Crobots: 20 Amigurumi Robots to Make

by Nelly Pailloux

Amigurumi--Japanese for cute, little stuffed dolls. (See cute book cover if you're having trouble with the translation.) It's the latest and hottest craft craze among young and trendy crafters.

Crobots features a 20-strong army of charming, cuddly amigurumi designs such as BigBot, BabyBot (don't let his age fool you), Geisha, DogBot, CatBot, and Thinker.

The pattern for each design is simple enough for crochet novices, yet can be adapted to keep the experts interested and amused.

Genres: Crafts, Crochet, Nonfiction, Knitting, Reference

96 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2009

Reviews

[Nicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not so tempted to make anything from this book, but they are really cute, and the instructions seem clear enough. It even has a section on all the stitches, so it works for beginners, too -- there's even a bit on the various sewing stitches to use to sew on the decorations. Keeping this around: I'm sure I know someone who'd like a robot for Christmas...

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

These designs certainly push the limits of creativity, which is both a boon and a detriment to this book. Some of these robots are so cute I can’t stand it, and some are super ugly. These designs are also of the “lots of sewing required” variety, but I didn’t mind. I tried making the cover robot, and he didn’t really turn out like the picture at all despite following the instructions and hook sizes exactly, but I’m new enough that maybe I was the problem. 4 stars for being something different.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute projects!

[Latanya]

Nelly Pailloux has revived the traditional craft of crocheting, transforming it from its stereotypical role as a hobby exclusively for the elderly. Will its trendy theme and easy to follow instructions, Crobots is a crocheting guide that introduces children of all ages to the craft as they create crocheted robots (crobots). Crobots is unique in its ability to transcend gender and characterize crocheting as a skill that can be learned and enjoyed by boys as well as girls. There are instructions for making a number of robots with varying levels of difficulty. Children who have experience crocheting will easily be able to complete the activities as they only require very basic stiches. Children who have no experience will benefit from the tutorial at the beginning of the book. From making a simple robot dog to the more complicated sumo wrestler, this book has enough activities to please a diverse audience.

[Kelly (Maybedog) · Rating 3 out of 5]

All of these require more than just crochet. Many of them need springs and screws and sequins to finish. Some are ugly, some are weird but a number are absolutely adorable. The assembly instructions are a one page visual map and I like that a lot. But I think they have you make separate crochet sections that you have to sew together when new segments could just be added to existing pieces by picking up stitches.

[Iaan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Get a tiny crochet hook - you'll need it! While she says these aren't suitable as toys for small children (read: cats), they can easily be converted by just not including any of the small beads, springs or other choke-risk embellishments. I've made the zombiebot and the dogbot, looking forward to making many more. It's also a great way to use up all those little left-over mini balls of yarn.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a crochet book versus knitting. Cursory instructions are given, but may not be thorough enough. However, actual project instructions look very comprehensive. Ranking by skill level will be great when starting out.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful crocheted robot amigurumis and how to make them step by step.
And with instructions how to crochet (so this will work beautifully for a beginner too). I might get some ideas of this for some future toy mice...

[Joshua Gage · Rating 2 out of 5]

While a few of these patterns are cute, the majority of them are unattractive. Furthermore, the addition of non-yarn parts (buttons, beads, tire valves???) and extra crafting required takes away from the crochet aspect.

[Misty · Rating 5 out of 5]

How freakin' cute! A gift from a friend that perked up my day. Soon I will unleash my army of amigurumi on the world!

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wee tiny little robot patterns that are just too cute. Haven't made any of the patterns myself yet but it kicks in my creative drive just looking at the pictures.

[Heather]

The designs in this book are such fun! I have several that I'm looking forward to working this summer.

[Carrie Rolph · Rating 3 out of 5]

ACK. ADORABLE. I would make all of these, except I know I'm too lazy to sew on the bits of felt and eyes and stuff. I would just have sad, eyeless robots.

[Jeannie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice colorful pictures with simple instructions, there were several crobots that I really want to make.

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the robots near the end seem like filler bots instead of anything good. I love the idea of using springs, buttons and such as limbs :)

[Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

They have really cute projects. I am probably one of the few that actually read these vs just skim. I thought the patterns were well written. I cannot wait to try a couple out!

[Tracy M · Rating 2 out of 5]

I clearly must be daft when it comes to crochet because even with these spelled out steps of robot creation, I was still left tangled in knots.

Cute designs - just not for me.

[Mckinley · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't crochet but if I did I'll try making one of these.