Book of the Month for September

Welcome back to our monthly book feature. I've decided to stick with the fun side of crochet this month as I know how popular amigurumi is. I find it tricky but would love to be more comfortable making those tiny parts as some of the patterns available now are just amazing. 

Without any further ado, I can reveal that my chosen book for September is 'Gnomes to Crochet' by Val Pierce (Search Press 2025 ISBN: 978-1-80092-217-4). 

There are 20 patterns in the book, for an eclectic mix of characters, from a mini Daffodil Keyring Gnome, to a Scandi Shelf-Sitter Gnome. There's even a gorgeous little fluffy Lamb Gnome made from lace weight mohair and silk yarn. There's almost a gnome for every occasion, with a bride and groom, a Valentine's Gnome, Santa and Mrs Santa, among many others. 

The book is laid out in a very clear way. There is a short section at the beginning with a list of all the equipment you might need and some helpful suggestions of yarns that work well. Although these are, once again, great projects for stash-busting. The book uses UK terms throughout but there is a key showing the equivalent US terms in the info section.

Each pattern chapter lists yarn, equipment and notions needed at the top of the first page. The written instructions are in a simple font, that is easy to read, and are laid out in a logical, neat way on the pages. There is nothing superfluous on the pages and the photos are large and clear, and provide a great visual guide to how the item should look from different angles and in close up. 

I'm determined to have a go at one of these patterns and given the time of year coming up, I think it might well be the Halloween Gnome. I just love his stripes. Despite having an extensive stash of yarn, I realise that eyelash yarn is something I don't have any of, so I will be paying my local yarn store a visit to see what I can find. I know, any excuse! 

I adore the fun mix of characters in this book. They would make great gifts and, needing only tiny amounts of yarn, would fit well with stash-busting (although of course if a trip to a yarn-store is a necessity that's fine too). 

If you would like to welcome some of these adorable characters into your home you can find the book on the Search Press website here and if you are in the UK you can get a 20% discount and free postage by using the code DD88 at checkout. 

Next month be prepared for a complete change of direction as my book of the month is a work of fiction! 

Until then, I wish you many happy hours of crafting.