Hello!
You know I like books, right? Well, perhaps not that surprisingly, I have A LOT of books about crochet. I can’t help myself. I love to flick through them for inspiration – and crochet is my main area of crafty study at the moment, so I figure I’m just being a very good student de craft! I’m super keen on vintage craft books – some of the 1970s ones have really fantastic illustrations and easy-to-follow instructions – plus cute retro projects which are JUST my cup of tea. If you’re op shopping or flea marketing, be sure to keep an eye out for those nice big fat craft almanacs – they are really super good for reference and inspiration. The Golden Hands Series of Magazines from the same era are awesome too.
In the new book department there are lots and lots of choices. I’m partial to the very basic books that explain how to make all sorts of different squares and other motifs. I guess because I’m still making granny squares, I’m not really into any other crocheted projects at the moment. If you’re just learning, or if you are grannying along still, then here are some book suggestions for you.
You need to keep in mind that some books will be in UK/AU terminology and those that are published in the US are in US terminology. It’s quite good to learn to chop and change between the two, I think. In fact I’m sure it’s JUST as good as sudoku in terms of brain training. But if you are still learning, then maybe you want to stick to only one terminology – I’ve sorted the list below into UK and US. If you are buying vintage books, just be sure to check where the book is published and adjust your crocheting accordingly. UK publications will be in the UK crochet language – and obviously US published books will be in US terminology. Makes sense, no?!
Now that we’ve got that sorted, here are some crafty crochet suggestions, bookwise…
Crochet Stitch Motifs :: by Erika Knight (US)
Beyond The Square :: by Edie Eckman (US)
Crocheted Flowers :: by Nicky Epstein (US)
Stitch ‘n’ Bitch Crochet :: (US)
200 Crochet Blocks :: by Jan Eaton – UK version or US version
Simple Crochet :: By Erika Knight (UK)
Beginner’s Guide to Crochet :: by Pauline Turner (UK)
200 Stitch Patterns for Baby Blankets :: Jan Eaton (UK)
If you have any super good suggestions for Crochet Literature, do leave them in the comments so we can all check them out (and put ’em on our Christmas lists!)
Happy Saturday to you!