Teach Yourself Visually Crocheting
Several months ago, I decided to learn to crochet, so I started checking out various websites and books. There are many resources available, but they are not all equally useful. I learned bits and pieces from different places, and eventually cobbled together a basic grasp of how crochet works and how to do a variety of stitches. I continue to examine books and online instruction sites, both to improve my own knowledge and to recommend resources to others. Of all the instruction guides I've seen, Teach Yourself Visually Crocheting by Kim P. Werker and Cecily Keim, is the very best.
The book is logically organized, starting with introductory information about supplies and basic techniques, going on to all the basic crochet stitches, followed by more complicated stitch patterns. More than a dozen patterns are included, with complete instructions for making a variety of projects including bags, scarves, hats, and a sweater. All directions include step-by-step detail and clear photographs to show each step. This is much more helpful than other guides which use line drawings rather than photographs, or include only one or two illustrations per technique. Newcomers to the craft can see every step very clearly, and don't have to make any guesses about what to do next.
As stitch patterns grow more complicated, Werker and Keim break down each explanation into sections: a description of each stitch, a clearly stated pattern written with typical crochet abbreviations (SC, CH, etc.) and then the pattern in plain English. With the crisp, colourful photographic illustrations, one can easily learn these more complex stitch patterns. To round out the book, information is included about fixing mistakes, finishing pieces, seaming, blocking and more.
I highly recommend this book, both for beginners and those who are comfortable crocheting but want to pick up a few more techniques. Teach Yourself Visually Crocheting is part of the "Read Less - Learn More" series published by Visual.
