Pica Pau’s Band 2 – 20 New Amigurumis by Yan Schenkel

The Pica Pau Band 2 presents an entirely new collection of animal amigurumi with charming stories and creative designs. You will find characters such as a raccoon writer, a cat who runs a stationery shop, a tigress studying engineering or a violin-playing bee. Each one has its own personality and defined aesthetic, making crocheting them a very engaging and inspiring experience.

The diversity of styles and personalities is one of the book’s greatest attractions. There are sophisticated, urban, tender, playful characters—all created with a playful approach that combines graphic design with the technique of three-dimensional crochet. This makes each amigurumi doll a unique project, perfect for gifting or collecting.

No. One of the main strengths of The Pica Pau Band 2 is its pedagogical structure, designed for both beginners and more advanced crocheters. The introduction includes a complete guide to tools, materials, stitch types and tips for reading patterns, allowing you to begin your journey into the world of amigurumi crochet with confidence.

In addition, the characters are organised according to their level of difficulty, which makes it possible to learn progressively. If you are just starting out, you can begin with the simpler designs and with each doll incorporate new techniques until you master the more complex ones. Yan Schenkel supports the entire process with clear explanations, detailed photos and a very approachable style.

The Pica Pau Band 2 retains the spirit of the first book but expands the creative universe with 20 brand new characters, all designed from scratch. While the first volume included designs Yan Schenkel had created over several years, this second instalment is built entirely as a new collection, with more elaborate dolls, new techniques and greater stylistic variety.

In addition, the pedagogical approach is more refined. Schenkel improves the way stitches are explained, adds more technical tips and reinforces the idea of creative freedom in every pattern. The result is a more mature and complete work that can be enjoyed without having read the first book, although both complement each other perfectly as a collection.

Each pattern in The Pica Pau Band 2 includes row-by-row written instructions, clear illustrations and full-colour photographs showing the different stages of the process. The explanations are designed to guide you step by step, even if it is your first time following an amigurumi pattern. The language is straightforward, technical but accessible, and complemented with helpful notes at key moments.

The book also includes additional information on sewing, embroidery, attaching safety eyes and other relevant techniques for doll-making. This makes it not only a pattern guide but also a complete technical resource that accompanies the reader from start to finish in learning how to make amigurumi step by step with confidence and clarity.

Yes, and in fact Yan Schenkel encourages it. In The Pica Pau Band 2, the spirit of the book is to invite readers to personalise, reinterpret and adapt each pattern according to their own taste or needs. You can change colours, textures, sizes or add your own details to the characters. The goal is for each project to also reflect something of its maker.

The book provides a solid foundation but leaves room for experimentation. This flexibility is part of the charm of Schenkel’s approach, who does not impose a single method but instead shares her own as a starting point. In this way, each character can become an original piece, adapted to your style and to the story you want to tell through creative crochet.