Handy resources for crocheters

BOOKS

Helpful amigurumi books. Top row: I Taught Myself to Crochet, Kyuuto! Japanese Crafts!: Amigurumi. Bottom row: Amigurumi Two!: Crocheted Toys for Me and You and Baby Too, Amigurumi World: Seriously Cute Crochet.

This book and beginner's kit is a great deal. For about $11, you get a guide to many stitches, a left-handed guide and several patterns. Not to mention it includes hooks, stitch placeholders and more. This is what I bought to get started on making amigurumi.

Once I saw this book, I was in love. The cupcake pattern is what convinced me I needed this book in my life. The patterns are extremely user-friendly and ideal for novice amigurumi enthusiasts. The photos alone are precious!

The follow-up to Rimoli's Amigurumi World, this book offers even more cute patterns.

I'll be honest -- I only bought this book because the bears on the cover were too endearing. The patterns are a bit different than what you may be used to reading, but all of the toys are gorgeous and well worth the time to decipher the patterns.

WEB SITES

A collage of featured Web sites' screen grabs: Ravelry, Lion Brand and Ana Paula Rimoli's blog.

Ravelry is a prime example of how social media is connecting the craft community. Accounts are free, and users can manage multiple crochet and knit projects at once.

Members interact by sharing patterns, chatting in the forums and participating in different groups. Tools are available to keep track of progress and supplies, and Ravelry even offers a store with all kinds of Ravelry-branded merchandise.

You can follow Ravelry on Twitter to be even more engaged with this fun, crafty Web site.

Lion Brand is one of the oldest yarn companies in America, so they are no stranger to innovation. Their Web site offers over 2,000 patterns (free if you sign up for an account, which is also free). Beyond the patterns, they list charity crochet and kitting organizations, local knitting clubs and offer a free weekly newsletter on all things yarn.

The author of two of the amigurumi books I listed keeps a fun blog where she talks about her life, her "quality control team" (her two children) and, of course, amigurumi. Links to her Etsy page and her Flickr page are just an added bonus.