Customer Reviews

Not Your Mama's Crochet: The Cool and Creative Way to Join the Chain Gang

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I knit, crochet, spin...you name it. I've even written a crochet book myself! But I love Not Your Mama's Crochet's fresh take on the art, and I even learned some things myself. (If you've ever found a vintage pattern you love that you want to adapt to modern yarns, check out "Vintage Patterns and Yarn Substitution" on page 57! I also discovered why crochet is cool in Mongolia on page 185 -- now where else are you going to read about that?)

The measurement worksheet at the back of the book is an easy way to keep all your personal measurements organized and in one place -- I admit I end up remeasuring myself almost any time I start a new project because I've lost the tiny slip of paper with everything from last time.

Patterns? oh yes... I'm eyeing the recycled denim rug on page 171 as a way to reuse all my old, ripped-up pairs of jeans, and the "Too Good for Your Boyfriend" sweater would look amazing on just about any body type thanks to its lovely raglan shaping. (I'm a big fan of raglans).

Y'know, the other reviewers complained about the information at the front of the book, but I'm sorry -- not everyone has a copy of the Happy Hooker on their desk, and there are only so many ways you can outline the basic info a new crocheter needs to get started. I thought the instructions were really clear and good, and the book title won't cause real-world Mamas to have fits. (Don't laugh -- I've overheard more than one mom at the yarn store passing up Stoller's books due to title... and while I think that's pretty stupid, it does happen. So comparing this book to the Happy Hooker is not really fair).

Not Your Mama's Crochet is a great way to get started, and gives readers lots of encouragement to try out their skills. I really liked this book!

I am a knitter and spinner and will soon be adding crochet to the list. sure I know how to do a basic chain stitch but that is about it. I have tried to learn crochet from other books and failed. However, this book lays it all out in plain English. I can actually keep my sides even!

The book itself is well written and laid out. First off is the Market Bag. I live about 4 blocks from the local farmers market. Buying Local, Buying Organic but using plastic bags that I'm just going to throw out? Heck no!! Now I will have a bag to take to the market with me!!

Living in a city where it gets cold at night but is warm during the day makes the Weekend Vest perfect. Once I master that its going to be the Pseudo-Kimono. Having seen this sweater in person let me tell you that it looks fabulous in the picture in the book but in person ... It is to die for!! I can't wait to crochet it up. I have to admit I never thought I would catch myself saying this.

Get this book. Especially you knitters who have stayed away from crochet! This book will change your mind and get you hooked! Literally.

I really enjoy the patterns. I like that they use classy yarns yet list less pricey ones for each project. One of the best innovations in the pattern instructions is that the knitting gauge of the yarn is included so you can go into your stash and make substitutions for the yarns. So far what I've tried out has been accurate. I appreciate the careful editing that equals less frustration and potentially unfinished projects.And since I hardly ever follow a pattern as written, I really like the sections on "Variations". They inspire me to invent even more alternatives.
Having been a hardcore knitter for years I was glad to get the refresher on crochet techniques. Also Chapter 12, on how to hook up (sorry for the pun) with the crochet community on-line was helpful.
This is a great book for learning, patterns and inspiration.

I need good pictures when I look through pattern books. The Kindle edition of this book eliminates the author's original pictures, substituting black and white thumbnails of a portion of the design. The thumbnails are too small for me to see any detail.

The text of the book is chatty and friendly. The patterns are written in an unconventional style, which might be helpful to people who find the current conventional style difficult to follow.

The patterns are standard beginner and intermediate patterns. What this book brings that is different from other books is its chatty text style.

I don't recommend the Kindle edition because of the lack of usable pictures. It's mystifying that Amazon doesn't include this significant change in its description of the Kindle edition. It's a critical difference that makes the difference for many customers between purchasing the Kindle edition and the hardcopy edition.

This book has is all wonderful easy to follow instructions and great projects. This book is great for beginners and a must have for any crocheter!

It has nice patterns and the explanations are clear, but I was expecting more color photographs, a lot of pink-kind of print in the book

After getting and looking in this book, I like it more than I thought I did when I first saw it at a bookstore. It contains 27 patterns of assorted types, not just appearal, and also Part 1 has 6 chapters of 80 pages with helpful information including how-to, stitch guides, garment sizing guidelines, hooks, and more in what looked like such a small book at first. It's packed with good info, not just the usual blah blah, and enough patterns I think are cute enough to make, and I'm picky. ;) Well worth its price, in my opinion.

This is a great book for those who are learning how to crochet. The patterns in here range from insanely simple to difficult and interesting enough to keep a seasoned crocheter like me interested. My only complaint is that most of the clothing patterns don't include instructions for anything above a XL, though they're simple enough to adjust for that. I gave a copy of this book to another aspiring crocheter - I recommend it for anyone who wants to learn.

I have at least two problems about this book that I bought and viewed on my Kindle app. First it IS my mama's crochet and it's way too basic. I'm a fairly advanced crocheter and a great deal of this book is taken up teaching the basics. Second, at least in the Kindle version, there is no color and the pictures are tiny. The tiny pictures make the crocheted pieces look lumpy and unprofessional. They might look better in a larger image and they might look better in color. Sure, some of the patterns are new-ish, but nothing my mother would have thought outre. I agree with the reviewer who said she'd never make these projects; I probably won't because I'm a visual person and need a nice picture of what I'm crocheting. I wasted my money on this book for sure.

This book was very disappointing to me. I am an intermediate crocheter, and I bought this book primarily for the patterns. Although at first glance a few of them seemed worthwhile, in the long run, I have had this book for at least 6 months and haven't even started one project from it. (Which is very rare for me.) The instructions are o.k., the pictures are o.k. but neither are great. It is also very discouraging that the yarn used in most of the projects shown is very expensive and hard to find. This is not a book I would recommend buying online. Go to your local bookstore, and check it out to see if it's right for you. If that's not an option and you want a fun book for crochet I would suggest my all time favorite: Debbie Stoller's "Stitch N Bitch: Happy Hooker".