As promised I' m reviewing the beginner crochet book The Happy Hooker by Debbie Stoller. This book is part of the Stitch'n'Bitch series and two knitting books were previously published by the same author. I found the book in a second-hand shop and jumped on it, because it seemed to contain all the basics I wanted to know for being able to crochet from patterns plus a full range of patterns.
The book is divided into two parts. The first part is an introduction to crochet and inlcudes everything from a short (very interesting) history on crochet, an introduction into different yarn weight and hook sizes, basic stitches, understanding gauge, more complicated lace and textured stitches, decreasing, increasing and crocheting in circles and even a short introduction into tapestry, filet and Tunisian crochet. And most importantly there is also a section on how to read crochet patterns, which used to be a mystery to me but seems quite simple now that I know what the abbreviations and diagrams mean.
The second part of the book contains 40 patterns, both simple and more involved and complicated patterns. I don't like all of the patterns included (but that rarely is the case) but I still found a few that I would consider making. As you saw in my last post my first project were the fingerless gloves included in the book.
There is a good mix of wearable projects and accessories, like hats and gloves and scarfs and bags. I particularly like this pattern:
You can find pictures of many of the other patterns in the book here on ravelry.
All in all, I think this book is an excellent introduction to the crochet newbie and although the book might not be exhaustive, it really explains everything you need to know when you start and gives you a good overview of the different types of crochet. And that's really all you need from an introductory book: a good overview.
The only thing that might be a downside to the book is that all crochet stitches are explained in drawings and diagrams rather than in photos, which would sometimes have been more helpful. However, in the youtbe age videos for all sorts of stitches are only a mouse click away.
Do you have any good crochet books at home? How did you learn to crochet, if at all?