Nice book, but for someone who's been crocheting for 50 years, it's a bit of a useless one. I buy books through Amazon mostly, so a lot are bought sight unseen. I end up with a lot of craft books that I'd never have bought if I could have had one quick flip through them, and this is one of those. Basically, you could save yourself the cost of this book by hunting down some crocheted doily patterns online and modifying them by using a larger yarn and larger hooks for shawls, and doing some creative thinking about how to turn them into clothing. I do think it would be good for beginners, but for anyone with a few years of crochet under their belt, it's a bust. ( )

Wonderful book!!!!! ( )

I rated this book with five stars solely on the fact that I was able to make the pineapple skirt, and it came out looking really good.

I had not completed a crochet project in quite awhile, and I was in need of the kind of boost that only comes from actually finishing a crochet project. The skirt went much more quickly and was much easier than I thought it would be.

However, the entire reason I bought the book had NOTHING to do with the patterns. I bought the book because Doris Chan has a great back story for how she came to develop the technique of "exploded lace."

While leafing through the book one night to see if it had any patterns as good as the introduction, I came across a pineapple skirt made with a mercerized dk weight cotton.

I would like to advise anyone wanting to attempt making exploded lace to READ THE PATTERN DIRECTIONS CAREFULLY before beginning any projects. Ms. Chan makes use of a sc foundation chain that is unlike anything I have encountered before, and if I had not inadvertently noticed that it was so different, I might have ended up with a skirt I couldn't get over my hips.

As it was, I read the directions, practiced making a foundation chain several times before starting the project (really it's worth taking the time to do this), and the project went quickly, was immeasurably fun to make and it fit.

What more could a person want?

So, if you are looking to make a foray into crochet wear, this is a rewarding place to begin. ( )