Lending

I'm enjoying this book very much! I'm teaching myself to crochet and find the pictures, symbols and pointers very helpful. I would recommend finding some good YouTube videos to supplement,though. As a knitter, I understand most of the techniques already described, too. I'm not sure how a complete newbie would interpret this guide.

I'm a very visual person when it comes to learning new crafts and the combination of this book and the videos has been tremendously helpful. If you want to learn crochet and know a thing or two about needle art, check out this book! ( )

This is a comprehensive guide to crocheting that includes everything you need to know to begin crocheting. The first section is on the supplies you will need to begin: needles, hooks, other tools, and types of yarns. From there, it moves on the very basics, from how to hold the hook and yarn to how to create a simple row. Each step has a full color photogrpah that clearly presents how to do the necessary step, with actual hands demonstrating the step.

Once you have the basics, you can move onto different stiches that are more decorative, such as the loop, chevrons, and lace stitches. There is also information on beading, granny squares, changing colors, increases and decreases, as well as finishing a piece.

The biggest thing to note about this book is that it lacks patterns, so is really more of a reference or a learning tool that you would use to learn the basics and then look up things as you needed them while working from another book or pattern. It should therefore not be the only crochet book in your library; you should also have a book that includes some simple patterns.

Crocheting is fairly complicated to learn, so this book would be more appropriate for upper elementary. One way all teachers might be able to use it is through a little buddy program, where older students could teach crocheting to their little buddies. Still, this is a great book for 4th graders and up who would like to make scarves or those little amigurumi figures that are so popular.

For ages 10 and up. ( )

Using books and YouTube, I taught myself to crochet. And soon discovered, I was doing everything wrong! This book had such amazing photo-pictorials and clear, concise instructions, that I really learned how to crochet. I love this book and find myself reaching for it to learn new stitches. Now, if only the friend I leant it to would return it. :) ( )

This is a great reference book for crocheters. While I dabble in crochet occasionally, I'm no expert, but with this book I could definitely become one. I liked the clear instructions as well as the detailed photos of each step in the process. This book includes beginning crochet stitches and information about hooks, yarn and gauge as well as more advance techniques, such as tubular and hairpin crochet. Instructions are given for making buttonholes and edgings and finishing information is provided as well.
If you only purchase one reference book about crochet, this should be it. ( )