Cute little dogs with good instructions. A bit complicated for a beginner but anyone with intermediate/advanced knowledge of crochet should be able to complete these projects.

Crochet Your Own Dog by Mieko Shindo is a beautifully crafted book that offers 14 lifesize patterns for creating adorable amigurumi pups, featuring popular breeds like Dachshunds, Poodles, and Chihuahuas. As a beginner, I appreciated the step-by-step instructions, which are clearly written and easy to follow, with detailed photographs for guidance. The book also offers comprehensive guidance on assembly and fur crafting. Even if you’re new to crochet, this inspiring collection will motivate you to improve your skills and create your own lifelike pup.

Thank you to Zakka Workshop and NetGalley for providing this ARC!

The cover of Crochet Your Own Dog greatly appealed to me and I just had to have it. My problem though was that I had never crocheted a single stitch in my life. And thus began my journey to learn how to crochet so that I could crochet my own dog. Unfortunately, I am not yet ready to undertake one of the projects in the book because I am not skilled enough but I hope to get there.

The book includes 14 patterns and 10 breeds - Toy Poodle, Papillon, Long Haired Chihuahua, Pomeranian, Dachshund, Maltese, Miniature Schnauzer, Yorkie, Bichon Frise, and Shih Tzu. The pattern instructions are written in words/sentences, as opposed to symbols, thereby making them easy to follow.

The book begins with a series of beautiful photographs of all the different dogs that can be created and the various poses (there is sit, stand (on all fours) and lying down but all three are not necessarily available for every breed). For example, the dachshund pattern is either to stand or to lie down. Shindo goes through all the necessary materials and even shows a photograph so you can see exactly what you need. Then she goes step-by-step stitching a general dog with close-up photos. There are roughly 15 pages showing the process of creating the body, muzzle, back legs, paws, and how to assemble the parts followed by about10 pages explaining how to graft the fur, including step-by-step close-up photos.

The complete instructions for each breed follows, round by round. The book is very thorough in its overall pattern explanation and the specific design for the breeds. I am confident that once my crocheting is up to par, with Shindo’s masterful guide, I will be able to make these adorable dogs, which were the inspiration for me to learn how to crochet in the first place.

Thank you to Zakka Workshop and NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Crochet Adorable Amigurumi Dogs is a charming collection that brings to life a variety of small dog breeds through crochet. The instructions are clear and the step-by-step color photos are particularly helpful for those new to amigurumi. I appreciate the emphasis on realistic features and the fun of “grooming” the finished pieces to achieve that lifelike look.

However, while the designs are cute and nearly life-size, some may find the process a bit time-consuming, especially when it comes to styling the fur. It could have been beneficial to include more tips on achieving specific textures or finishes. Overall, it’s a delightful book for dog lovers and crochet enthusiasts, though it may require a bit of patience.

This book includes 14 patterns (written/charted) of 10 dog breeds in various positions (sitting, standing, lying down): Toy Poodle, Papillon, Long Haired Chihuahua, Pomeranian, Dachshund, Maltese, Miniature Schnauzer, Shih Tzu, Yorkshire Terrier, and Bichon Frise. There are several patterns that can be customized depending on the dog breed. The book also includes sections on tools and materials (like a slicker brush and needle felting), how to put the dog together, and basic crochet symbols and stitches. Although there are a lot of colorful pictures and detailed explanations, it seems to be a bit of work to make these dogs so I would recommend it for advanced beginners and above. They are really cute dogs but more realistic looking, rather than a kawaii-amigurumi look. This would be a really amazing project to make!
* I received this book free of charge from NetGalley

A really cute book that shows you how to crochet your own dog (or a version of it). The patterns look well set out and there are lots of pictures guiding you through the process

I have been crocheting for many years, but have rarely seen such beautifully realistic animal patterns. The patterns for the dogs are exquisite, and the fact that they are lifesize is further testament to the skill of the designer.

While I wouldn't say these would be easy for a beginner, the step by step photos are super helpful, and I can't wait to make more from this book.

My thanks to the author, NetGalley, and the publisher for the arc to review.

How adorable is Crochet Your Own Dog: 14 Lifesize Amigurumi Pups to Make & Love! by Mieko Shindo? I haven’t tried these patterns but I am tempted to crochet my own long haired-chihuahua. Toys are some of my favorite things to crochet so this book caught my eye right away.

Included here are crochet patterns for these 10 small breeds: Toy Poodle, Long Haired Chihuahua, Pomeranian, Dachshund, Maltese, Mini Schnauzer, Yorkshire Terrier, Bichon Frise, Shih Tzu and Papillion. There are instructions for crocheting these small breeds either standing or laying down making it 14 patterns total.

I have not tried these patterns, but on looking through the book they seem clearly written with photos of the finished dogs. There are instructions for crocheting each body part, customizing the coats and there are pictures for reference.

I would say this crochet pattern book is for those who know how to crochet amigurumi already or for the advanced beginner and onward. This would make a nice addition to your crochet pattern library especially if you enjoy crocheting toys.
Thank you for Netgalley/Zakka Workshop for my review copy.

