First impressions –
Keep in mind that I’m writing this review based on my first impressions as an experienced crocheter upon receiving and looking through the book before actually trying out any of the patterns (although I did read through some of them).
The positives:
– It’s well organized and well labeled. Everything is easy to find and it’s easy to navigate through the book
– There’s a nice, balanced variety of items to choose from. It’s not too over saturated with one type of thing (ie. too many blankets, too many amigurumis, too many costume replicas, too much home decor, etc.). There’s a little bit of everything, which is nice, and makes it appealing for HP fans of all ages. You can probably find something in it to please almost everyone.
– It contains some of the patterns that you would expect to see (such as the sorting hat and the Dobby amigurimi) as well as patterns that I’ve never seen or been able to find elsewhere. Anyone who crochets regularly knows that Etsy and Ravelry are two platforms where you can find patterns for almost anything, and there are a few patterns in here that I have honestly never seen anywhere on the internet, despite being a frequent shopper of HP and other fandom related patterns. So, major points for managing to pull that off.
– Similar to the above, it contains patterns for some less recognized and under appreciated items from the films, such as Dumbledore’s hat, and Luna’s cropped lavender cardigan/shawl from Order of the Phoenix are just to name a couple. It also contains a few that I wasn’t expecting but am very excited about, such as an amigurumi of Professor McGonagall’s animagus form.
– The garments have instructions for larger sizes besides just the standard S, M, L, and XL. While this might seem obvious, you’d be surprised at how many patterns I’ve come across that were written as if plus size people don’t crochet or don’t want crocheted garments.
– There is an appendix in the back that shows what the different abbreviations mean for those people who are used to following video tutorials rather than reading written patterns
Constructive criticism:
– Judging by the photos, two of the amigurumis are a little lackluster in my personal opinion. Namely, the mandrake and the doe patronus are not what I would consider true amigurumi. They’re much more 2-dimensional, very flat, and almost pillow like, which makes sense because judging from the instructions in the pattern, they’re basically flat pieces sewn together and then stuffed. While I can certainly see WHY they may have chosen to do this (as a way to make the idea of crocheting a 3-dimensional figure seem less intimidating), there are plenty of better looking, beginner friendly amigurumi patterns of the same things that they could have chosen instead. The flat nature of them makes them look slightly more like a Christmas tree ornament or a decorative pillow than an amigurumi.
– Similar to the above, a couple of the patterns have better options available elsewhere online in which the final products look (in my opinion, as a longtime crocheter) better than the final products of the patterns shown in the book – namely Hedwig and the mandrake.
– Not all of the garments accommodate the same range of sizes. While they all have at least one option for larger sizes, they’re not all equally plus friendly. A couple of them go up to a 5XL, one goes up to a 6XL, 2 only go up to a 3XL, and one stops at a 2XL as its largest size. While I myself can get by with a L or an XL depending on how oversized it’s meant to be, I know plenty of people who can’t, and thus it would have been nice if they had chosen patterns that would have allowed ALL of the garment instructions to be offered in the same range of plus sizes. Trust me, nothing is more disappointing as a crocheter than to flip through a pattern book, find a pattern you love and get excited to make, assume it’s going to be available in your size because all the others have been so far, only to discover it’s NOT actually written for your size and doesn’t include instructions for how to customize beyond the pattern.
– Jumping off of the previous point, the garment patterns and blanket patterns don’t contain additional instructions for how to customize the size beyond what is already written. Most patterns will include a guide or a formula to calculate how many starting chains you need to do in order to make whatever it is bigger or smaller than the size(s) the pattern is written for. None of the ones in this book do that though, which is a real shame because if they had, then that could have been a potential solution to the garment sizing issue I already talked about. Honestly this would have been just plain helpful for anyone, not just beginners or people who need a larger size beyond those that the pattern is written for, because even among experienced crocheters such as myself, not everyone knows how to come up with those calculations and formulas themselves. I immediately loved the golden snitch baby blanket and wanted to make it, but there are no instructions for how to customize the size in order to make it big enough for an adult, and I’m a single woman with no babies anywhere in my immediate circle of friends and family.
