- CKCJennifer

Kawaii Crochet Christmas Book Review

Kawaii Crochet Christmas book on gray surface with yarn and hooks nearby

Kawaii Crochet Christmas Book Review

Kawaii Crochet Christmas by Melissa Bradley-Vatcher is a delightful book filled with 40 cute Christmas projects that are guaranteed to add sunshine to your day! Today I will be sharing my thoughts and impressions about the book. I crocheted a project from the patterns and will share those photos at the end! Plus, I will provide a special link below where you can get a FREE pattern from Melissa in her signature style.

Thank you to David & Charles Publishing for giving permission to share the photos included here along with sponsoring a giveaway for my newsletter subscribers. 

(Click on any image or book title in this post to purchase the book, Kawaii Crochet Christmas, using my affiliate link – thank you for your support! To read our full disclosure policy, click here)

Amigurimi style projects - angel, gingerbread man, gift box and candy

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Overview of the Kawaii Crochet Christmas

Kawaii Crochet Christmas is a very colorful book that includes “40 Super Cute Amigurimi Patterns for the festive season.” Kawaii is a Japanese word that means “cute” and “lovable” and often is the art of taking a mundane every day object and giving it personality. (Ex. Adding eyes and a mouth to a piece of toast) Amigurimi is another Japanese word for small cute stuffed animals and other objects made with crochet or knitting stitches. The patterns in this book are for a variety of Christmas-themed projects, such as: an ornament ball, a wreath, an angel, a ballerina, a poinsettia, a gingerbread man, Christmas pudding and egg nog! And they all have the signature eyes and mouth that makes them very endearing!

Photo of a woman in a yarn studio with blonde hair and a jean jacket on

The Author – Melissa Bradley-Vatcher

Melissa loves all things handmade and after her second child was born, she fell in love with designing with yarn. Melissa also loves to bake and garden at her home in Utah, USA. You can find even more of her beautiful and cute patterns in her Etsy Shop, Yarn Blossom Boutique, and see several photos on her Instagram account here. She wrote 2 other books, Kawaii Crochet and Kawaii Crochet Garden filled with bunches of adorable projects that you can purchase here and here. (I wrote a review of the Kawaii Crochet Garden book here and made a couple projects from that as well. 🙂) I love Melissa’s design-style and how she writes her instructions clearly.

Crocheted cute projects with eyes and mouths - cup of milk, pie, cookies on a white background

Stitches and Yarns Used

Most of the stitches used in these patterns are single crochet. This is one of the most fundamental stitches in crocheting. For some of the projects other taller stitches are used (half double crochet and double crochet). And to create all the different shapes you’ll need to know how to work increases and decreases in single crochet – it’s easy to do and Melissa provides several pages at the end of the book with very clear explanations, photos and drawings to help with these stitches and many others. All projects are crocheted with cotton yarn by Paintbox which comes in a wide variety of bright colors. Projects are either made in Aran (worsted) or DK (light worsted) weights and use 3.5mm and 2.5mm crochet hooks.

More projects from the book Kawaii Crochet Christmas: green wreath, red candle, red santa gnome and red stocking on a white mantel

Layout and Colors of Kawaii Crochet Christmas

I love the layout and colors of Kawaii Crochet Christmas! Each pattern is written with a clear easy-to-read font across multiple pages. Information about the materials, measurements and gauge are included at the beginning of each pattern in a colored box along with several cute tips and quotes throughout. The photos are excellent showing all sides of each project and allowing you to easily see each detail. Plus, each page includes black and white Kawaii-style drawings that add another layer of cuteness! Overall, it is a lovely book that every crocheter would want to have in their library.

