In the beautiful package that Scheepjes sent me was also Bookazine Nr 16 Shimmerland. As we go backward, I share my review on this lovely Scheepjes Bookazine today. So grab some tea, a cookie or two, and sit tight. Here we go!

In the past, I reviewed these Bookazines while standing in the bookstore. Just flipping through the pages of a ‘view copy’ where more people got their hands on. I loved the concept immediately but my crochet skills weren’t there yet. I only recently figured out how to make a magic loop, and all these Bookazines seemed hard to complete. But as of today, I can do the magic loop with my eyes closed. Got a bunch of patterns written out myself and I’m feeling confident to start a new project coming from this Bookazine. Today I share my review on the Shimmerland Edition and let me tell you; it is wauw. No really, WAUW! Let’s go.

The theme

When you think about a Shimmerland, most people relate to glitter and glamour. Everything that shines and shimmers. That is true when it comes to this Bookazine. On the other side, there is some mystique and fantasy. If you mix glossy with fantasy you get Bookazine Shimmerland. From dragons to kiss couches. From colorful blankets to glamorous shawls. Every design has a little touch of magic which makes them so special

The Items

In this Shimmerland Bookazine you’ll find 16 beautiful designs. From a sweet amigurumi Dragon to a colorful fantasy-colored blanket. The item I love the most is the Spotlight Stole. The black-white with the bright pink fits right into my closet. It can be mixed with everything and is pink not your color? Switch that part to blue, yellow, or any other color you like most. The Stole is knitted but in an easy way. I can knit, not as good as I can crochet. But this Spotlight Stole won’t scare me at all to try it out.

And don’t let me start with the amigurumi dragon. Not gonna say much about it. Because I know for sure if I show that page to my son, I need to create it for him. It is so adorable and would be an awesome present for boys AND girls. Just change the colors of the dragon to pink and you are done. So yes the dragon is in my favorite spot!

Next up that I like is the Float Away Jumper. Again, I’m not a queen when it comes to knitting. But the colors on this jumper, ow my. This one is definitely on the list to try out. A good friend of mine knits, so maybe she can advise me on the sleeves. The rest looks easy so I would go for it!

Interviews with Designers

In this Bookazine you’ll find inspiring interviews with designers; Yayoi Kusama and Chris Berens. Chris is a Dutch artist who focuses on fantasy worlds. His specialty is painting and he lays his heart and soul into this work. Google him for more inspiring artwork. The other designer is Yayoi Kusama. She combines fantasy and her perspective on the world together in the form of art. Look her up to get inspired!

The Yarn

The yarn that is used in Bookazine Shimmerland: Scheepjes Merino Soft, Cahlista, Catona, River Washed XL, Metropolis, Truly Scrumptious, Scrumptious, Our Tribe, Mohair Rhythm, Whirl, Organicon, Downtown, Terrazzo, Stardust, Legacy

The patterns

The patterns in Shimmerland vary from beginner to advanced. I noticed that some designs may look advanced, but when reading the pattern it is easy to understand. Need to get the hang of it and you are good to go.

There is one thing I’ll find confusing in the book. When looking at the designs, you see ‘knitting needles’ and the page number for the pattern. Looking closely you can see it’s a crochet hook and a knitting needle. From a distance, it looks like 2 knitting needles, which suggests that it is a knitting pattern. Maybe Scheepjes can change this icon with just 1 crochet hook or a set of knitting needles. This way you know upfront if the item you are looking at is crocheted or knitted 🙂 As for the Spellbinding Blanket, I thought it was knitted. Well, it is crochet!

My conclusion

The book has some very special designs. Not sure I would create all of them, but I have my favorites listed out. For sure the Amigurumi Dragon, the Spotlight Stole, Spellbinding Blanket, Float Away Jumper, Celestial Mobile, In the Clouds Blanket, and the In The Shadows Shawl.

I also wrote a review on the Scheepjes Bookazine Patisserie. Go check it out and if you don’t want to miss a single thing, please subscribe to my newsletter. You are the first to the about new blogs, sweet discounts, new patterns, and finished items.