I really enjoy these, it turned out super cute! I wouldn't feel bad about not using the hook after trying it out - it's not worth the hand pain. I'm making a hat while watching
You are so brave to keep trying these kits so the rest of us don't have to, The hook and needle are criminal your interpretation of the patten was soooooo much better I would give the Vampire Knitting club a go I don't knit at all but it's set in a yarn shop so you get to hear about all the yarns, the main character is an American girl living in Oxford in the UK I think you might really like that part Love all your videos by the way I thought the second crochet book review was hilarious, death by soup 😂😂
My absolute favourite book is the never ending story. If you've never read that one I highly recommend it! My favourite book series is the death gate series, that sounds gruesome but it's a fantasy 🤪
I love those pumpkin sandwhich cookies. They are dangerous. Try the sweet potato cake with a dollar of the same floating on top. A little less sweet but still gives you the same effect and yumminess.
I'm enjoying this 'let's try this kit' series. When I get a kit I really don't expect the hook to be any good. I'm really glad you did the pattern again but this time with your own yarn & hook. ❤ the side by side comparison. Book recommendation: Natural Born Charmer by Susan Elizabeth Phillips - the audiobook is great! While watching the video in assembling a raccoon 🦝
I love joined rounds, it makes counting easier and when I'm working with shaped objects it helps me orient the front of the object which can be hard when the shaping is subtle. Also I like the line! If you do them them consistently it still looks clean.
Ive always done amigurumi in spirals but recently I learned a method where you can hide the seam on the inside when you use joined rounds so I started an amigurumi project with joined rounds and I feel like the color changes look so much cleaner.
Now I have *that* song stuck in my head 😅 “This is the cold that never ends Yes it goes on and on my friends Some people started passing it not knowing what it was And we’ll continue passing it forever just because….” Also I use joined rounds when there’s a lot of color changes (like stripes for the Animals of Pica Pau patterns). I put the seam in the back of the plushie. I’ve never been able to get the “jogless” color changes to actually be jogless… I’d rather have a little seam (reverse slip stitch to join can diminish the seam a bit) than the jogged color change. 🤷♀️
06:17 you probably dont need to really, but if you wanted to know the size of the pladtic hook you could always just use a needle guage/hook guage tool
Weird coincidence, lol. Im currently finishing up the snake plant one your husband wanted you to initially get. 😂 It looks like it'll come out super cute! My first time crocheting a plant. Edit: Even tho the steps uses joined rounds, I just ignored that and worked in my usual spiral rounds.
@Tfwcrochet The finished plant actually came out super cute! I didn't read any reviews about it prior, thankfully cuz it would've probably made me not want it. Lol. But yeah, it comes with wire to keep the plants standing up right in the pot. Crocheting around wire was a first for me and wasnt too bad. 💙 I gave it to my mom & she placed it on the tv set. I loved the way it turned out.
I remember commenting about you going up a hook size on the vampire kit, but I wasn't yelling or mad at you in case that is how it came across! It was just that you had named the kit almost running out of yarn as a flaw in the kit/something the kit did wrong without mentioning you'd sized up your hook. To be honest I think I would always grab my own hook over a plastic one that comes in a kit. No need to suffer with the cheap hooks when you've invested in the other ones! I also find the joined rounds odd in amigurumi, the only times I've really thought it made sense was when there was substantial colorwork, since you can get less of a 'slant' to your rows if you join. I still hate doing it though and avoid it if I can, won't lie. The bulldog came out so cute! I agree that it's odd that the backs of the ears are pink, I'd change that too.
I use joined rounds quite often in Amigurumi. I find using spirals make it look lopsided and throws off the look. In joined rounds, its all symmetrical & easier for placement. I usually don't have an issue with a large noticeable seam, as I keep my tension really tight when joining. I do still have a seam, just not as noticeable!
lol i bought a little taylor swift doll kit from Michaels that was “beginner friendly” and omg that thing stressed me out so badly. i mean im not an ami crocheter nor do i typically use patterns but I can’t imagine an actual beginner trying to make that 🥲 she currently looks like a little Medusa bc I never finished sewing down her hair 😅 love these vids!!! and i was working on a cardigan sleeve while watching :-)
Omg I think I saw that one and a Dolly Parton one by the same brand? I love Dolly so I’m thinking of picking that up. Thanks for the reminder! I’m sorry it was so frustrating though. 😖
He turned out so cute! I agree with you about the pink on the back of the ears… definitely a weird look from behind! I love that you made another one with your own yarn. He was so snuggly and precious! Love the kit reviews! I’m considering picking up the plant one you showed! I thought that looked cool, too.
I think joined rounds are most useful for color changes. I had one pattern that was a character with a striped shirt that called for joined rounds. In the back there was a visible seam but in the front the stripes were completely horizontal. I think it would have looked slanted with the continuous rounds.