– There are a few patterns I would have preferred instead of the ones that were included. In particular, I could have done without the potions baskets, the dirigible plum pillow, and the unbreakable vow sweater. The potions baskets look really impractical and honestly kind of ugly and juvenile in my opinion. I’m not sure what you would ever use them for except as a Halloween decoration or in a kid’s room. In their place I would have preferred Hermione’s bag from Deathly Hallows Part 1 that she uses the extension charm on. The dirigible plum pillow is fine I guess, but it’s such an obscure reference that I doubt most people would even remember it from the films (I know I sure didn’t). The designated background color also blends in way too much with the plums. It would look a lot better using a different color yarn from what is recommended. In its place I would have preferred a pillow of the Marauder’s Map (or a howler pillow would have been funny as well). The unbreakabke vow sweater might appeal to other people, but it’s just not my taste. It’s also another rather obscure item that I didn’t recognize. In its place I (and probably lots of other people) would have preferred the Quidditch sweater. The official replica ones are very expensive, and also very itchy because they’re 100% lambswool. Wool allergies and wool sensitivities are very common, so it would have been nice if they had included it as one of the patterns in this book so that people could make their own, as a way to make it more accessible to those people who either can’t afford the official ones, or those who need a more tolerable, less allergy irritating material. The Quidditch sweaters are so popular and recognizable that I’m sure many fans buying this book would be expecting to see them included, so the fact that they were NOT chosen has the potential to be a major letdown.
– Similar to the former, there are 2 patterns that I personally feel didn’t need to be included at all because they’re so simple. These are the House scarves and Hermione’s Godric’s Hollow set. A scarf is literally the most simple, basic thing you can possibly make. There’s a reason it’s like the very first project everyone makes when first learning how to crochet. The hat and gloves for Hermione’s Godric’s Hollow set could be accomplished with pretty much any pattern for a textured beanie using solid yarn, and basic fingerless gloves using multicolored yarn of the same shades. You can find a million tutorials on YouTube that walk you through step by step how to crochet the House scarves, a textured beanie, and fingerless gloves. I understand the need for beginner friendly options, but since these two in particular (or an identical equivalent) are SO abundantly available elsewhere, I don’t see the need to have included them. There are plenty of other beginner friendly, less generic options that could have been included instead
– A couple of the items featured are not actually in the movies but are merely inspired by them. The ones that stood out to me the most in this category are the Burrow Blanket, and the Bertie Botts Every Flavor Socks. I may be in the minority on this, but when buying a book full of HP patterns, I expect them all to be things that are actually IN the movies, not just inspired by them in some way. For this reason I think it would have been better to include a pattern for the ACTUAL blanket that Molly Weasley’s knitting needles are making when Harry first comes to stay with them in Chamber of Secrets (not just one that is inspired by the colors of the Burrow as it states in the book) and perhaps a chocolate frog amigurumi instead of the socks.
– A good portion of the patterns call for DK weight yarn, which is harder to find in the US, often comes in fewer color options and provides less yardage for the price than worsted weight yarn, and doesn’t tend to come in the more economical size options (such as the one pound skeins) like worsted weight yarn does. While yes, it’s possible to use a different weight yarn, this will alter the finished size of whatever it is you’re making (something that beginner crocheters might not understand), so you need to know how to adjust your hook size accordingly, which is something only experienced crocheters would know how to do.
Overall, I’m pleased with the book and think it’s a great addition to any crafty HP fan’s collection. I’m excited to start making my very own Sorting Hat, and the Hogwarts crest blanket would make an absolutely stunning gift. I just wish some different choices had been made in regards to some of the pattern selections and lack of instructions on how to adjust sizing beyond what is written. I’m hoping they make a volume 2 that includes patterns for some of the other iconic HP pieces that didn’t make it in this version, such as McGonagall’s emerald green robe, Luna Lovegood’s giant lion hat, Molly Weasley’s Christmas sweaters, the Invisibility Cloak, a Hippogriff, and a Beauxbaton’s cape just to name a few.
