Book Review and Giveaway: Topsy- Turvy Inside-Out Knit Toys

 

I am not sure who was more excited when a copy of  Topsy-Turvy Inside-Out Knit Toys by Susan B Anderson arrived on my doorstep, me or my 5 year old daughter. My daughter and I are both big fans of Susan's books. When I attended TNNA in June, I got to see and touch the actual samples from the book during Susan's book signings. I knew that my daughter would go crazy over the toys from the book. 

 

The cover is one of her favorite parts of the book. When you pull the tab, you can see that the toy changes into another toy. The knitted projects in the whole book are reversible. You get two toys in one. There are a total of 12 projects with beautiful photos of the projects. Plus, it has photo tutorials of any special techniques you may need to know or special details that may need further visual aids.

After flipping through the book, she had me write down a list of all the toys she wanted me to knit for her. Her picks: Happy Mouse, Egg to Penguin, Chrysalis to Monarch, Flower Fairy in a Tulip, Snowman & Tree, Top-Down Seamless Petticoat Dolls. She wanted me to knit the Happy Mouse first and it has to be in pink.  

The following review is her opinion of every single project in this book. 5 year olds are pretty honest and very opinionated. It's always so funny to hear their initial reaction to something.

 

"I want a Happy Mouse because she is so cute. I only want Happy and not Sad because it's just too sad. I don't want the mouse to cry boohoo. Can you make me a Happy Mouse first and I want it in pink."

 

"I like the Penguin because it is super super cute! I have always love penguins even when I was a little baby. You can flip this into an egg and egg begins with the letter E."

Egg to Alligator, "I don't like the crocodile so much. It's for boys and it's too crocodile-ly."

 

"I love that the butterfly can turn into a cocoon. And then it can fly around like a real butterfly."

Pigs in a Blanket, "The piggies are so cute rolling around in a blanket. And then it is inside a tent."

 

"Pull it down and there is a fairy. Pop it up and it's a flower. My two favorite things are fairies and flowers."

 

"The Bunny & Lamb is so cute and cuddly. I don't like the blue and gray one. I only like the pink one."

 

"I love the Snowman & Tree! I can flip the snowman into a Christmas Tree. I like Christmas because Santa brings you gifts."

The Fox & the Hen, "I only like the chicken a little bit. I don't want to turn the chicken into a fox because the fox scares me."

 

"I like this because I like dogs. The door is not open, but if you flip it, the dog is asleep inside. He is always sleepy."

Squirrel & Hedgehog, "The squirrel is kinda cute. It loves acorns. I don't like the Hedgehog because if you touch it, you will scream and bleed. Too spikey!"

 

"I like these dolls. You can dance around with it. It flips over and you get a different one with yellow hair. I love it so much and it's super cute."

 

This morning I surprised her with the Happy Mouse that she wanted. She squealed with  glee. I apparently got the smile just right on mouse. She is very detailed oriented like me and had specified the smile that she wanted. I aim to please. :-)

 

This was easy to knit and everything was knit seamlessly. The photo tutorials were clear and very helpful. I can't wait to make the other projects on my daughter's list.

The Giveaway!

 

The very generous people at Artisan Books has offered to give one of you lucky readers a copy of the book. Please leave me a comment telling me which one is your favorite project from the book. The winner will be picked by a random number generator. Last day to comment is Oct 13, 2013. Be sure to leave a way for me to contact you, either Ravelry name, blog link, or email address.