Cocola the Koala by Khuc Cay

A while back, amigurumist and illustrator Khuc Cay (find her on IG @lespetitesmainsdekhuccay) asked me if I’d be interested in being one of the stops on a book tour for her newly released book Sweet Crochet Friends and I was delighted to say yes!

I was so, so thrilled to receive this beautiful amigurumi book (affiliate link here and throughout! Grab it here in the UK.) and immediately started browsing through the gorgeous patterns to decide what to make. It was not an easy decision! Every pattern is absolutely adorable and has such attention to detail. I finally decided on Cocola the Koala (because c’mon, who can resist a koala in a sailor suit?!), and I’m not the only one; turns out a lot of people on the book tour also made Cocola and it’s not hard to see why he’s so popular.

Sweet Crochet Friends is not your typical amigurumi pattern book. Yes, it comes with 16 super adorable patterns, and yes, it comes with ALL the information you could possibly need to make those patterns (more on that in a minute), but this amigurumi book is extra special and unique because Khuc Cay illustrated the entire book! Each pattern has accompanying illustrations that are just so sweet, along with gorgeous full-page photos with little scenes of each character. Also, each character has their own little back-story to go with them. The illustrations and stories really add something special, making it more than just a pattern book, but a treat to browse through and enjoy.

As mentioned above, the book contains a section at the beginning outlining every piece of information you could possible dream of needing to complete each amigurumi pattern. It contains information on the materials used (including lots of colour options for yarn!), the stitches you’ll need and how to make them (for example, how and when to use an invisible decrease and how and when not to), how to sew pieces together (with instructions for specific stitching techniques like, whip stitch or straight stitch and when to use them), options for how to do colour-changes and when to use them; and on and on! It’s really a treasure trove of amigurumi techniques and information (I learned a thing or two myself!).

To make my version of Cocola, I used the hook size recommended (2.75mm) and used mostly Patons Astra, which is a lightweight (category 3) yarn in the following colours: Grey, Black, Navy, White, and Cardinal. For the inside of the ears I used Patons Canadiana in Oatmeal. (I have to stop here for a sec and say, this is the first time I’ve use Patons Astra and I kind of love it?! It might be my new go-to for amigurumi. Have any of you tried it? Is it available where you are?)

As you can see, my Cocola came out almost identically to the one in the book. The patterns are detailed and easy to follow and the resulting piece will be just like the one shown! Of course, you can opt to adapt or change each pattern any way you choose to make it your own; in fact, the book also contains a section on ways to make each pattern unique to your style by encouraging you to use different colours and materials.

It’s photo time! But first, Pin this baby for later.

Be sure to go pick up Sweet Crochet Friends on Amazon (hello, Christmas gifts!) and go follow Khuc Cay on instagram (@lespetitesmainsdekhuccay) to check out and follow along with the rest of the book tour! You are sure to see a lot more adorable makes from the book.

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