Edward's Crochet Imaginarium: Flip the pages to make over a million mix-and-match monsters (Edward’s Menagerie, 1)

I own one of Kerry Lord's crochet books (“Edward's Menagerie”), so when I saw the most recent one for mix and match monsters, I ordered it straight away. Then I waited a bit as it probably shipped from the UK. The wait was well worth it. The book is fabulous in its ability to let me shape the project that I am crocheting.Note that the instructions are provided in UK terms. Essentially, for the purposes of this book, UK dc (double crochet) is equal to US sc (single crochet.) To get full equivalents for UK/US terms, you can easily find them on the internet. There are good photographs and written instructions at the back of the book for the stitches you will be using in making the monsters.First of all, the book is spiral bound to make flipping pages (and partial pages) easy. This is really important because of how the instructions are put together.The first part of the book is made up of three segments (head, arms, and feet). You choose from a wide variety available for each and make your monster to your own liking. Each of the three areas flips separately. The instructions for each segment faces its photograph so when the book is opened to your chosen segments, the instructions are all right there as well.There are three levels of crocheting as well: Level one – beginner, Level two – intermediate and Level three – advanced. You can tell at a glance of the photo which is which as the wood and wood texture of the background is what defines the level.There are four suggested sizes for monsters as well, with fine ( 1 or 2 weight yarn), DK (3 weight yarn), aran (worsted or 4 weight yarn) and bulky (generally 5 but can be 6 weight yarn.) It makes for an enormous difference in size with the smallest being equivalent to most amigurumi and the largest being equivalent to a good size stuffed animal. I generally work with worsted weight, so my monsters will be a nice size for my grandchildren to play with.This is a wonderful book and can provides many, many hours of stitching fun. There are so many combinations with the three segments, color choices, other little add-ons (including a variety of tails) that you could stitch from this book for years on end. It is a great book to have handy and to use often.

I love this book. A lot of handmade toys I crochet don't get played with much, but these guys are loved by everyone. The instructions are easy to follow (it should be noted they use UK terms, so if you're a U.S. crocheter you'll need to convert them) and the customization options are limitless. The design of the book allows you to get an idea of what your creature may look like by selecting the head, arms, and legs, but you can easily use parts of the arms or legs for fins or wings if you choose. There are also a lot of designs to try if you don't want to come up with your own or don't know where to start. The book also gives directions on how to make different sizes and detailed instructions on how to sew them up. Properly made, they will sit up on their own.The patterns are clearly written and even a beginner can easily follow them. If you get stuck or something is unclear (I had some trouble with the fingers and toes) the Toft website has video tutorials to help you out.I've made six of them so far. I used cheap acrylic yarn since most of these were made for babies and young children and they turned out great and are easy to wash. This is now my favorite crochet pattern book.

I read several reviews, positive and negative, prior to purchasing this book and I’m glad I did.One of negative reviews was that you have to turn the Back pages to look at the pattern instructions for the body then forward to look at the head, arms and feet. I didn’t have a problem with that. In fact, I would barely call it an issue because once you’ve made the body twice, you’re going to be pretty solid on how to do it again.The book is spiral bound, making easy to flip between the variety of patterns.The REAL grab to the book is the variety of head, arms and feet. By changing yarn size, color and patterns you can make a variety of “aliens.” I let my daughter, Two nieces and nephew pick what they wanted made 4 different unique “aliens” in different yarn colors and yarn patterns (the ombré alien my nephew wanted is my personal fav).The patterns are UK and are clear and concise. The pattern difficulty levels are listed as beginner, intermediate and advanced and are identified by the different wood grains in the background.There are a lot of variety in a book you should add to your pattern collection.

My kids love to flip through the book, and I love making the monsters. It’s in UK terms as others have said, which is easy to translate. It’s easy to follow and lots of fun! I highly recommend this book.

I like this book so much I gave this one as a gift

This book is very sturdy, pictures are helpful, and the directions are understandable. The format is fun and the interchangeable pages are super for designing a unique creature. It would be entertaining for a child to go through the choices for head, arms and legs with a maker to create her/his personal monster. Likewise with colors.The patterns for each part are very simple but seem complicated when sewn together. They are excellent for a beginner. An experienced crocheter might be a bit bored, but also might enjoy a quick easy and relaxing project.

These are perfect guides/patterns for any skill level of crochet. The book is easy to read and straight forward. What I love about this book is it also explains the terminology for crochet and give detailed pictured instructions as well for stitches and processes. I taught myself how to crochet from videos but this book enhanced my crochet skills to the next level. The patterns are also really creative and easy to make I’ve made several dolls already, they make perfect gifts.

This is a great book. Easy to follow directions. Everyone can create fun monsters