Build Your Craft Library: My Crochet Book Reviews

Craft books and magazines are everywhere these days - online, at the grocery store, book store, yarn store, and craft store. As someone who both knits and crochets, I've started quite a collection of my own, though of course I want more! Here are a few crochet books I'd like to highlight for you this morning, in no particular order (hey, it's Monday, order is for later in the week).

Harmony Guides: Basic Crochet Stitches (The Harmony Guides) is an amazing stitch dictionary, complete with hundreds of stitch patterns, charts, and more. For my money the Harmony Guides are the best ones out there. While the copy I have is no longer in print, the new updated books are still the go-to books for those who are just learning, those who want to design new patterns, and those who just want to find fun new stitches to use!

Twinkie Chan's Crochet Goodies for Fashion Foodies: 20 Yummy Treats to Wear is a super fun book, full of food based patterns. Mostly scarves, with a few other projects thrown in, there's lots of hand piecing and sewing involved in most of Twinkie's patterns, but they are whimsical and hilarious. Sushi, bacon, and cupcakes all make appearances!

The Crochet Liberation Front First Ever Book is something very different - though it's still fun of great patterns and recipes for innovative crochet, it's also got articles and stories that will inspire and get you fired up about the craft! Born out of the Crochet Liberation Front group on Ravelry, this book brings together all the passion of that group of crafters into one tome. I'm proud to have it grace my shelves!

Stitch 'N Bitch Crochet: The Happy Hooker is a crochet pattern book with a funny name, but it's got 40+ great patterns inside. I've made the Fat Bottom Bag several times myself, as well as the Exchange Bag, and One Skein Scarf. Looking it over right now, there are a few more I'd still like to try!  A great book with pattern for everyone from beginners to experts, it's got sock monkey themed stuff, skirts, sweaters, amigurumi and more!

Double Stitch makes crochet sexy, funky, and very fashionable. Leaving hats and scarves behind, this book focuses on shrugs, sweaters, tops, halters, and a few pieces so unique I'm not sure they have a category. Not for the shy and retiring, this crochet was made to be shown off!

Positively Crochet!: 50 Fashionable Projects and Inspirational Tips and Crochet That Fits: Shaped Fashions Without Increases or Decreases are two pattern books written by the fabulous Mary Jane Hall. Her patterns are easy to wear, easy to customize, and easy to follow. Her Circular Shrug was the first sweater I ever made for myself that I really loved!

So those are a few of my favorites - what about you? Do you use pattern books and stitch dictionaries, or do you get all your crochet info online? What books or magazines do you recommend? Share with us in the comments!

Things on my hooks, needles, and tentacles this week:

I finally finished the hat for my littlest sister - another Felicity! Now the other sister wants a Regina, which means more yarn shopping for me! Yay!

Family requests don't stop there - the Diamond Crochet Cowl pattern I previewed last week garnered a fair bit of admiration over the weekend, and now I've got another one to make, and I think we're going sparkly! Look for that pattern to go up here on Friday!

I'm also working on a couple of commissioned projects, one of which is a Blackberry Salad Striped Baby Blanket. This one is in bright rainbow colors - so fun!

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