Crochet (Idiot's Guides) Paperback – August 5, 2014

I am a knitter~, a knitter who had been working very hard at designing my own garments, knitting fair isle, lace and had set before myself,,( and reached!) all sort of challenges in 12 yrs of knitting~ Why do I include this in my review?? It is because I am a self taught knitter~, one that had to read books to teach myself~ There are not a lot of yarn shops in this area, the closest being about 40 miles away, so I am pretty much on my own here. One day I had a book on the counter which was a gift from a friend on the crocheted art of amigurumi., and my 4 yr old grand daughter here,~ I was going to give this to the library or another friend,,(,because I don't know how to crochet.) I do know some basics, I know the crab stitch ( most knitters do) and the SC ( again same reason) I told my grand daughter that Nana ( me) doesn't know how to crochet, so I couldn't make her the darling tiny animals and tea set she wanted from that book~. I wished I could but I didn't know how~. She came up to me w/ that book opened and said,,,,,,"look Nana, it TELLS you how to do this right in here" This melted my heart. I was determined to learn how to do this. I began to search crochet teaching books and not being new to the teach it to yourself process, I wanted to order the best book I could,,,,,, go thru it and learn,,, and I mean,REALLY learn. I spent a small fortune on books thru the years learning to knit in all manners, all styles and still have much to learn but I wanted to avoid crochet book overload, Just wanted to get the best book available on the subject and begin to crochet so I could eventually make her little turtle or tea set. I tend to avoid the whole " dummy" name in books, bc I am NOT a dummy,, and do not like to even be referenced as one,,,,even in a teaching book. I went to Barnes and Nobel and sat for hours, reading, taking notes, looking at pictures and came home and read reviews. It came down to 2 learning books,,,,,,and this book was THE top book on the list for teaching myself the lovely art of crochet. What was the difference between this one and the other beginner book?? It was the layout. and the way the whole practice pattern selections worked~ this book could take me step by step from , the chain stitch to creating quite a lovely shawl~ going at a rate that was nice and easy..., learning how to crochet those lovely lovely shells I had seen so often, or how to crochet in the round or the humble granny square ~ This was done in such a way that one could realistically go thru this book chapter by chapter, and then practice a square or a round on what was just taught. THe granny square caught my eye also b/c of the possibilities. There are SO many beginning crochet books that are not organized in thought and process which would have the new crochet person confused,and frustrated, ( been there,,done that before in knitting) This book ought to win Beginner Crochet Book Award of The Year ( if there was one!) for the thought, the layout and all that went into writing this book! I can * think* crochet a whole lot more clearly now, the pictures are fabulous which was never a real strong point w/ the dummy book system,,,,but not so in this case! There are plenty of color pictures to guide the novice into making this craft a reality for them. I am super excited about crochet now! While I may always be a knitter first, I find myself thinking,,,,isn't the so and so pattern for the crochet linen stitch scarf on Ravelry easy??And doesn't it produce a really nice fabric using leftover sock yarn? I am at a point where I am looking for projects to use up some of my stash,and crochet seems to be helpful to me in that area in a good way.While hanging around on Ravelry I see a pattern for a full size granny square throw, and it interests me bc it looks SO retro and colorful,,,,,,I think to myself what a GREAT way to use up leftover colorful stash yarns! ( so now,I am way beyond,just thinking amigururumi at this point ,) , but the point is,,,,I know how to make that granny square! I plan to have this book spiral bound so I can lay it flat and write my own notes as I progress. That is the only complaint I have,,,,,I wish this could be spiral bound, but they do not do this often in teaching books or recipe books either. I hope to crochet that cute lace shawl that is a pattern in this boo someday soonk~ I would be willing to bet that from now on,,,,,when I look at yarn , I will wonder,,,,,, Would it be better to be knit into a particular fabric?? ,,OR,,,,a crocheted fabric? I can see lots of things before me,,,,,pillows, shawls, scarves knit lengthwise in the linen stitch and so forth. Love love love this book and can say w/ all certainty that my 4 yr old grand daughter will have her crocheted turtle and tea set and I will have learned a new skill.