More cute projects with eyes and mouths: gingerbread man, hot cocoa mug, candy cane, small sweet candies

My Favorite Projects

My favorite projects are the Christmas Pudding, Turkey Leg, String Lights, Hot Cocoa, Lollipop, Gift Box and Christmas Tree Cookie. The Christmas Pudding looks so sweet with the icing, holly leaves & berries on top. I think it would be so fun to make a Turkey Leg for each person that you are having over for a special meal – you could even embroider their name on each one and use the crochet creations as place cards and a unique favor to remember the day! The String Lights could be made over an actual real string of lights to add some sparkle. I love how the Lollipop showcases the traditional red and white color-combo of Christmas – and it is done with such a clever and simple crochet technique. The Gift Box would make a great actual box for a small gift and then the container is a gift, too! I love how the Christmas Tree Cookie looks real and good enough to eat! But my absolute favorite is the Mug of Hot Cocoa with the little marshmallows on top so I chose to crochet that project!

Crocheted mug of hot cocoa with small white marshmallows on top with eyes and mouths in front of a Christmas tree

My Christmas Project from Kawaii Crochet Christmas

At Christmastime I enjoy sipping on hot cocoa (with some freshly brewed coffee added) while sitting by the fire and working on a crochet project so this project immediately stood out to me. The little marshmallows with eyeballs are so cute! I used mostly Sinfonia yarn by Omega. This is a great cotton yarn that comes in so many wonderful colors. I had a lot in my stash and decided to use a deep red and brown. I think the yarn I used is a little thicker than what was recommended but everything turned out great. For the marshmallows I used a bright white colored yarn from my stash that is a little thinner than the Sinfonia. Most of the pattern was in single crochet for all of the mug, hot cocoa, handle and marshmallows. All of the pieces worked up very quickly and I finished them in less than one evening.

Close up of the crochet mug of hot cocoa in a hand made with red and white yarn

Notes about Working on This Project

Melissa wrote all the patterns in a perfect sequence so you finish each part in the best order. Much of these projects are worked in the round so using a stitch marker is a must! This is so you can keep track of where each round begins and stay on track with the pattern stitches and numbers. I also recommend having a pen nearby so you can write down tally marks for each round as you complete them. When you work rounds like this (in a spiral) it can be hard to count them later. 

Supplies used for this mug of hot cocoa project on a gray background: red, brown and white yarn; crochet hooks, safety eyes, needles, felt, stitch markers and pipe cleaner

I LOVE how Melissa recommends using a hot glue gun! I often hot glue my crochet projects (that are not wearables and most likely won’t need to be washed) because it is quick and looks best. So, I used a little hot glue to secure the little marshmallows. I also decided to use a small circle of plastic canvas at the bottom of the mug to add stability. I added some red felt behind the face center to help secure the safety eyes (like in this technique here). I also decided to use little googly eyes for the marshmallows – I liked that look better than the safety eyes. (Of course, if you make any project with small eyes, remember they are not good for small children. It is better to embroider eyes on projects for them. 🙂) And I added a pipe cleaner to the inside of the handle to help it keep its shape.

Webpage screenshot of David and Charles publishing's site, Bookmarked

Special Arts and Crafts Books Hub by David & Charles Publishing

David & Charles Publishing and Search Press have created an excellent website called, “Bookmarked” where you can find info, images and extras for several of their crafty publications. Some of the extras are free to anyone and others are free if you sign-up for a FREE account – easy peasy!

Click here to see the current FREE Kawaii patterns by Melissa Bradley-Vatcher. So cute!

Graphic of the book Kawaii Crochet Christmas on a peach background - click to purchase

Fantastic Book – Kawaii Crochet Christmas!

Kawaii Crochet Christmas is a wonderful book filled with fun and super cute projects! I highly recommend purchasing this book and making some projects from it. They make great gifts that will bring your family and friends much joy and many smiles!

You can purchase this book here.

And if you love Christmas-themed crochet projects, check out some of my designs here.

You can find all of my FREE crochet patterns here.

Thank you for stopping by! Happy crocheting!

Jennifer

P.S. Don’t forget to pin the long image below so you remember where you found this review!