I do occasionally use joined rounds for amiguruni but only in the circumstance that i need the circle to be a flat surface. going in spirals tends to shape the piece into a curve which is usually what you want for a plushie, but sometimes i want to avoid that curve, Its not often, but it is useful when you need a flatter circle.
I also always serial my rounds - even if a pattern called for thrn to be joined. I 100% agree with you. I'd rather not stop the flow and just keep crocheting. I also frequently do the whole thing in the back loop just because I'm faster at that, so if there's no shaping it would disrupt, ita blo all the way.
@@Tfwcrochet Yes, it gives a raised texture around. I learned amigurumi by watching Fresh Stitches classes and thats how she does it, so all her pieces are designed that way. I do both ways now, but if im needing a quick gift - its back loop lol.
A good series is the Blow Street series by Debbie Macomber it involves a yarn shop owner and if a remember right it includes a pattern in each book she also published through Leisure Arts a few pattern books think you might like both
I’ve come to the conclusion that if I’m buying a kit it’s for the pattern because either the yarn and/or the included hardware are awful. Also I wouldn’t buy it unless I got it in sale and could use a coupon. But that may just be me or I haven’t found a kit that just wow’s me. I only started crocheting a year ago and like the goofy I am jumped in both feet without a clue. But I’ve learned a ton since then and can worm may way through most patterns. Some are just a lost cause. Your bulldog turned out super cute! I agree with your revision to the back of the ears and the tail. It just feels more complete. I do like that your try to use the materials provided and agree that if they provided an item that makes it more difficult to complete a project, to swap for items you have to make it more comfortable for you. Someone may buy that kit as a gift for another that “wants to learn”. The receiver of the kit may think they are doing it wrong or they are the issue when it’s a problem with the items provided and give up altogether. Love the kit reviews! Also wanted to ask what is the pillow you are using to support your arms? (Sorry if you’ve already answered that)
I feel like if this was any more expensive I wouldn’t recommend it but for what it is I don’t mind it all in all. It is a boppy pillow! Original aren’t for breast feeding. I know there are ones specifically for crocheters as well but I haven’t tried those.
I was knitting a hat while watching. Cute kit! Glad one turned out well for you. Something like this would be a nice starter for amigurumi. Though I think I'll stick with shawls and hats and blankets for now.
My current favorite series is Anne Bishop's The Others series. There are 8 books so far. They are all available on Audible. The first book is called Written in Red. I would describe it as an alt-Earth Urban Fantasy. It has shifters and a romantic subplot. But the shifters are not people who can turn into animals and they aren't animals that can turn into people. They are something else that can turn into people and animals.
If people are actually mad that you use the hooks that you’re more comfortable with, they probably need therapy 😂 I saw these kits the other day and I thought the price was nice compared to similar ones. Not really something I’d buy, but i definitely see the appeal for some!
lol! People get really nitpicky with me sometimes. Honestly previously to starting a RU-vid channel I never did kits but now I just have to try them to see if they’re any good!
I’ve been eyeing some of those patterns as well I don’t think it’s bad for the price but some seem so complicated lol but yours turned out so cute and even cuter with the fluffy yarn! Also one book a lot of people have seemed to love is the very secret society of irregular witches by sangu mandanna
Maybe once I i finish a few of the twelve kits i have on hand ... I was working on the owl from Sarah Zimmerman's Crochet Cute Forest Friends book. She is also in the join, chain one club... but I'm spiralling away! 😅
I use joined rounds for amigurumi when there are stripes because I hate the jag you get when crocheting in the round. I think the even stripes make up for the line.
For book recommendations, I would suggest Jenny Lawson. Her first book is called Let's Pretend thus Never Happened. She's a very funny memoirist, and her books are some of very few that I actually reread.
$10 for such a small plushie and low quality materials seems kinda like a lot to me but that might just be me. I wouldn’t feel bad about using your own materials truthfully as long as they don’t affect the final outcome it shouldn’t matter. Ultimately this is your plushie you should do it the way you want. Book wise i think it would be cool to review any books you’re interested in even uncrochet related and then create a pattern or piece inspired by or from the book.
The Secret Stitch by C. Jane Reid. It has crochet in it. It's sets in the 1700 and this woman sees a Stitch that isn't knitted and tries throughout the book to work out what the Stitch is and does learn crochet.
Depending on the pattern, I've done continuous round and joined rounds for my plushies and I try to follow the pattern exactly when making it the first time, and then decide if I want to make changes. I find that playing around with joined rounds (there are several ways to do it) makes the color changing a lot neater. How do you even making nice clean stripes for something like a bee if you do continuous rounds? when the strips meet they are offset by a row and it's ugly and it drives me nuts. Joined rounds is one way to solve that problem.