This is a wonderful book for either learning to crochet or improving your crochet abilities with new techniques. The author walks you step-by-step through the most basic parts of crocheting, including yarn selection, hook size etc., and then builds on these basic skills so that you can manage any of the projects in the book. There are loads of pictures to visually demonstrate the different techniques, and the written instructions are very clear and explained thoroughly. An absolute beginner who has never done crochet could easily learn from this book.The patterns are also wonderful. They are geared mainly for the home with a few patterns for wearable items such as a hat or fingerless mitts. The patterns are easy to follow with very detailed instructions, and they allow you to try the new skills that you have learned from the book. Even the practice projects at the end of the first few chapters are excellent and will produce something beautiful and useful. This is one of the few books I have purchased where I like almost every pattern in the book and could see myself actually making more than one or two of the listed patterns. That is a rarity in and of itself.The book is not just for beginners. I consider myself to be at the intermediate level, and there are still new things for me to learn in this book. I think even if you are advanced, there will be some tips and tricks to help make a homemade item into a professional looking item. Thus, I think this book has something to offer everyone.Overall, this is an excellent book on how to learn and perfect your crochet technique. If someone wanted to learn from a book, this would be at the top of my list of recommendations. I learned from a book many years ago, and I wish that this book had been available then.

I can’t believe I FINALLY learned to crochet—from this book! I tried once about 15 years ago, but gave up after a few days. After nearly a year of quarantine/remote working, I decided to try again, and I gave it one whole snowed-in weekend...and this time, I learned! You have to be persistent and know that you will be frustrated at times by the seemingly simplest things. Sometimes it helped reading forward to later chapters, because I would then notice a detail I was missing. I made the washcloths pictured, and then an Afghan (my own design, made with Wool Ease Thick and Quick yarn, all in just the simple half double crochet stitch).I think bulkier yarn was easier for me to really grasp the concepts with—I initially used worsted weight yarn as recommended, but really, with bulky (smooth) yarn, I could just see the concepts more easily. The Thick and Quick is so big and durable, I could easily take out and redo mistakes to practice the various stitches. Much easier to SEE the mistakes to begin with, too. There were a couple times (just once or twice) towards the end when I watched a YouTube video to confirm I was doing something right or wrong—but it turned out I was already doing it right, so the book taught me. I would recommend this book for beginners, just be patient, maybe try a thinker, solid (light) color yarn to help see the yarn more easily...and to have your project turn out faster! I can’t believe it’s only been 2 weeks and I’ve already made an Afghan, two cowl scarves, and some washcloths. Now I’m starting to learn some of the more complicated concepts, like crocheting in the round. Great book, worth it.

I am very impressed with this crochet book. I have just received it (very much sooner than I expected, which is also impressive.) I have only flipped through it but I know that I am going to find it very useful, even though I have been crocheting for many years. There is always something new to be learned in this beautifully relaxing craft.Thank you.

Excellent if you are new in crochet. Very plain explanations covering the basics. Once you can master the basics, you can go so far!!

Book is well organised, starting from the very basic, moving on to common patterns and finally a few easy projects. Can be hard to follow as an absolute beginner, but all becomes clearer if read in conjunction with video tutorials.

The book is good for newbies. Some chapters are not detailed like a chapter says 'all about yarn' but hardly any info on yarn. The contents are good to get you started. The projects are good. I like the way she gives complete details on how much yarn is required for a project. Not all books do that . The projects range from very beginner like pot holders , coasters to medium projects like head band , cowl.. finally advanced like a multi color blanket , bag.. there are not many stitch patterns on there for a intermediate crocheter. I have purchased the hook and yarn will update the review with practical experience of using this book

This book is amazing! I am not a new crocheter, but I wish this book had been around when I was learning. It has everything I could ever want in a learn to crochet book. June explains everything, even things you didn't know to ask! I have never seen another book explain how to frog (rip out) your work.It has easy to follow instructions with clear pictures. And the patterns are great too! They are set out to build up your skills as you progress. I admit, I didn't really need the tutorials, but they would be invaluable for a new crocheter. The stitch library is also very useful. I've already made the basket from the book and modified it with a separate edging (also from the book). So easy!I would highly recommend this book to anyone starting to learn crochet. It just might be the only book you need.And a seasoned crocheter would benefit from the refreshers, stitch library and beautiful patterns as well.