Crochet played a key role in my development as a young crafter. I got “hooked” around age 5 at Great Grandma Case’s Sunday night craft table where I learned to stitch granny squares with the crafty women in my family. I still LOVE to whip up projects with my old set of aluminum needles. (My gold “G” hook remains my favorite crochet tool of all time.)
Because I had such a positive childhood experience with crochet, I reserve a special place on my bookshelf for crochet books that take me back to the initial excitement of learning the craft. Recently I welcomed a copy of Linda Permann’s inspiring, new book “Crochet Adorned: Reinvent Your Wardrobe with Crocheted Accents, Embellishments, and Trims” to my home craft library. Linda’s book is vibrant and fun, and exactly the sort of thing I’m looking for as a veteran crocheter with limited time to stitch.
In addition to providing readers with 20 projects to embellish clothing and adorn the home, Linda opens with a great crochet primer covering everything from hooks, yarn, basic stitches and pattern and diagram reading. This information is great for beginners, but helpful to experienced stitchers, too. (I learned to read written patterns as a kid and have less experience reading diagrams, so I found the stitch key on p. 31 very helpful.)
The projects featured in the book range from lovely doily earrings and trims to the Floral Motif Yoke Top pattern on p. 61 that I can’t wait to make. And adding crochet trim to a raincoat (p. 58) is not something I’d previously considered, but what a great way to add a little handmade spunk to a trench.
Linda’s book gives readers abundant ideas about how to use crochet to enhance their warerobes without having to stitch complete garments. I love this Modern Harlequin Dress trim project on p. 50 that takes the standard store-bought black dress up a notch:
And this Breezy Tunic project with embellished sleeves on p. 42 is lovely, too:
Even if you don’t love all the projects in the book, the stitch dictionary at the back makes it worth the $24.95 cover price. This section includes patterns and diagrams for loads of trims and motifs to inspire embellishment and adornment projects of your own design. As a hexagon enthusiast, I had fun whipping up the Granny Hexagon found on p. 130.
While there are a couple projects in the book that don’t fit my fashion sense (or lack thereof), I give Crochet Adorned high marks. If you crochet, or want to learn, this book is worth checking out. Congrats to Linda and her contributors for giving us a great collection of hip crochet patterns to embellish our lives.
Leave a comment below to enter the random drawing for a copy of the book. The deadline to enter is Aug. 30, 2009. Good luck, everyone!
Update: I forgot to add a link to my interview with Linda in episode 26.
