First of all, stop with this cuteness. Lalylala’s Beetles Bugs and Butterflies begins with a story showcasing all the little bugs you can crochet. The presentation throughout is both creative and whimsical.

As with all great pattern books, there is a techniques section, tools and materials, general advice and even a safety section for making the toys safer if giving them to young ones. There is a terminology section, pattern charts and tips on reading patterns. Also inside is a full stitch section complete with clear photos for reference.

There are basic shape patterns to follow allowing you to make the bug or butterfly you want. So you work up the basic head, body, hat, and antennae, then you follow the patterns for wings to make them different. There is plenty of variety in crocheting the little bugs when you factor in the yarn color choices as well.

I LOVE this pattern book, I will be buying a hard copy for my shelves. I’d say these cute patterns are for advanced beginners. I haven’t crocheted a little bug yet, but plan on doing so and on looking at the directions they are clear and easy to follow so I’m sure I will be able to whip a few little bugs up as time allows.

Lalylala’s Beetles Bugs and Butterflies is a whimsical pattern book that would make a great addition to your pattern collection if you like crocheting toys. This pattern book is also a nice gift for the amigurumi crocheter in your life. Stop by designer Lydia Tresselt’s website for more crocheted cuteness.

The publisher was kind enough to provide me with a copy of this book to review. All opinions are my own and honest.

This book is AMAZING! It starts off with a cute little story to go along with the characters that you crochet. It then goes into the techniques and skills that you need to make the characters. This book is great even for beginners as it shows (with pictures!) how to do each technique. If you get stuck and need more of a visual than the pictures show you can find video tutorials on the website. The book finishes with twenty different characters and pieces to make. Some are basic, some a bit more advanced, all super cute and fun to make. With different colours you can make a ton of different combinations. The only thing I wish this book had is more characters :) I love the ones that are included but as the title states there are only beetles, bugs, and butterflies. The author does have other patterns for sale on her website as well as some free patterns. I highly recommend this book for not only the cute patterns but the adorable story and amazing tutorials that even beginner crocheters can follow.

The book is made up of two parts - a little picture book story for the little ones, and then many many crochet patterns to make the characters. The story is charming as it is educational. But the patterns are even better. I am making the caterpillar from one of the patterns, and so far it is very smooth - everything explained very well and I have no trouble following the pattern. The caterpillar looks just like it is supposed to look in the book.. Very cute. The pattern is quite easy and it uses simple stitches. The patterns are modular. They explain how to make a basic head, for example, and then refer you to make the head in the pattern, telling you which colors to use, etc. It is a great space saver, but then you have to make sure you read the whole pattern and not forget to include the referred parts if you are printing the pattern to carry in your workbag.
I loved how the patterns show how insects morph from one stage to another. It is so much fun.

I received a free digital copy of the book via NetGalley

This was awesome. I made some really cute toys for my sister from these patterns. Super clear and easy to understand for someone like me who has been crocheting for less than a year.

Extremely cute and original. Easy step by step tutorials. This can be a very good gift for mothers and grandmothers on this mothers day.

Thanks to NetGalley and F+W Media for the opportunity to read and review Lalylala’s Beetles, Bugs and Butterflies by Lydia Tresselt. Instructional book for crocheting amigurumi along with a story of transformation which uses the completed projects to illustrate, plus patterns to make outfits for your amigurumi creations. Tutorials and different stitch instructions and photos are included to help crocheters make the cutest little insects. Purely adorable and helpful too, 5 stars!

Fun crafting book to create cute bugs with yarn. The book comes with patterns for you to create all of the bugs featured in a little story in the beginning of the book. The story was a little too cutesy for me and I honestly thought at first that I had downloaded a children's book instead of a craft book.

I love the patterns in this book.

Wonderfully clear patterns with lots of pictures to aid the descriptions. These would make a great lifecycle learning aid for younger children. I would never have expected to say that a fly was "cute" ... but in this book it actually is.

This is another great crochet story, featuring the 3 Bs, Beetles, Bugs and Butterflies. In addition to being a story about the life of a butterfly (which I did a report on when I was in kindergarten so it is a topic near and dear to my heart), there are also patterns for the bugs that you see featured throughout the book. I think that my favorite is the Caterpillars and Peacock butterfly, although they are all pretty stinking cute (yes, even the maggots). Every time I read one of these books I wish I knew how to crochet - one of these days I'm going to have to sit down and figure it out!

