Take a fresh approach to a classic craft! Create these stylish crocheted designs, even if you've never held a crochet hook before. Learn a few basic crochet stitches step by step, and then combine them in innovative ways for sensational sweaters-most designed especially with beginners in mind. Twenty gorgeous patterns feature sizes from extra small to extra large; many of these sweaters will make a perfect weekend project for experienced crocheters. Choose from an array of seasonal styles, such as a summer-weight sleeveless shell with a matching beaded shawl, a classic crewneck pullover, and a comfy cardigan. A one-stop guide to crocheting basics introduces the yarns, stitches, swatches, and smart tips that will ensure a perfect fit.
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About the Author
For almost two decades, Susan Huxley has worked as an author, garment designer, editor, and reporter. She was editor of the national Canadian magazine Crafts Plus and senior editor of craft and sewing books at Rodale Press, Inc. Susan has written craft and sewing articles for the Ontario Crafts Council and the American Sewing Guild.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
58 of 61 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great patterns, easy stitches, can't find the yarn anywhere.,
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This review is from: Crocheted Sweaters "Print on Demand Edition" (Paperback)
The patterns in this book are really nice -- most are things you'd actually like to wear, not sweaters that look like they've been put together from scraps of crocheted tablecloths or afghans. I only learned to crochet about two years ago, and all I had made prior to getting this book were scarves and baby blankets. I didn't find the patterns hard to understand at all, and the stitches really are easy to master. I think my skill level has risen considerably since buying this book.My problem with the book is that all the designs use yarn that is not readily available. I do like using yarns that are higher-quality than the stuff you get at the craft store, but some of these are really obscure (and expensive). Some yarns do not even seem to be manufactured anymore, which is not necessarily the designers' fault. However they did make it much harder for us by not including key information like knitting gauge and/or weight (i.e. worsted, dk, sport weight, etc) for each yarn, so you have to do some digging to get enough information to make yarn substitutions. In the back of the book there are two pages that are *supposed* to help you make substitutions. They have photographs of a strand of each type of yarn, fiber content, yardage, etc, but no information on gauge!! These pages are not very helpful because the photos of the strands do not seem to be to scale, so you can't just visually compare the yarn you're thinking of substituting. What I ended up doing was this: I looked the yarns up in online yarn stores (when I could) to figure out gauge and yardage, and I made substitutions from what was available in similar fibers and gauges from Elann.com. So far my sweaters have turned out fine. But a word of warning -- if you're not comfortable making substitutions (and the inevitable adjustments you have to make as a result), you probably will not be able to make several of the sweaters in this book.
34 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Terrific for beginners, and lots of warm-weather sweaters!,
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This review is from: Crocheted Sweaters "Print on Demand Edition" (Paperback)
This book could be used by a beginner who has only done straight scarves, to do their first sweater. Pages 95 to 117 are a pretty comprehensive "how to crochet, how to choose a pattern, how to choose a yarn" set of instructions. There are sweaters in here using only the simplest of stitches, and very thorough instructions for sweaters that use more complex stitches.
While several people have mentioned that they found some of the yarns obscure, I have had no problems finding these yarns in specialty shops and especially on eBay; you may not find them at big chain crafts stores (we don't need to mention names) but then, if you are going to make sweaters you'll want to wear for a lifetime, you don't want to use mass market acrylic yarn, so the hunt for specialty yarns is worth it. The section of the book on how to choose a yarn will help you find equivalents if you don't find the exact brand. There are many interchangeable medium-weight cotton and rayon yarns. And for those whose only place to buy yarn is a chain store, check out, say, the "Bright Ideas" pattern, made with Lion Brand Microspun microfiber yarn. For many of the obscure DK/sport weight yarns, you could substitute Berroco Cotton Twist with no problem! If all else fails, bring the book with you when you shop for yarn, and use the guide on pages 124-125: hold a sample of a yarn you've found against the picture of the yarn called for, to see if it's the same width and fuzziness. The only other trick to substituting yarns is the stretchiness factor; if a pattern calls for a very stretchy yarn, you can't substitute cotton or rayon. But most of these patterns call for chenille, fake-fur and eyelash, and cotton or rayon blends to begin with. (Can you tell I really like this feature of the book? I'm a cotton nut!!) Many of the sweaters are made with cotton or rayon yarns and have short-sleeved versions, so that they are suitable even for people who live in warm-weather climates. If you're in Florida or Texas or a similar climate, you'll appreciate this! As I write this, it's 99 degrees in the middle of September, and I haven't made a long-sleeved sweater or used wool yarn in YEARS! I am continually disappointed by new books of sweater patterns that seem to assume everyone lives above the 38th parallel; this book is one of the few that has just as many sweaters for those of us down around the 31st parallel. Even many of the long-sleeved sweaters are made with cotton blends rather than wool blends. One especially valuable feature of this book is the "Foundations" sections at the end of several patterns - these are mini-lessons, tips and tricks. There are a few that taught me something new, even though I have been crocheting for ::mumble:: (forty years) ::mumble:: Beginners could flip through and read all the Foundations bits before starting on something.
27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Editor Chimes In,
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This review is from: Crocheted Sweaters "Print on Demand Edition" (Paperback)
I'm so pleased to learn that most people have enjoyed this book. And I'm especially pleased that people like the tips, yarn substitution information, and basic-how-tos. When I was developing Crocheted Sweaters, I sat down and made a list of everything that I would like to know when making a sweater. Then I figured out how to get it into this book.
The one thing that I'd do differently (and have done in subsequent books) is include large, close-up photos of the stitching in the finished sweaters. (In fact, More Crocheted Aran Sweaters, which I developed and edited, has full-page, detailed photos of the sweaters, plus model shots! But back to Crocheted Sweaters. At a trade show a couple of years ago, a yarn shop owner told me that she buys the book for the comprehensive instructions for the basics of crochet, rather than the sweaters. That makes me really happy because I want more people to discover the pleasure of crocheting. When the book was in development, I spoke with all of the yarn manufacturers to confirm that the featured yarns wouldn't be discontinued any time soon. I chose more interesting yarns because, at that time, I thought that some crocheters were stuck in a rut, using boring yarns. Unfortunately many yarns are discontinued. I love the challenge of swapping yarns but understand that not everyone shares my enthusiasm for the hunt. Hence the extensive information about each featured yarn. The gauge is found with the featured sweater, all of the other details are in the section near the back of the book. Crocheted Sweaters also gave me the opportunity to create extremely detailed stitching instructions. I had been doing this for sewing books for some time, and wanted crochet instructions that are just as clear and helpful. Thank you so much for your interest in my book.
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