WHIMSICAL STITCHES a Modern Makers Book of Amigurumi Crochet Patterns by Lauren Espy is a testimony to her grandmother and her own journey of sorts through this wonderful medium. Amigurumi is a unique art form where incredible items are created using scraps of yarn, string, filling, buttons, paper, etc. and creativity. There is a definite structure and ability necessary to construct items crocheted or knitted. In WHIMSICAL STITCHES Lauren Espy showcases several adorable items that are crochet. Creating these items takes a great deal of planning, counting, and measuring and are almost like an architectural project and so I am very impressed with the details of the items included in WHIMSICAL STITCHES.

WHIMSICAL STITCHES includes twenty five simple and fanciful patterns. These are absolutely adorable. Some of my favorites at first glance are the turtles, flowers, cupcakes, and succulent planter. All these items are great stash users. Each pattern is fully illustrated with photos for the most important steps and clearly written with row by row instructions. The book is broken up in separate sections: garden, aquarium, farm market, and bakery. The only problem I can associate with WHIMSICAL STITCHES is deciding which one to make first. Each item would be such a welcome gift to a young child -- and Lauren Espy outlines acceptable substitutes to make the item safe -- substitutes for buttons and eyes.

WHIMSICAL STITCHES would be a welcome addition to any crochet library and candidly at the cost of less than one dollar per pattern is a nice perk.