The Complete Crochet Handbook comprehensively provides excellent tips and techniques to ensure your stitches are as neat as they can be whether you are new to crochet or want to polish your skills.
The reader is led through several ways to make their crochet pieces unique: through use of textual stitches, sewn embellishments, beading, tassels, pom-poms, the works!
This book goes through a variety of approaches to crochet and features colourful photographs as helpful visual aids. Professional crafter Jane Crowfoot provides the reader with concise and encouraging expertise, which you can apply to any of your crochet projects (big or small).
We say: Truly the go-to resource for crocheters of all skill levels, with step-by-step instructions for first-timers as well as more advanced tricks for experienced crocheters.
* Craft Focus *
Every crocheter needs a comprehensive guide at their fingertips to refer to when patterns get tricky or they need a refresher on techniques, and leading crochet designer Jane Crowfoot is perfectly placed to create such a book.
-- Inside Crochet Magazine * Issue 168 *
Regardless of your skill level, crocheters of all kinds will find this book an important piece in their collection. With a catalogue of step-by-step instructions for simple stitches and guides for more advanced textured techniques, you can use this book as a great reference for all your future projects.
Jane covers a whole host of crochet essentials, from reading charts to working in the round. [...]
Accompanied by gorgeous photography that'll spark your inspiration, this wonderful book is there to guide you through your crochet journey, ensuring your finished makes are practically perfect!
-- Crochet Now * Issue 108 *
Whether you're new to crochet or want to polish your skills, these techniques and tips will ensure your stitches are as neat as they can be. This go-to resource for all skill levels has basic guidelines for first-timers and advanced tricks for experts.
* Machine Knitting Monthly *
Jane Crowfoot (a Guild Patron) is famous in the crochet world for her gorgeous colourful blankets with their imaginative designs. In the introductory 'Meet Jane' section, she tells us of her crochet roots that began with her great-grandmother. She also explains the wide sources of her inspiration, such as Mystical Lanterns, from Moroccan architecture, and Lily Pond from Monet's famous water lilies.
The book has detailed instructions on making the basic stitches, counting rows, increasing and decreasing, joining in new colours, finishing off ends, and much else besides. Learning is made easier by the inclusion of lots of photo details. I'm thinking how helpful these would be particularly for someone learning from the book alone. It is like having a teacher by your side showing you each stage of making a stitch, etc. Craft writers have benefited from online how-to videos, I feel, and now include more photos and a more informal approach to teaching than in the past.
There are also lots of useful items for crocheters in general, such as joining blocks: five crochet and three sewing methods; how to make buttons; and the holes/loops to go with them. It also explains some interesting techniques such as 'round the post' stitches for added texture, inclusion of beads, and the use of colour with intarsia and mosaic crochet, surface crochet, and also pompoms, fringes and tassels to add a fun aspect.
There are a couple of negatives. There is a one-page explanation of charts, but they are not used elsewhere and there are also very few patterns. But, after appetising glimpses of her blankets throughout the book, it is good to find patterns for six Jane-style flower motifs.
Jane's blankets are not for the beginner, but you can enjoy browsing (more experienced crocheters may want to buy a pattern) on her website. This is altogether a very comprehen