Crochet Stitches Visual Encyclopedia: 300 Stitch Patterns, Edgings, and More

Gracias por la colaboración con tan elegante contenido en las muestras para las personas que nos gusta tejer. Te agradezco mucho que hayas publicado este libro.

In a later paragraph, I will talk about why I rank this as my favorite of all the stitch guides I've collected over more than 30 years, roughly 50. But first, I want to distinguish between what it is and what it is not.First of all, I think some people are confused on what a stitch encyclopedia is; it is NOT a how-to book, but a reference book. Every bicycle does not come with training wheels, nor every math book start with learning how to count. You buy books on how to crochet first, not references. It is like buying an English-German dictionary and expecting it to teach you punctuation and grammar. A visual encyclopedia is one with pictures of objects, and this one has pictures of fabric, motifs, and trims for crochet work. If they included pictures of hands holding the hooks (which most how-to books don't even do), you would get 30 to 50 stitches in the book, tops.There are several options if you are trying to learn, including free sources like YouTube, Ravelry, etc. Another is to look for some of the cheapo Kindle patterns, such as  15 Crochet Motifs , which have video links in them. That 99-cent Kindle pattern (and there are free Kindle apps for most platforms) has more than the stated 15 motifs suitable for making a pieced afghan, among other things. It also has video links for each and every motif, and you can watch her crochet them at your leisure. I watched one out of curiosity and it was well done, but as an experienced crocheter, I just did not have the patience to sit through 17 videos start to finish, so I cannot swear that she shows every stitch she takes on all 17. Another source is a site like Interweave. As part of the Black Friday online sale, I bought several downloadable videos for about $5 each. These are pricey videos normally, so getting on a mailing list to learn about sales is useful. One of the videos was three and a half hours of tips and tricks, and was a real find, so you are getting more than just what you get for free on YouTube. Another I bought, just on flower motifs, is by the same author as this book, and even after 35+ years of making crocheted flowers, I not only learned new tricks, I understood why I had not encountered them before: They would be extremely difficult to communicate by any means other than close-up video.The problem with some stitch encyclopedias is that there can be too much of a good thing. At some point, they are including ugly, fussy, or boring stitches, and many of them all look alike. 800 stitches? No, I get frustrated looking for what I want. This book has what we think of as regular crochet, lace, motifs, edging and trims, colorwork, a few filet crochet and broomstick lace patterns, surfacework (very simple to do, and you can create a sort of plaid in crochet or just use it to add trim), and even Tunisian. I have stitch encyclopedias for each of those techniques, so obviously one volume cannot do them all justice. But these are all attractive, useful entries, with diagrams and not just words. I think that a far greater percentage of these will wind up being useful than with any of my other stitch guides, especially given the broader range of the subject matter.

This compendium assumes you already know how to crochet well + have some more advanced skills like front & back loop, front & back post stitches, foundation stitches, etc. (Youtube is a great resource).To address some of the complaints in other reviews:#1. Lack of step-by-step: the book's already ginormous. In the Kindle app, highlight the chart, click Zoom on the highlight menu, pinch out to zoom. Take a screenshot if you want. plenty of detail, AND there are written instructions - read them.#2. Pictures are too small: see #1 and Zoom out the image. Better yet, make a 4" or 8" square swatch.(seriously trying not to roll my eyes, here)It has stitches I've not seen anywhere else and I can't wait to try them out. Each stitch has an image, chart and written instructions. You can't ask for more, although some of you tried. 😉 Highly recommend this for your library.

The layout of the book is engaging, with clear photos of beautiful stitches, while each page has enough white space to not overwhelm the reader. I love just flipping through the book to see what I can possibly create. Although I have been crocheting for a few years, I've stuck to the simple patterns and stitches (single and double crochet), so I bought this book to help me learn new stitches and patterns. I really appreciate that each pattern tells me not only what the pattern would be good for (e.g., scarf), but it also notes the number of chains needed to start the pattern (so that I can use and modify the pattern for a scarf or an afghan).The major issue I have with the book is that a beginner cannot just flip to any page in the book and get the necessary information. For example, trying a lace design in the middle of the book, you'll come across 2 dc-cl, and then need to flip several stitches back in the book to figure out what that stitch is; there is a glossary in the back, but because I'm a beginner, I have to constantly flip through the book to find the stitch requirements. (A better way might be to include a textbox for the uncommon stitches in each pattern, or at least note the page number of where to find an explanation.)The explanations are clear enough, though I find I still need to find a video on the Internet to show me what the author means in some cases, but this is just because I have yet to train my brain to efficiently read crochet patterns. The graphic representations of the patterns are very helpful, and I find myself using the graphic more than the text explanation.All in all, it was a good purchase, but I will still purchase other books to supplement this one.

This book is absolutely amazing. The number of crochet stitches and the variety is awesome. The instructions are clear and precise and even though I am a so called beginner, I have been working with some intermediate and advanced stitches. Can not express enough how good this book is. My only criticism is that I would have preferred some of the examples to have been crocheted in less chunky wool - that said, you can clearly see the patterns and repeats in all the displayed pictures.If anyone is looking for ideas on stitches then is definitely for you.

While I wouldn't call myself a veteran crocheter, I have been crocheting for a few years now (mostly amigurumi) and I wanted to learn some new stitches. Even though the Internet's a great thing, it's always nice to have a solid reference book. The colours and example pictures are beautiful, and the quality of the book itself is great.Some of the instructions are a little tricky, since the abbreviations are at the back of the book and you have to keep flipping from one page to the back of the book, but that can't be helped really. I highly recommend it if you're looking for new stitches for new projects!

Have been a crocheter for many years, though I don't do much. Bought this book principally for the large selection of Tunisian Stitches, which I am now learning.However, the complete book is excellent and comprehensive. Clear chapters on the different types of patterns - eg squares, colourwork, lace stitches, Tunisian, etc, with clear picture of the design, instructions and charts.

Not a book for the absolute beginner but a great book for the intermediate crocheter. This is a good book to add to your Craft library and is nicely presented.

I chose this because the book uploads and everything around it is safe and fast and good handling. I would sincerely recommend this to my friends.