I have a huge library of crochet books. So large, in fact, that I don’t really need any more books; however, this fact rarely stops me from purchasing a crochet book I don’t already own and expanding an already large collection that is not truly in need of expansion.

As such, I often play a game with myself (perhaps not as seriously as I should) about what my desert island picks would be. In this scenario I am stranded (kind of like Gilligan) on an island that has all the yarn and crochet supplies I will ever need. The one catch is that I can only take three crochet books with me.

One serious contender for my desert island picks is Narumi Ogawa’s Mr. Funky’s Super Crochet Wonderful.

I have no idea who Mr. Funky might be, but not only does Mr. Funky’s Super Crochet Wonderful contain reasonably good instruction and diagrams for the beginner, and not only are the pattern directions clear and concise, but the book also captures what for me is one of the things I love most about crochet: the joi.

The patterns are broken down into two categories: Amigurumi Animals and Super-Cool Accessories.

The Amigurumi Animals are cute and have pleasing proportions along with clear instructions from Mr. Funky that make it easy to complete the project without having to reference resources outside of the book

The Super-Cool Accessories are, as the chapter title suggests, super-cool. One of my favorites is the “puffy flowers scarf” which I made and donated to an auction. I used a worsted weight acrylic yarn for all parts of the scarf so that it would be totally washable, and I used very bright colors that made it even more festive than it already was. I loved every aspect of making this scarf, including the method of joining that was employed to join the pieces so that what was flat was made three-dimensional. Unfortunately, I finished up the scarf just minutes before it was due, and did not have time to get a picture of it.

The other piece I have made from the Super-Cool Accessories section of the book is “your favorite you flower bag.” This is a piece that can be turned out in an afternoon, and leave you feeling as though you have done something useful. Here is the first bag I made using the “your favorite you flower bag” pattern.

As you can see, I didn’t make the flowers, but elected to add a different decorative element.

In addition to the instruction and patterns, Ms. Ogawa discusses how she came to be a crocheter and then a crochet designer. It is a delightful and inspiring story and will, hopefully, lead the reader to creating delightful and inspired crochet.