Crochet Your Own Dog is a wonderful book for an intermediate crocheter with many interesting projects.

The dogs are super cute and they really look like the breed they represent. Mieko Shindo is a great teacher, and while the projects are more complicated, the instructions are clear and easy to follow. There are 3 poses presented: sitting, standing and lying down; and they can be used for all breeds. The grafting technique is also explained in great detail with useful tips.

In conclusion, I think this book is really interesting and quite different from most crochet books, with interesting ideas, being a great tool if you want to expand your knowledge and skill.

Pros: Although I have some basic crochet skills (scarves and blankets), I am always wanting to learn more about the art. The cover of this book caught my attention because I could not believe the dogs on the cover were crocheted--I had to know more! I was beyond impressed with the creativity and skill throughout this book--with the detail and care given to each breed of dog featured. My mind was blown by how grafting fur onto the crocheted body turned a basic form into an animal.

Cons: This is not a con of the book but of my skill level--I know I do not have the skills to recreate the incredible projects in this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Zakka Workshop for the opportunity to read this book.

When I saw the cover of this book, I absolutely needed to see inside to see how the projects were made. I have been crocheting for more than a decade, and I have never seen amigurumi projects this lovely.

Crafters looking to recreate these projects will only require very basic crochet skills. The bodies of each of the dogs follow much of the same general pattern, with necessary adjustments for their body shape or pose. Helpfully, symbol charts are included in addition to the written patterns (for those of us who can make more sense from charts than patterns). The true challenge of these projects will be for the grafting of the fur. I have not endeavored to tackle any of these projects, but I can sense that the fur and grooming will take much time and patience.

Ms. Shindo is an extremely talented designer and I look forward to seeing more of her projects in the future.

I absolutely loved this book! Being someone who has never crochet in their lives, I found it very easy to follow but also feel that it held enough substance to challenge and inspire more advanced participants. My only issue with the book was that it only featured mainly toy breeds (which the lists of breeds featured is very well publicised) I would have liked to seen more larger working breeds. However, the breeds featured did cover a wide variety of traits that with the correct skill set could be used to create more breeds of dogs.
Over all a beautifully illustrated and easy to follow guide for both beginners and advanced people.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely LOVE dogs and this was such a cute and helpful book.

This is a lovely book with cute dogs to crochet, simple instructions for crocheting. Think this would make a lovely gift for those inspired

I have been crochetting for several years and I would quantify this as an intermediate level book. The patterns are straightforward to follow and create cute little dogs!

Although I am proudly calling my self crochet dollmaker, there was two techniques I always to avoid. Making lifesize dolls and look realistic with fuzzy yarns. The result very cute but it tendency to create personal challenging process. But when I want to learn the best lesson about the techniques I will trust Sensei Mieko Shindo.

Crochet Yout Own Dogs offers 14 ambitious projects to learn also challenging all crochet doll enthusiasts. The process isnt easy but doable. Actually the author make me delightful and intriguing enough to trying again. With adorable and clever designs, the author bring new level of skill into crochet doll world. The pattern offer several type yarns and suitable techniques to groom it to create realistic look beautiful fur.

This is truly beautiful artwork and should own by each crochet doll maker. Maybe not for beginner level but totally inspiring to try some by yourself.

Thank you to Netgalley and Zakka Workshop Publisher for providing copy of this ebook. I have voluntarily read and reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Expecting Publication : 5 March 2024

These dogs are amazing crochet creations! The projects in this book are complicated and therefore not for beginners, but it is a great resource for amigurumi makers to learn new techniques and make their creations even more realistic. Not only are the dogs life-size, but they look a lot like the small dogs they are modeled on! Mieko Shindo teaches the reader grafting, a technique that allows you to make realistic fur for these lil' pups, and also needle felting, to create fur texture.
The patterns seem clear and are well illustrated, though I'm not a crocheter, so I can't evaluate them personally. I like that the stitches for attaching different body pieces are illustrated in red, and even executed in red yarn, in the abundant photographs. There are crochet patterns for each dog, but also photographs of the dog from each side, a diagram with measurements for each part, and an illustration of the lengths of the grafted fur.
This seems like a really inspiring book, that will teach seasoned crocheters new ways to make cute things. And we all need more cute things in the world! I'll be buying it for my library.

As a beginner, I found this easy to follow and interesting in terms of new techniques using non-conventional crochet equipment. I was delighted to find 2 dachshund patterns in this book and am planning to try these soon. I'll definitely be buying the book for future use as the pictures are extremely helpful to use when doing the project vs the kindle version

🐾 "Crochet Your Own Dog" by Mieko Shindo pleasantly surprised me as a seasoned crocheter! Despite initial doubts about the complexity, Mieko's clear instructions make it seem much more manageable. While I haven't made one yet, I'll definitely be purchasing upon release – eyeing that long hair Chihuahua pattern! 🧶🐶 #CrochetCreations #DogLovers #CraftyGoals 🌟

I really enjoyed this book. I've been looking for something similar to help expand my skills and this was absolutely perfect to achieve my goals.