Written by Rachel Henderson and Sarah Hazell, “I Love Crochet” offers 25 projects at three skill levels, from beginner to advanced.
The book starts with some basic instruction in different stitches. The written directions for the stitches are excellent, but the diagrams are a little bit busy and not always entirely clear. If the diagrams are taken as a guideline rather than the full instruction, it shouldn’t be a problem. It also includes instructions on specialty decorative stitches, sewing up the final product and working with embellishments such as beads and sequins.
The layout is modern retro, aiming for something between the 1960s and 1970s, while remaining firmly in the 2000s. The colours are bold, the graphics are mod and the fonts are funky. It works, overall. There’s a few jarring notes, and it does sometimes feel laid on a bit thick, but it doesn’t detract from the designs or patterns.
As for the patterns themselves, there’s a great mix of designs. From simple scarves to cushions and greeting cards, there’s probably something in here anyone would want to make. The usual pattern for these books is to have the simpler projects at the start, and work through the book to the more complicated ones. In this book it’s all mixed up, with a difficulty rating of 1 (easy) to 3 (hard).
If there’s anything about this tome I’m not particularly fond of, it’s the full page photos of hooks and yarn used for different things. While I can see they were aiming for a young and funky vibe (stir your cocktail with your hook!) it feels like wasted space. The photos are gorgeous, but without any real point. I think I’d prefer either more detailed instructions for the complex stitches, or a couple of extra patterns.
Overall, it’s worth a look. The patterns are easily customised with your own colours and for beginner crocheters it opens up a range of new ideas such as crochet wire jewellery and homewares (love the placemats). These are ideal projects to practice and build confidence on if you’re a beginner, or to give yourself a break from other things if you’re more experienced.
Title: I Love Crochet (there are various covers for this book, so it might not look like this one).
Authors: Rachel Henderson and Sarah Hazell
Publisher: Kyle Cathie LTD
ISBN: 978-1-85626-732-8
Price: AU$29.95 RR
