Hi Friends, 

I was recently gifted a wonderful new crochet book from my loving and clever husband. It seems like an ample opportunity to play with some of my scrap yarn and write a review!

UPDATE: While working through the Rose Parks pattern, I noticed a stitch count error. Some quick research informed me that there are a few errors in the book. But you can reference the corrections from the publishers here: CROCHET ICONIC WOMEN ERRATA

Crochet Iconic Women: Amigurumi Patterns for 15 Women Who Changed the World

By: Carla Mitrani

Publisher: David & Charles (October 13, 2020)

The book is broken down into three major topics. First, it covers the tools and stitches used in the book. Second, there are 15 doll patterns for various iconic women and one chimpanzee. The women cover various areas in the fields of science, history, social justice, athletics and the arts. While the basic body design is similar across all the patterns, the individual accessories and color choices make each one unique. The last, but certainly not least, topic covers tips and tutorials for completing your doll. This was an extremely useful reference and earned this book review an additional star! 

I found the book well designed with a functional layout. The patterns were well written and accurate. It offered a variety of mix-and-match options for creating new dolls, and tips for customizing the dolls presented in the book. I am so excited I received it and will be using it again!

5 out of 5 Hearts!

The yarn suggested by the book author is Rainbow 8/8 Cotton yarn from Hobbii, which I did not have on hand. Instead, I used a variety of #4 Medium Weight acrylic yarns I had leftover from various other projects. 

My doll’s body was created with leftover bits of Loops & Thread’s Impeccable, available from Micheal’s stores. This was also used for the mermaid tail and purple top. For the red halter top and skirt, I used Red Heart’s Super Saver Economy yarn. The hair was created with Lion Brand Yarn’s Heartland yarn, and the hair accessories are an unknown source of cotton yarn. 

Also working with the supplies I had on hand, the doll eyes I used were 12mm in size. The book suggests a 8 mm size. 

Using the basic doll construction and experimenting with various hair instructions, I created my own doll from the patterns referenced in this book. The patterns were clearly written with good explanations. A few times I had questions related to the construction, but the section related to Tips & Tutorials answered these. Although I worked with different materials, my finished item looks very similar to the book’s designs. I feel that is a reflection on the quality of the crochet patterns themselves, rather than any skill I brought to the table. 

Below you will see pictures of my newly finished friend, whom I have named “Jayne” (pronouns them/they). Just like my real-life friends, they are created to be unique and one of a kind!

Jayne

This article is an original by Christy Hagan of the blog Christy Makes Friends. Please do not steal images or content as your own. If you’d like to share this article, you may provide a link to this post, but please do not reprint it on your website.

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