I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review, I was not otherwise compensated.

This book is amazingly cute with appealing photos and clear, easy to read and follow instructions for patterns and assembly, although small details and frequent color changes in some of the patterns make this better suited for more experienced crocheters, I will definitely be adding this to my library collection, and I will highly recommend it for anyone looking for a new project.

Love this book, the story is so very cute, and I can just see using the book to make the characters complements the story. A wonderful idea and such easy patterns to crochet, hours of fun for both the maker and the recipient.
The instructions are quite easy to follow and well illustrated, the photos are just wonderful as are the details I the little critters

I have adored lalylala’s crochet from afar for ages but this book is a beautiful step by step book for her complicated but beautiful butterflies and beetley bugs.

Lydia's designs are some of my very favorites and the most exquisite amigurumi you'll find. This title combines the beautiful images of the completed designs with instruction seamlessly. You'll find written patterns (my personal preference), a few charts, and pictorials. I can fully appreciate how much thought went into presenting the life cycle of insects. No detail is spared, which is important when it comes to the "little things" like material lists. If you're a fan of Lydia's, bugs, or amigurumi, you won't be disappointed.

Lalylala's Beetles Bugs and Butterflies is a cute amigurumi crochet tutorial collection from Lydia Tresselt (aka Lalylala) and F+W Media. The accessories and 'gurumi are basic shapes along with a load of variations (hats, horns, wing shapes + colorways, cocoons, shells etc) which will keep any crocheter occupied for many hours.

Included in the book's 128 pages are detailed descriptions of each project, including supplies lists, as well as beautifully illustrative photos for each tutorial. There's a lot of humor in the sidestory as well as the projects themselves. Example: a really adorable crocheted venus flytrap sewn onto a mini-purse frame to make a change purse! There's also a sort of Greek chorus of tiny little green aphids who provide commentary and background on the other projects. (A tutorial for the cute little aphids with variations is included in the book).
The book also includes a little story about a hatching caterpillar and the insects and creatures she encounters, written by the author's husband.

The cover gives a good idea of the scope of the projects with variations and accessories. There are 20 full tutorial projects in the book along with a pile of add-ons. The first 25% of the book is introduction and technique, supply choice, finishing and general instructions with tips. The project tutorials themselves take up the following 2/3 of the book. The remainder (circa 10%) is given over to a good suppliers list, biographical info and acknowledgements.

Available in both hardcover and ebook versions, there's something here for fans of amigurumi and other yarncrafters.
I tested the snail and fly pupa patterns and had no trouble following them (the photos are really well done).

Four stars

This style isn't exactly my thing--the faces are too human-like for me to find them cute--but if this is your style of cute, then you're going to find this flipping adorable.

I loved the realistic butterfly and beetle wings as well as the Venus fly-trap snap purse (it's going in my favorites/queue), and of course, the little aphid bloops. All the instructions were well-presented and the tutorial section was very helpful, complete with clear pictures. I had never found Magic Loop instructions that "clicked" for me, but this one made it finally make sense! All the patterns use the same brand of yarn (in two different weights), so the overall look of the critters was consistent in style and in yarn, which is always nice.

The story at the beginning to introduce the characters and the world is cute, but again, just not my type of cute.

It would definitely be fun to make all the variations of the patterns in here for toys for little ones, and use them not only to reenact the story told, but to make up new stories for all the bugs, and have fun transforming them into different creatures, by swapping body types and accessories. It's also a fun way to introduce metamorphosis to youngsters as well.

What a cute little bug crochet book! These patterns will be perfect to make for my bug loving daughter!!

This is a wonderfully imaginative book. It starts with a short story about all the insects found in the book, and concludes with the patterns. For each insect there are several forms, and if you are teaching insects to a younger audience, or want to complete the story for yourself, you can start with a larvae and end with the finished bug. For the insect haters, these are much cuter versions of the real things. I hate seeing aphids on my plants, but crochet aphids are adorable. My favourites were the stag horn beetle and the snail. I didn't have time to finish the snail yet, but what I did complete was easy to follow. These would make great gifts for kids or a nursery, or just for someone who would want a snail hanging out on their couch. Highly recommend!