Today I'm going to let you in on a little secret... if you're new to crochet you will quickly become a pattern hoarder. In fact, once you have mastered the basics, you will spend more time looking, pinning and saving patterns then you will actually crocheting them. It's a true story, I'll tell you no lies here. In my case, I liked books before I started to crochet so you can imagine how happy I was to walk into a yarn store and realize that there are all kinds of books just for crochet too!
If you're like me, you have to be careful how you spend my money. We are on a very tight budget with very little room for maneuvering. For example, my Christmas money from 2013 went boxing day shopping with me at Michael's. You can imagine how much fun I had! Don't kid yourself, or let anyone tell you otherwise, crocheting can be an expensive hobby. And, as much as I'd love to believe it does, it doesn't provide a solid income based on the amount of time you spend doing it. That being said, if I'm going to crochet, I might as well sell the things I create. Anyway, back to books.
One of my first purchases for my personal pattern library was The Complete Photo Guide to Crochet by Margaret Hubert. It has amazing pictures! I'm a visual person and if there isn't a picture to go with the pattern 9 times out of 10 I won't even bother with it. I have to know how my finished project is going to look.
If you're like me, you have to be careful how you spend my money. We are on a very tight budget with very little room for maneuvering. For example, my Christmas money from 2013 went boxing day shopping with me at Michael's. You can imagine how much fun I had! Don't kid yourself, or let anyone tell you otherwise, crocheting can be an expensive hobby. And, as much as I'd love to believe it does, it doesn't provide a solid income based on the amount of time you spend doing it. That being said, if I'm going to crochet, I might as well sell the things I create. Anyway, back to books.
One of my first purchases for my personal pattern library was The Complete Photo Guide to Crochet by Margaret Hubert. It has amazing pictures! I'm a visual person and if there isn't a picture to go with the pattern 9 times out of 10 I won't even bother with it. I have to know how my finished project is going to look.
I also love that Margaret goes into the history of crochet. Maybe not something for everyone, but it's very interesting. Once again, it's all about the pictures. I mean, the work that was done historically is absolutely stunning. Victorian lace is gorgeous.
When you're done reading that she starts you right at the beginning... hooks. There is a difference between them, something that I will be going into greater detail later on. You'll want to read those posts if you're confused between a bates and a boye hook. Those are the 2 most popular choices.
After looking at hooks, hook sizes and yarn needles you start with the basic stitches. I'll admit that, because I'm a visual learner, I actually watched youtube videos (Mikey Sellick of The Crochet Crowd is amazing!) to learn the basic stitches. I also had a nice visit with my mother in law to learn the double crochet. Perhaps there is someone in your local yarn store that help you if you're stuck. However, if you can understand words and pictures, you have everything you need in these pages.
Truly though, my favourite part of this book is that I can look through it and find a new stitch pattern to try every time. Or, if I want to brush up on, say, the bobble stitch, I just pull out my copy and flip to the index. The images are vibrant, the directions are easy to understand. It's one of those books that you're going to keep referencing. I use mine so much that I keep it in my crochet corner so I can grab it quickly.
Some hints, because I know that cost can be limiting. I purchased my copy from amazon. It saved me a couple dollars buying it online. Plus, if you spend over $25 you get free shipping. Did you know that amazon sells crochet hooks too? Or, maybe you can bundle it with a gift for someone special? Or, since you've been looking at other books, perhaps it's best to combine them and save a few bucks off the store price.
I don't know about in the US but up here in Canada, any discount coupons from Michael's will not apply to the books that you want to purchase. This is something that you may want to check into at the store before you decide to purchase a copy of this book or any book for that matter.
Whatever your situation, whether you're new to crochet or a seasoned crocheter, this is one of those amazing finds that will help you out every time.
Your turn:
Do you have a "go to" crochet book? I'd love to hear about it!
What was one of the first books you purchased?
When you're done reading that she starts you right at the beginning... hooks. There is a difference between them, something that I will be going into greater detail later on. You'll want to read those posts if you're confused between a bates and a boye hook. Those are the 2 most popular choices.
After looking at hooks, hook sizes and yarn needles you start with the basic stitches. I'll admit that, because I'm a visual learner, I actually watched youtube videos (Mikey Sellick of The Crochet Crowd is amazing!) to learn the basic stitches. I also had a nice visit with my mother in law to learn the double crochet. Perhaps there is someone in your local yarn store that help you if you're stuck. However, if you can understand words and pictures, you have everything you need in these pages.
Truly though, my favourite part of this book is that I can look through it and find a new stitch pattern to try every time. Or, if I want to brush up on, say, the bobble stitch, I just pull out my copy and flip to the index. The images are vibrant, the directions are easy to understand. It's one of those books that you're going to keep referencing. I use mine so much that I keep it in my crochet corner so I can grab it quickly.
Some hints, because I know that cost can be limiting. I purchased my copy from amazon. It saved me a couple dollars buying it online. Plus, if you spend over $25 you get free shipping. Did you know that amazon sells crochet hooks too? Or, maybe you can bundle it with a gift for someone special? Or, since you've been looking at other books, perhaps it's best to combine them and save a few bucks off the store price.
I don't know about in the US but up here in Canada, any discount coupons from Michael's will not apply to the books that you want to purchase. This is something that you may want to check into at the store before you decide to purchase a copy of this book or any book for that matter.
Whatever your situation, whether you're new to crochet or a seasoned crocheter, this is one of those amazing finds that will help you out every time.
Your turn:
Do you have a "go to" crochet book? I'd love to hear about it!
What was one of the first books you purchased?