"Amigurumi World - seriously cute crochet" authored by Ana Paula Rimoli is a great book for learning the art of amigurumi. It is also great if you want to learn how to crochet but patterns scare you.

This book has so many adorable projects that kids and even adults will love, filled with many vibrant photographs.

She explains all we need to know about amigurumi in her General Guidelines section. This section is filled with illustrations and instructions to help with yarn choice, face tips, and even how do all the stitches needed in the book. The abbreviations and glossary are also helpful to learn the lingo. The slender size of the book also makes it a great travel book.

The only down side to this book is the pattern "Cafe Con Leche Cup" has a mistake in the instructions. This however is easily fixed. When you purchase the book, go to page 66 and under the word cup find R7: sc 28 and replace it with R7-15: sc 28.

Out of the 32 amazing projects in this book, I chose the "Baby Owl" for my example. I made this little guy for my Mother-in-Law and even took him out on a little photo shoot of my own. :)

He was very easy, although I wouldn't recommend him as your first project. I would choose the cupcake as the best first project, which is the one I started with.

***On a Personal Note - I really just adore this book, because when I started to learn to crochet I had a hard time understanding instructions. I basically gave up because I got discouraged.

Then I came across this book and it restored my crochet motivation. I actually was able to understand the instructions and make something that was fast and easy. It's important when starting out to find easy projects that are quick and give you amazing results. This book did that for me. This book is the reason I am crocheting today.

"I Love Patchwork", authored by Rashida Coleman-Hale, is a great book chalked full of great projects. 21 Irresistible sewing projects to be exact.

This book is full of so many creative and crafty patchwork photos. You are even provided with all the templates you need along with a glossary and even a great resource page to help you find your supplies.

If you are new to crafting, there is even help in the beginning of the book with Tools and Materials, fabrics and care, and technique tips to help you with the projects included in the book.

 The project I chose to showcase this book is the pattern: Blossom Pincushion.

This project was a lot of fun. It was so easy and in the end turned out just like I imagined. I am thrilled with the results.

A great buy for sure!