Kawaii Crochet Christmas book review long image for pinterest featuring a red hot cocoa mug with marshmallows - all have eyes and mouths along with cover of book and yarn

Copyright – Jennifer E Ryan- www.celticknotcrochet.com- all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Special thanks to Melissa Bradley-Vatcher and David and Charles Ltd. for giving permission to use the photos posted in this post.

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115 thoughts on “Kawaii Crochet Christmas Book Review”

  2. My favorite part of the book is how to make the safety eyes more difficult to use. That can be used on so many projects, no just her designs

  4. Thanks for your in-depth review, Jennifer. This book looks so adorable! Is there nothing we crocheters won’t do in amigurumi? I think not!

  7. I’ve not been into amigurami very much feeling that it would be too fiddly for me to make as I’ve only just taught myself to crochet

    Having seen your photos of Christmas amigurie and the loving work put into each charming project has inspired me

  10. Love all of these designs. I have been looking for small patterns that are cute and make up quick. They make cute gifts for grand kids

  12. This book looks so fun. My husband loves Gnomes and Hot chocolate with Marshmallows, so I already know who would get the first makes from this book. Such a fun thing. Christmas for me and my family!!

  13. Oh my goodness!! They are all so wonderful! My children are grown and on their own so now my home is filled with kitty love! That being said, I am absolutely over the moon for the cookies and milk for Santa!!!! Such a great idea and would help my cats in their very real struggle to.stay off the table😺

  14. What an adorable book!! My daughter loves hot cocoa with the mini marshmallows. If we’re outside for 5 minutes… Mom, I need a cocoa!
    My favorite is the candle. The flame is beautiful.

    1. 🤣 That is so cute about your daughter – I am with her! I love hot cocoa, too. Thank you for commenting. 🙂

  18. Thank you for keeping all of us current with projects that are out there. I had not heard of Kawaii Christmas. Now I can’t wait to finish my current Celtic Blanket, and start on some cute gifts for my coworkers! I make something for them every year, and several projects would be a great fit! I am thinking about the mugs, and cookies perhaps even putting a hanger on as an ornament. Thank you for bringing inspiration through your own designs and also for promoting other stitchers!

    1. You are welcome! So glad you like this book and that you are making the Celtic Blanket – please send a photo of it once you are finished- I would LOVE to see it! 🙂

  19. I LOVE her designs! When I buy a full book of patterns, I challenge myself to make one of everything from it. This would be so fun to do. You could fill a tree with just these little friends as ornaments! Ooo, my brain is working overtime!

  21. Hello Jennifer,
    I would love to crochet all of this wonderful Christmas amigurumi. My favorite one is the mouse, with the santa hat. Hope to win the book, but good luck to all!

      1. I absolutely love Kawaii ! I love the little faces. This book looks amazing! It is on my shopping list for Christmas!

  25. Thanks for sharing, I hadn’t seen this book yet but I have a few of their other Kawaii books and they are fantastic. I like using them not just for the patterns but for references on shapes if im trying to make something similar. I can’t wait to check the Christmas book out, I love the cookie patterns, especially the tree sugar cookie, those are my favorite!

  26. I just love your designs!! They are absolutely amazing. Would love to win the book!!

    Thank you for the opportunity.
    Sharon webb

  27. Absolutely love this book. There are so many cute patterns. I find it hard to pick just one favorite pattern, so I would have to make them all, LOL. This book will definitely go on my Christmas List.
    Thank you for sharing your book preview with us. You did an amazing job!

    1. Thank you! This was an easy book to write a review for since it is so well-done. So glad to hear that you love it, too 🙂

  29. Thank you so much for sharing this book with us. I never saw such cute patterns like this before. I like the angel. I also like the picture of the mantle with the Christmas items. I also want to thank you for the free rainbow pattern. I have a niece whose named Rainbow and this would be a perfect gift for her. Thanks again.

  30. These are all so darling! Each of them put a smile on my face. 🙂 I especially love the cookies and other treats – it would be hard to decide which to make first!

  31. What a wonderful addition this book would be to any crafter’s library. The pictures are beautiful and detailed.

  32. I make Christmas ornaments for my 4 granddaughters every year. This book would keep me in patterns for some time. I want to make them all.

