Crochet Your Way [Paperback]

Gloria Tracy (Author), Susan Levin (Author)

Book Description

Series: Taunton Books & Videos for Enthusiasts | Publication Date: May 1, 2000

There are an estimated 30 million crocheters in the U.S. alone, from novices to artists. Crochet Your Way has something for everyone. A comprehensive guide, it starts with the basics through a quick review of 20 different pattern stitches. Each stitch includes clear technique tips with accompanying illustrations. When the 20 squares are completed, they can be joined together to create an original afghan.

By emphasizing the concepts behind the craft as well as the practical aspects, Crochet Your Way also helps the enthusiast learn to crochet any pattern available. For those who already know how to crochet, the book will give them the tools they need to move to the next skill level. Included are more than 35 creative projects, including hats, sweaters, and home accessories, all illustrated with 275 photos and step-by-step drawings.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

The Seventies saw the publication of many excellent crochet books, such as Judith Copeland's Modular Crochet (1978), James Walters's Crochet Workshop (1979. o.p.), and Vibeke Lind's Practical Modern Crochet (1973. o.p.). Since then, outstanding crochet titles have been few and far between. Now Tracy and Levin bring crochet into the 21st century with Crochet Your Way, a happy combination of instruction and projects designed for crocheters of all levels. As they work through a 20-block sampler afghan that illustrate stitches and techniques covered in the book, beginners will appreciate instruction for both left- and right-handers, as well as the opportunity to learn both written crochet-pattern abbreviations and symbol crochet. For each block, there are row-by-row instructions, explanatory notes, links to projects showing techniques used, and instructions using international crochet symbols. The second half of the book includes designs for garments and home accessories displaying techniques and stitches taught in the sampler afghan. Garments feature a wide range of sizes and are quite attractive. Arguably the best crochet book on the market today, Crochet Your Way is enthusiastically recommended for public libraries and textile collections.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Taunton Press; First Edition edition (May 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1561583103
• ISBN-13: 978-1561583102
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #581,709 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Crochet Book on the Market, June 20, 2000

By 

"[e-mail]" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Crochet Your Way (Paperback)

I teach crochet and I see plenty of patterns for afghans, baby clothes, and doilies. But, other than "Glorious Crocheted Sweaters", this is the ONLY book I've found with patterns for good looking sweaters. (I haven't had a chance to see Lily Chin's Mosaic Crochet which I hear good things about.) I'm usually disappointed when I do find patterns because the sweaters look dated at best and a good number are downright ugly. And, many use the cheapest yarns available. It's so refreshing to see designs that I would actually wear. The book is laid out logically with excellent diagrams for BOTH right and left-handers. If you are a beginner, Crochet Your Way is easy to follow and has many tips that took me years of trial and error to learn. What makes this book truly outstanding is that it is an equally good resource for intermediate and advanced crocheters.

My students like this book so much that they want me to devote a series of classes to making the sweater shown on the cover (the cover picture on the Amazon website must be from an older edition?).

For years I've complained that it is easy to find patterns for fashionable sweaters to knit, but next to impossible to find ones to crochet. I'm elated that Crochet Your Way is filling that void. I can only hope that this book encourages designers, publishers, and booksellers to give us more.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent beginning, September 14, 2004

By 

S. Brackman (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Crochet Your Way (Paperback)

I had in mind to learn to crochet in order to make a baby blanket for my brother. I wanted to learn a variety of techniques but didn't want to tackle an ENTIRE article comprised of just a few stitches. In my search to find a good book to learn from, I had purchased several but none of the learner projects did what I wanted. I got bored too quickly. Then I found this book. The afghan they feature has 20 different squares, each square features a few rows of new stitches/techniques in ever escalating difficulty levels. They are sized so that each section is enough to get the hang of what is being asked for, and then moves on. In addition, when the squares first start they not only explain the stitches in plain english as well as throwing in the abbreviations commonly used, but they also have a row by row diagram. As the squares progress, they gradually replace the english and the diagrams with the typical language you'd find when reading a crochet pattern. I can also tell by looking at the organization and how the information is arranged that if a new crocheter skips the afghan, they are going to be thrown into the deep waters (so to speak) of funky patterns, abreviations galore, and little explanatory text. That would be confusing as all heck - and that's not how this book is intended for teaching. It's in the afghan squares where the user picks up all the crochet pattern and technique training, so skipping around would not be advised for this book.

I also changed the thread type and colors. I figured the "recommended" colors and thread were just that, so I changed them to suite my tastes. I'll be doing the lovely shawl pattern in the book in a rough woolen alpaca blend, not the tiny worsted thread they used. This replacement of suggested items has had no effect on the learning of this art. The only thing I had difficulty with was attempting to translate the pictures - which were nice and clear - into actual ACTIONS. For this, I found just the help I needed at http://www.stitchguide.com which features little Quicktime videos of the basic stitches. Better yet, site is FREE! Once I actually SAW someone make a few stitches, now the pictures in the book were fully translatable. I'm currently on square 13 of the 20 and am going strong. When I'm finished with the learn-to-crochet afghan, I KNOW I will have the confidence and skill to begin on some of the clothing they feature.

The only thing I would have recommended is that they take the "How to Tie Off" Tip OUT of the "tips" boxes and make it a make more obvious section. They go over color changes and adding/dropping stitches, ways to tie off should be just as obvious but it isn't. I interupted my learn-to-crochet blanket in order to get the baby blanket done, but I had no idea how to make good strong knots to end the piece with. It will eventually unravel as a result, and I'm not too happy about that, but live and learn (this is why I rated 4 stars instead of 5).

So - in essence - clear language, good organization, fast paced without going TOO fast, and challenging without being overwhelming. All in all, I would say excellent book for fast learners who don't want to do that same thing over and over again without going so fast that they loose you!! I would definitely recommend this book - coupled with looking at the basic stitch videos on the mentioned site - to anyone with the gumption to actually sit down and figure this craft out for themselves.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beginners and advanced crocheters will benefit, June 8, 2000

By 

Karel Juhl (Lansing, Michigan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Crochet Your Way (Paperback)

Clear, concise instructions, both in text and pictures -- including international symbols (and how to read them). Everything is explained several ways so if you don't get one explanation, try another. Beginners can make the stitch sampler afghan, then go on to a full project using favorite stitches. Definitely a book that will help beginners, but advanced crocheters will benefit from great patterns and at least one tip that's new to them. A fine job of laying out this book means advanced folks can easily skip familiar instructions without fear of missing something new. The cost of this book tips the scale to make this a 5 star recommendation.