Adventures in Pompom Land: Book Review + Freebie + Giveaway

Just when I thought I had already seen every possible to way to make a small furry animal figure out of yarn or wool, Lark Books sent me a copy of Adventures in Pompom Land: 25 Cute Projects Made from Handmade Pompoms by Myko Diann Bocek.  Talk about cute overload!

If you like to knit or crochet amigurumi I think that you will love the little creatures in this book.  Take a look at a few of the adorable projects:

At first I was a little dubious about the idea of making animals with pompoms, given my memories of the those "pompom pet" type glue-based and purchased pompom crafts that I remember from childhood (do you remember those too?).  As soon as I picked up this book I realized that these projects were very different, as the animals in Adventures in Pompom Land start with handmade pompoms that turn out fuller and lusher than anything you can buy in a craft store.  That makes these projects great stash busters for leftover yarn.

Most of the projects also require basic needle felting supplies and you will need to know how to create simple shapes to make the arms and legs for some of the animals (it's very easy; you may remember that I learned how to do that recently!).  The rest of the supplies you will need are very basic and you probably already have them on hand if you craft:  pipe cleaners, safety eyes, sharp scissors, floral pins, clothespins, and yes, glue.  I'm looking forward to making one or two of these little guys myself.

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Would you like to try out one of the projects in this book?  Get started by making this super-cute squirrel:

Just head on over to my Scribd page to download a PDF of instructions for the Squirrel.  Be sure to also download the Learn How to Make Handmade Pompoms PDF as well.

You may also want to visit Myko's blog, Myko Bocek Studios, for inspiration about the various ways that you can embellish your pompom animals further when creating decorations for your home, office, or kid's room.  They would be perfect as holiday ornaments or gifts as well.
 

{giveaway}

Lark Crafts has provided Serendipity Handmade readers a chance to win a copy of Adventures in Pompom Land.  Just enter through the Rafflecopter widget below.  This contest is open to U.S. residents only.  Entries are open until 11:59 p.m. on April 10, 2013 and the winner will be announced on this post on April 11, 2013.  Best of luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
 
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book for review but as always, my opinions are my own.