  33. I agree with the others, it is difficult to pick just one favorite. However, the candle appeals to me. After all, who couldn’t use some light in their life.
    Thank you for sharing this.

  34. Those look like so much fun! They would be so cute for all of my great-nieces and great nephews and of course the grandbabies!

  36. I’d love to make them all! I know my grandsons would love playing with them, they enjoy the things I make them and usually have special requests. Since they looove marshmallows I’d say they’d choose that first!

    2. So glad to hear you love them all! So cute that your grandsons have special project requests for you – they definitely would love the marshmallows! 🙂

  38. This is so cute and so many projects. I think I’m with you and hot chocolate first then cookies.
    This book is one I would love on my shelf so thanks for the chance

  39. So many cute patterns it’s hard to choose just one lol! The cookies are just perfect to make as little ornaments! Can’t wait to try them!

  40. I love to make Amigurumi since people love a good stuffed animal. I think I would make the cookies and pie since I have not seen that made by others. I would give them out to friends and family that came to visit during the holidays. These projects look very neat and tidy and fun to make.

    1. They are very fun to make and fast, too! I love your idea to make the cookies and pie to give to family and friends over the holidays. Anyone who looks at these or gets them as a gift can’t help but smile. 🙂

  41. Wow, these look super cute! I have always wanted to try amigurimi. I personally love the hot chocolate and gnome, and especially the little mouse! But I think my 2 little boys would absolutely love the different cookies and a mouse each. How cute would it be if they could share with friends at school as well. Thank you for the great review and your wonderful designs as always!

    1. You are welcome! So glad to hear you like this review. I agree, I think your boys would love those projects. 🙂 I love them, too.

  42. As a disabled person I enjoy filling my house and my kids homes with crochet projects. These are so cute. My daughter would be so surprised by them. I like to randomly sneak a project into her purse and these would work beautifully for little surprises for her 😀.

  43. I totally LOVE your Christmas collection! The wee robin is my favourite. What a lovely group of ladies you have, I really wish we had a crochet group like that here. Your patterns are so clear to follow – even for me, and I am partly sighted.
    Thank you for the work you put into these inspired ideas – so original and greatly qppreciated.

    1. You are welcome! Thank you for your kind words, too! I am so glad to hear that my patterns are so clear for you to follow. Remember, if you ever run into a snag with one, please email me and I am happy to help. 🙂

  44. Thank you so much for the great overview. The patterns all look fantastic, they make me want to crochet them all right away. My daughter is a huge manga fan. I love amigurumi in the kawaii style. These little things always make wonderful gifts for friends. I would be thrilled to win one of the books. I wish everyone a wonderful advent season. Best regards from Germany

  49. So many fun projects. The marshmallows would be fun to make individually, adapt them into snowmen & put them into scenarios to reflect whatever interests family & friends like. You could make some skiing, maybe some playing base ball….

  51. Oh, my, Jennifer! This little book is so chocked full of patterns that are delightful! I am really having trouble choosing any one of them, but the Eggnog and the Candle really stand out to me as gifts for a couple of loved ones. What a treat!
    Wishing the best to all!

  52. I went and looked at the book and photos. I simply adore the little Teddy Bear with the scarf and Christmas Santa Hat. TY so much for the giveaway.

  53. Love the sound of the layout and all the tips for the hot chocolate, would love to try. Would like to try the candy for random acts of crochet kindness, leaving for people and children at Christmas time.
    Thank you so much for sharing

  54. Hi Jennifer,
    What a lovely Christmas Gift for whomever wins!
    This is a lovely book! There are so many patterns to choose from!
    I would really love to make the “Gift Box”. I would put a surprise in it.
    I love your choice of the hot cocoa with the marshmallows!
    Good Luck to Everyone!

    1. Hi Jacqueline! So glad to hear you like this book – I love your idea of making the Gift Box with a surprise. 🙂

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