Throughout my crochet journey, I have made many, many unicorns. Small unicorns. Big unicorns. Colorful unicorns. Monochrome unicorns. Something about unicorns is just...really appealing, and they are always popular items at my Artist Alley table and as gifts for my friends and family, regardless of the style or pattern I use. So I am more than happy to try out a unicorn-themed crochet kit!
This is the Starry the Unicorn Crochet Kit by Needle Creations. I had a hard time finding more information about this brand and kit; it seems like Needle Creations is part of the company Fabric Editions, and their crochet kits might now be sold under the brand Stitchin Kidz? Fabric Editions products, including their crochet kits, can be found at Joann Fabrics, Michaels, and Hobby Lobby, though it looks like availability may be limited.
I paid $12.83 for this kit ($11.95 + tax, with free shipping) from Etsy, but you might be able to get it for cheaper if you're able to find it from a different retailer (Hobby Lobby has the flamingo and llama kits for $8.99).
This kit includes yarn in the colors white, pink, lavender, yellow, mint, and a very small amount of black (the box states that it is 100% polyester), stuffing, a plastic size E/3.5mm crochet hook, a plastic yarn needle, and instructions.
The yarn isn't the best quality (it's a little thin and weak, especially since it's made out of synthetic fiber, and it feels a little rough to work with), but you get a good amount of it and the colors are nice.
One of my pet peeves is when yarn companies tie together smaller pieces of yarn to make full skeins (it happens with all brands, but Red Heart does this especially often, even with their 'premium' yarns). The knot almost always ends up being noticeable in my work and I usually just have to cut it out and either start a part over or rejoin a new piece of yarn. It was particularly annoying in this case since we're already getting a smaller amount of yarn that it feels like it could have been easily avoided.
As usual, I hate plastic crochet hooks and yarn needles and substitute my own tools (in this case a size E/3.5mm Clover Soft Touch Hook and a metal yarn needle). I would recommend either using your own tools with this kit, or purchasing them at the same time if you don't already have them. I also added in my own metallic yarn for the horn and hooves as I wanted my unicorn to look a little more magical.
As the box states, this is an intermediate skill level kit, and I would agree with that. Oddly enough, the pattern was both the highlight of this box and disappointing at the same time.
The Good: The pattern for this kit employs some very interesting shaping techniques; I'm used to kits that have you crochet basic shapes and then sew them together, but the body and neck in this kit is crocheted in one piece, starting with the neck. The head is also shaped, but it's in a more conventional manner. I think this pattern provides a great introduction to shaping, and the techniques used can be applied towards other projects.
The Bad: There are some errors in the pattern, especially in regards to the horn. The other errors are relatively minor, such as incorrect stitch amounts listed for rounds and miscounting, but if you're not paying attention, you might end up crocheting the horn backwards. The pattern provides helpful graphics for each piece, including where you're starting and ending, and where to place the eyes and cheeks, and according to the image next to the horn section (and from the sample picture on the box), you're supposed to start at the tip and finish at the bottom, where it connects to the head. The pattern, on the other hand, starts at the bottom, and has you end at the tip. I realized this around Round 4, so I started over from the bottom of the pattern, but it would have been frustrating to finish the piece and then realize the mistake. You could still use the horn on the finished piece, but it would look different and be a little more difficult to attach.
After finishing my unicorn, I had a lot of yarn left over. I almost had enough stuffing, but had to use my own stash for the hooves/legs. I like to stuff my amigurumi firmly, though, so it might be enough if you stuff a little softer.
I even had enough yarn left over to make a little star key chain; you know, because her name is Starry! The photo of the leftover materials above is from after I made this, so you really do get a lot of yarn to work with. I ran out of stuffing while making the unicorn, so the star is stuffed using my own stash.
And here she is! I think she turned out super cute and, because of the shaping, she looks really unique!
As stated above, I added some metallic gold yarn to the yellow the kit included for the hooves and horn because I wanted a more sparkly unicorn.
The colors included in this kit work really well together, and I think the design of the unicorn is great. You were also supposed to use french knots for the eyes, but I used straight lines since I wanted them to be a little more durable.
I also really liked the suggested method for attaching the tail and mane; instead of sewing on each curl individually, you sew them on in bunches of three. This saves a lot of time and frustration with making sure everything is secure and the knots aren't visible, so it is a technique I will be using in the future.
Overall, I think this is a great kit for intermediate crocheters! The materials are okay (not horrible, but not great) and there are some issues with the pattern that could be frustrating for those less experienced with crochet, but the design and techniques are top-notch, and the price of the kit is very reasonable, even if you do end up paying $12-$15. The end product is just so cute and unique, and I will likely be making more in different colors in the future as gifts!
Thank you for reading! <3
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