The publisher (Edition Fischer) was nice enough to send me a (German) copy of Kat Goldin’s Crochet at Play. A book packed with ingenious and lovely – still practical – garments as well as cheerful accessories for babies and kindergartners. A book you’ll instantly want to flip through – if only to admire the beautiful color photos.

There are four sections of different patterns: (1) Head and Shoulders, (2) Fingers, Knees, and Toes, (3) the Whole Self, and (4) the Play Room. They feature a total of 30 cute cool projects. Even J was tempted to ask for the Dandy Veste (Dandy-Weste, p. 93) and that’s saying something!

My favorite in the 1^st section is clearly the Acorn Hat (Eichelhut, p. 19); the Beastie Feet Slippers (Tatzen-Schuhe, p. 59) in the 2^nd section are adorable dangerous, and the Rainbow Dress (Regenbogen-Oberteil, p. 97) in section 3 is as simple as it is ravishing.

Plus, there is a lot of valuable general information on how to get started, including techniques and basic stitches. At the same time, skill levels are given for each pattern, as well as measurements and – of course – written instructions. I assume that even crochet novices should have no problem crocheting any pattern flagged as „beginner.“

To me, there is no reviewing a crochet (or knitting) book without having a go at (at least) one of its patterns. Hence, I tried the cutest sleeping bag ever: the Mermaid Tail Sleep Sack. Actually, I am no huge fan of mermaids so I rather refer to it as a fish tail. Be it as it may: the pattern is easy to follow, clear and complete, it took me less than a weekend to make it, and the outcome is fabulous. The only thing I did not according to the pattern: I chose a different yarn. Bingo by Filace, a cashmere (50%) / wool blend (colorway Bahamas) that was pure joy to work with. It has a linen feel to it that I thought would work better for a summer baby’s sleep sack than the yarn recommended in the book.

To conclude there is a small video on youtube promoting the book:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgPi11tZKtI]

The book was not sent to me for review. I didn’t receive any financial compensation for what I wrote. Opinions stated are my own.