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71 of 71 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A great book for beginners, January 17, 2005
This review is from: Crocheting For Dummies (Paperback)
I bought this book to help me to become a better crocheter. I already knew the basic stitches, but I wanted to learn the "right" way to crochet, as well as learn some new stitches and techniques. This book was great for that. I even did a few of the projects, and they turned out pretty nice.
Just a few problems with the patterns, however... First of all, the recommended yarns for some of the projects are EXPENSIVE. Why would I want to spend $160 to make my first sweater, for example? And, I had difficulty choosing an alternate (less expensive) yarn, not only because the weight in the pattern is uncommon (Heavy worsted? Never heard of it! Couldn't find it!), but the guage that they give in the pattern is weird. Most yarns give the guage on a 4"X4" grid, but the pattern gives the guage for 3"X5". I had to calculate RATIOS in order to choose an appropriate yarn! The one other problem I had was that not all of the stitches that are used in the patterns are actually described in the book. For example, the text and diagrams show you how to decrease when using single and double crochet stitches, but then the pattern calls for decreasing with half-double crochet stitches... I was pretty much on my own for that!
But, despite the problems in the patterns, this book definitely helped me to become a much better crocheter. I am much more confident reading patterns and trying out new stitches now. I would definitely recommend this book.
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53 of 54 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Terrific Book for Learning the Art of Crochet, August 9, 2004
This review is from: Crocheting For Dummies (Paperback)
Crocheting for Dummies by Karen Manthey & Susan Brittain is a wonderfully thorough and very informative book for anyone wanting to learn to crochet and or wanting to freshen up their skills.
The book reads like a storybook in paragraph form. Everything is explained in great detail from choosing yarns and hooks, to how to work a large array of crochet stitches, to how to read a pattern, right down to how to care for ones crocheted items.
The stitch drawings are clear and expertly done making learning new stitches so much easier.
The book has both a contents page and an index for easy referral. I especially liked the fact that an index was included. So many crochet books do not include this. The index makes it very easy to find information on a particular topic quickly.
The recommendations for people just learning to crochet are fantastic. This book wasn't out when I learned to crochet and I learned the hard way about many of the pit falls this book helps one to avoid. For instance they recommend one start out with a size H-8 crochet hook and a light colored worsted weight yarn. I learned with a B-1 hook and a fingering weight yarn. After 2 whole days of crocheting it was 36" long and 1.5" tall. I was trying to make a baby blanket for my doll (which never got made).
The book contains humor, not just in the cartoons but in the instructions as well which makes for very entertaining reading while one learns a new craft. I always appreciate having a teacher with a sense of humor!
A good sampling of designs is included so that one can try out their skills. These include sweaters, an afghan, doilies, hot pads, pillow, scarves, floral motifs, and bandanas.
I am a crochet designer and I read the book cover to cover like a storybook while on vacation this past week. I thoroughly enjoyed it and learned a few things as well. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the art of crochet.
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21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Awesome book for the entry level crocheter., June 30, 2005
This review is from: Crocheting For Dummies (Paperback)
I bought this book after learning from a friend how to do a foundation chain. This book gets up close and personal with the stitches, and even the "how to" illustrations are shown for both right handed and left handed crocheters.
There are sections pertaining to pattern reading. There are also several "easy" patterns in the book so that the newbie can try out their newly acquired hooking skills. The padwan crocheter can make things like placemats, scarves and even a couple of sweaters. :)
For those who are a bit more advanced or who are looking for variety, the book also covers some more advanced stitches and stitching techniques.
I get quite a bit of use from my book and I can see it being one of my main crochet references for years to come.
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