I have a definite weakness for decorative but useless crochet items (bunting falls into this category). I couldn't wait to get started.
These sweet dolls are worked from the bottom up and they are made in traditional amigurumi style ie by working the rows round in a continuous spiral. It took me a while to get used to this idea as I hadn't ever done it before, but it's not that difficult. Two things I learnt the hard way ::
1. when the pattern instructs you to place a stitch marker at the beginning of each round, you should really take note and do as you are told.
2. Concentration and the ability to keep count are essential when making these little things, you cannot easily wing it.
There are four sizes of doll (large, medium, small and tiny) and I chose to start out with Miss Medium. As you can see, I couldn't bring myself to use white for her body so she was given a pink top instead.
You can see her white crochet face (the small white circle) sitting there on the page too, awaiting some embroidered features. Actually stitching the faces was quite a challenge, it's harder than it looks to embroider eyes and a mouth and make it look smiley rather than grimace-like. I can also tell you that when the pattern tells you to "press face" you should do it cos it makes a big difference. It's worth the trouble of getting the iron out before you try and stitch.
This is Mrs Large, all stuffed up and waiting for face and decorative details. Oh how I LOVED making the Decorative Details!! I mean, I did enjoy the challenge of working and shaping the body and creating those ingenious little headscarf ties, but really in my mind the project was ALL about The Flowery Bit.
It gave me a ridiculous amount of pleasure to prettify these little Babushkas. The combination of crochet flowers (teeeeeeeeny tiny, worked on a 2.5 mm hook) with embroidered detail (chain stitches mainly) was a complete joy to work on.
I could have gone on and on and on covering these dolls in flowers, stems and leaves but the trick is knowing how much is enough. Deciding when to stop is often harder than it seems.
So here we have them, my three little Babushka dolls, Ta-dah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mrs Large, Miss Medium and Little Miss Small........
......sitting happily on my mantel, smiling their sweet embroidered smiles.
I confess to having a soft spot for Little Miss Small. Her neatness and smallness is captivating.
But she does have a tendency to keep diving head first off the mantel and into the coal bucket. Naughty Little Miss.
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Super cute - love it! :-)
Posted by: tinajo | October 03, 2011 at 07:05 AM
Lucy ~ they are fab! I've just ordered this book from the library and now I can't wait to get my hands on it and have a proper look at it :O)
Posted by: Jackie | October 03, 2011 at 07:09 AM
I read a time ago about the book and i bought it too, it is a lovelybook and i hope that these little ladies soon are standing on my mantel ;-)
Posted by: mirjam huckriede | October 03, 2011 at 07:12 AM
I have borrowed this book from my local library and it is absolutely wonderful. It is on my "To buy one day" list! That is obviously where I spotted the Russian dolls the first time. I know when I saw yours sitting on the mantelpiece that I had seen them somewhere before and I wanted to make them. But I had to return the book to the library before I got my chance!
xXx Helen
Posted by: Helen | October 03, 2011 at 07:16 AM
They're the sweetest thing! I love russian dolls. I have this book on my Amazon wishlist, i agree its hard to know what if a book you covet will live up to expectations when you actually get it so it's nice to see your 'review' of it, on my wishlist it will stay! I'm still at the stage of crochet where i make rectangles/circles of various stitches that aren't really destined to be anything but its helping me get used to the different stitches. Do you know of any books that has a pattern for crocheted cupcakes? When i've moved on from being a beginner i'd like to make some to sit on one of my vintage cake stands in my dresser. Take care, K xx
Posted by: Kate | October 03, 2011 at 07:20 AM
guten morgen lucy! boy, you're up with the chickens.
thanks so much for sharing tips on these. they will SURELY go on the (looong) list of to-dos! i have a HUGE weakness for babuschka-dolls...
used to follow a blog written by emily moss who lives in norway (the blog ravenhill, i believe it was called doesnt exist any more sorry to say - she would share wonderful photos) she made them from different materials and decorated them with so much love, the details are so important and yours are just so sweet! i have several 'tilda' books written by tone finnanger (also from norway) and there is a wonderful pattern there as well for a sewn babuschka but i havent seen a hooky one as yet... thanks for sharing this!
now, i do have to ask you - did you put anything weighty in the bottom to help them stand better? i think that would be a good idea to help the lil miss from taking a dive too often! now imagine making a BIG one as a door-stop, greeting all as they enter the room! or a pillow-sized one... (hmmmmmm have to think about that...)
