Lalylala - Venus Flytrap Purse and Fruit Fly Crochet Kit - Review

 This is not my first Lalylala crochet kit review (and it is definitely not the last), but this was probably the first kit/pattern of theirs that caught my attention and why I visited their Etsy store in the first place (it was either this kit or the Flying Saucer musical toy, but I'm pretty sure it was this one). There was something so unique about a crocheted Venus Flytrap-themed purse/clutch and the amigurumi fruit fly (not only an insect, but an insect that is generally considered annoying) that it was paired with. At that time in my crochet-journey, I hadn't seen many projects that weren't cute and/or functional, and I was still unsure about buying patterns online.

The biggest reason why this wasn't my first kit purchased from Lalylala is its cost. Because it comes with everything you need, including the hardware for the clutch, this is one of the most expensive kits they sell. When I purchased it back in May, I paid $53.59 for the standard + hooks kit. You can get the kit for slightly cheaper if you don't get the crochet hooks and/or the pattern.

This kit not currently available via the Lalylaland Etsy shop as it's closed for Christmas, but you can purchase the patterns from the Lalylala Etsy shop (both are run by the same people, but the former is only for physical items like the kits and the latter is for the PDF patterns).

All Lalylaland kits come in a cute canvas project bag, and some of them are even specially themed for the kit. I think this is the same bag that comes with the physical pattern/story book they sell, but I'm not 100% sure. It is a different bag from the one that comes with the Honeybee kit, though. I love these bags, and I somewhat collect them (in that, I collect the kits themselves, and the bags are nice collectable bonuses).

All Lalylaland patterns are provided as printable PDFs; once your kit ships, you receive an email with a special link to download your pattern. These patterns are not provided through Etsy, it is a separate website, so you do not have unlimited access: you get three downloads. The Lalylala patterns are excellent, and there are many detailed, full color photos to help with the more tricky parts. Lalylala/Lalyland is based in Germany, so the English patterns are translations of the German ones; there are some translation errors every now and then, but they are generally in the flavor text and not in the pattern itself.

As I said before, the reason why this kit is so pricey is that you get all the materials you need to make the clutch and the fruit fly, and there are a lot of materials! I'm pretty sure the clutch/purse frame itself is about $10. Lalylaland kits always include quality materials, such as Scheepjes yarn, Clover crochet hooks (the more recent kits, though, had a different brand that I am not familiar with, but I'm assuming they're similar in quality), and Ricorumi metallic thread.

The clutch was much more simple that I expected, but I think it's very effective and looks like a Venus Flytrap! The green and white parts are crocheted using metallic thread, and the whole clutch is made with a heavier-weight of Scheepjes yarn (Stone-Washed XL). 

It's sewn to the frame with an invisible nylon thread; this thread does come with the kit, but I couldn't find it for some reason (I want to say it was because it's invisible, but it's really because I just...wasn't paying attention), so I used some invisible thread I already had. Which was terrible. So I actually undid it all and resewed it using the thread that was included, which is much better quality.

The clutch/purse is able the size of a standard long/zipper wallet, and there are loops on the purse frame where you can attach a cord or chain to wear it. I plan on using it to hold my crochet supplies that I use for every project (needle, stitch counter, snipper, etc) to make it easier to travel. The teeth of the Flytrap can be made to lay flat with blocking, but I was lazy and, since this project is for myself, I didn't bother.

This little fruit fly amigurumi is so. Small! I know fruit flys are small in real life, but I didn't expect it to be so tiny. I didn't take a size comparison picture, but he's about 2 inches tall.

Like other Lalylala insects, you can take his 'cap' off if you want. This is used to better effect in the other kits/patterns with butterflies and beetles, since the interchangeable parts allow you show the whole life cycle of an insect on a single main plushie. Since my little fruit fly will always just be a fruit fly, I sewed his cap on.

I have a good amount of supplies left over, and I'm especially happy to have extra metallic thread since I love adding shine/texture to my projects. I didn't take a picture of it for some reason, but I also had a bunch of stuffing left over; the little fruit fly barely needed any!

It's redundant, but I LOVE Lalylala kits and patterns, and I highly, highly recommend them to anyone who likes their aesthetic. The materials in the kits are always of high quality, the patterns are excellent and have a ton of large, detailed, full color photos, and the designs are so cute! I have yet to meet a kit of theirs that I didn't like, so these 'reviews' aren't really all that useful as they're almost always guaranteed to end with a 'highly recommended', but I love sharing them with you, so I hope you don't mind!

Thanks for reading! <3