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Independent craft blog since 2007

Stabilo Product Review

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When Stabilo invited me check out their new product (STABILO color palette Arriving 2017 ) I was very excited, it seems like a lifetime ago since “new pens” came in to the house. You know that feeling, when all the nibs are working, the whole set of colors are still together and no one has lost a lid? That feeling should be bottled.

Apparently though I am not the only person in my house who loves “New pens”. I literally hadn’t even got them out of the parcel when my children were swarming. Suddenly everyone wanted to color-in or draw with my “new pens”.

They loved them of course so much so, they decided we needed a dedicated Stabilo “new pens” table. Just for the pens and being creative.

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Here is the actual range and product photos. I do love this plastic case they came in, but as the children stole my pens I doubt I will ever get to keep them in their official packaging. It’s more likely to be the barbie pencil case we keep the working pens in. The thing I liked the most was being able to draw with the fine point nib, felt tip pens are very limiting when it comes to design and artwork so I loved these.

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STABILO colour palette

 

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Book Review: The Book Book of Beginner Amigurumi

If you’re new to crochet or just want to make some easy and cute dolls and toys, The Big Book of Beginner Amigurumi is a great place to start.

The book is by Maggy and Pippa Woodley; you may know Maggy as the crafty pro behind Red Ted Art, which has been a go-to source for kids’ craft projects for years. Pippa is her daughter and they’ve collaborated on this book (as well as on crochet content you’ll find on the website).

The book includes 60 projects for food, seaside characters, garden and farm themed projects, woodland friends, winter themed critters, zoo animals and dolls.

The instructional section at the beginning of the book includes needed materials, basic stitch tutorials and necessary extras like increasing and decreasing, adding facial features with embroidery, changing colors, adding hair and more.

Despite their being British, the patterns are written with American terms, and mostly use single crochet, with some bigger stitches used occasionally.

The patterns all call for DK/light/yarn weight 3 yarn, but you can always use bigger yarn to make a bigger plush (or smaller to make a key ring or backpack charm). Some are shown in both DK and super bulky blanket yarn to give you a visual idea of the size difference.

The designs are sweet and cover a wide variety of genres, from food classics like apples and peas to potted plants, pugs and polar bears.

Having similar patterns together might inspire you to make a whole set of themed animals for a child to play with or to use in your décor. Or just stitch your child’s favorites to make them a personalized menagerie they’re sure to love.

In addition to adorable animals and food, there’s also a section on crochet amigurumi dolls, which are the most advanced projects in the book but also the most ripe for personalization.

All the dolls are shown with long hair and the clothes are all dresses, but you could change colors on the body to make different “clothes” and short “hair” if you want. And by the time you’re working on a doll you’ll have the skills you need to make your own clothing and accessories.

The Big Book of Beginner Amigurumi is sure to inspire you to some adorable creatures while you build your crochet skills.

About the book: 224 pages, paperback, 60+ patterns. Published 2026 by Page Street Publishing. Suggested retail price $27.99