i am off to bake banana bread and i bought a butternut squash that will be hitting the pan today. have a wonderful recipe for a pasta sauce with grated cheese and chopped walnuts and parsley i just HAVE to try!
a nice sunday to ALL xoxoxo
Posted by: heidi | October 03, 2011 at 07:24 AM
That truly looks like a nice book. But unlike you, I prefer things to be used. Have too much useless stuff already, I guess. :) And those bags... I could surely need one more bag, don't you think? Or maybe even make two, one to give away for charity. Think I have to take a look at my yarn stash! As always - thank you for sharing! Your little russian ladies are adorable! As everything you do... :)
Posted by: NillaK | October 03, 2011 at 07:34 AM
Love these little Russian dolls!! I haven't done any 'hooky' work for years, but now I think I'll have to pick it up again!! The bag in that book just has to be made.......just hope I can still remember how to do it!!!
Posted by: debi | October 03, 2011 at 07:38 AM
Hello Lucy, are beautiful dolls. You have very good hands ... A hug from south of Spain.
Posted by: Esther | October 03, 2011 at 07:41 AM
Just love this cuddly dolly family. I put some onto cushions and hand-felted their faces - like you say, quite a challenge! Your dollies look very happy though!
Posted by: Adaliza | October 03, 2011 at 07:49 AM
Majorly cute russian dolls, just ordered that book last friday so i'm waiting with anticipation to browse through all that deliciousness. Made some fabric russian dolls last year but you've inspired me to give these ones a go when my book comes :)
Have a sweet day
Karen x
Posted by: karen | October 03, 2011 at 07:50 AM
Book looks great and upon your recommendation I have just purchased it!
Those dolls look like they may come and join our family too, just too cute not to
Posted by: Candace | October 03, 2011 at 07:52 AM
They are just gorgeous! Love them :-) I have the book on my birthday list this year. Fingers crossed I get it :-)
Posted by: Katie | October 03, 2011 at 07:53 AM
Oh they are sooo cute. Love your blog and all the hooky things u do!
Posted by: Sreekala | October 03, 2011 at 07:56 AM
Book looks excellent and the three dolls are so-oo cute!
Posted by: kate | October 03, 2011 at 07:56 AM
So cute, I love their little faces :) Will add this book to my Christmas wishlist I think! x
Posted by: Jenny | October 03, 2011 at 08:09 AM
They're cute, really. I saw some baboushkas in London this summer - not crocheted ones, it was a kitchen towel pattern, - and we laughed a lot with my husband. The matter is that "baboushka" (stress the first syllable) is the Russian for "Granny@ (=Grandmother). Well, these grannies look perfectly well for their age! :)
Posted by: Irina | October 03, 2011 at 08:10 AM
Aww, your matryoshkas look so sweet! With amigurumi I used to stubbornly ignore the "place stitch marker" part, only to want to hit myself a few rounds later :-)... You've done lovely embroidering, wasn't it difficult to do this after the stuffing of the bodies?
Enjoy the lovely wheather!
xxxx
Posted by: Nanita | October 03, 2011 at 08:12 AM
they are sooooooooooooooo sweet Lucy! I love them and your colours are divine!
I'm addicted to pinterest so I am off to pin them immediatey!!!
Love Alice XXX
Posted by: Crochet with Raymond | October 03, 2011 at 08:13 AM
Yes, I love this book too and have plans for some gifty type hooking soon. Love your baboushkas - and prettifying a bare spot is definitely useful as far as I'm concerned!
Posted by: Ann | October 03, 2011 at 08:14 AM
A beautiful book and your Russian dolls are gorgeous. If I am captivated by a book on Amazon and want to know what's inside the cover a quick trip to Google Images quite often reveals pages which people have posted on their blog! I've also found some interesting blogs this way too. I enjoy reading Attic24 though it may be the first time I have left a comment. Thank you for sharing your colourful world. Ros
Posted by: Ros | October 03, 2011 at 08:17 AM
I've seen this book and drooled over it regularly maybe I will just have to buy it now cos those little dolls are amazing! I love your little collection of ladies could you make them some lovely Russian men to keep them company I wonder!
Have a great week. ♥
Posted by: sue | October 03, 2011 at 08:21 AM
Such friendly little faces and such pretty, floral outfits! :)
Posted by: the quiet homemaker | October 03, 2011 at 08:23 AM
fantastic little dolls..I love it.
Posted by: Patricia Newton | October 03, 2011 at 08:31 AM
FAN-TAS-TIC! I love them. Wow.
Posted by: Mieke | October 03, 2011 at 08:34 AM