Book Review- The Unofficial Book of Cricut Crafts: The Ultimate Guide to Your Electric Cutting Machine

The ultimate Cricut how-to book that covers everything you need to know to purchase a Cricut and use it like a pro!

Are you new to Cricut crafting? Returning after a hiatus and desperate for a refresher? Perhaps you’re an old pro looking for brand-new ideas, tips, and tricks for your crafts? Look no further than The Unofficial Book of Cricut Crafts.

Throughout the more than 300 pages of this book, author Crystal Allen will not only present you with craft ideas that embrace every awesome element of this popular cutting machine, but, perhaps most importantly, she’ll start you at the very beginning of your Cricut journey with loads of information about the different Cricut machines (Cricut Explore Air 2, Cricut Maker, and Cricut Joy) so you can determine which is best for you before you buy.

After you unbox your Cricut and have a general understanding of the parts of your machine, Crystal will teach you how to use Cricut Design Space and get images from Cricut Access, and then you’ll be presented with projects that use the most popular materials your Cricut can cut. These include fabric (cotton, felt, and fleece); basswood and chipboard; leather; vinyl; paper; and heat transfer vinyl. Crystal even tackles infusible ink!

Projects meant to inspire you will include step-by-step instructions and photos. They include:

Personalized leather keychains
Etched wine glasses
Engraved quote bracelets
Felt coffee cozies
Paper luminaries
Chalkboard signs
Inspirational quote pillowcases
Sleep masks
Photo puzzles
Leather headphone keepers
Infusible Ink coasters
A rag quilt
and more!

The Unofficial Book of Cricut Crafts is perfect for the first-time Cricut user, the small business owner who has been using Cricut for years, and everyone in between

When I first saw Orofino, a cute summer top from Berroco, I thought it was crocheted. Something about those shifting blocks of eyelets made me think of crochet but on closer inspection it is knit, so let’s take a closer look.

This project alternates blocks of simple eyelet lace and garter stitch to make a boxy tee with a bit of air flow and a lot of texture.

The project is worked from the bottom up mostly in rounds (which does mean a fair bit of purling to do that garter stitch in the round, but the effect is worth it). When you divide for the armholes, the back and front are worked separately and flat to the end of the project.

That leaves you a little seam at the top of the shoulder, and there’s a tiny bit of finishing (literally picking up stitches, purling a round and binding off) at the neckline and armholes.

It calls for a worsted weight cotton yarn, but this would also be nice worked in linen or a blend.

The pattern includes both written and charted instructions, but the key on the charts is a little confusing in how it describes working flat versus in the round, so you can always double check with the written instructions if you need help.

There are six sizes available, ranging from a finished bust circumference of 38 to 71.5 inches, or 95 to 179 cm. It’s meant to be worn with 6 to 12 inches (or 15 to 30 cm) of positive ease.

It is rated as an intermediate knitting project, but if you have a little experience with lace knitting and potentially reading a chart if you want to use them, it shouldn’t be difficult for you.

The pattern is available to download for free on the Berroco website. You can also learn more about it on Ravelry.

[Photo: Berroco]

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