The Essential Crochet Dictionary by Sophie Martin is billed as "Your go-to reference guide for stitching beautiful crochet!" Take a peek inside, see what I think, and enter to win your own copy here on Moogly!
Disclaimer: I was given a copy of this book; all opinions are my own. This post includes affiliate links.
The Essential Crochet Dictionary Review
Normally, I start with a bit about the author, but this author is a mystery! I tried looking up Sophie Martin a variety of ways and found... nothing! So moving on...
I was gifted a copy of this book at 2025's Crochet Guild of America Retreat - and when there were extras, they let me grab a second copy to give away! And now is the time! From the description:
"Learn all the stitches you need to know to be a successful crocheter!
This conveniently sized handbook covers 100 stitches, including the foundation chain, Tunisian crochet, square stitch, palm stitch, offset mesh, picot trellis, ladder stitch, iris stitch, half-daisy border, and many more!
With this book in your crochet kit, you will be able to tackle any crochet project! Master the stitches with easy-to-follow step-by-step instructions and nearly 200 photos for guidance. Great for beginner, intermediate, and advanced crocheters, the stitches in this dictionary have been chosen for their diversity, rendering, modernity, and simplicity of execution, and are organized by style like full, mesh, open, relief, border, and Tunisian. The stitches have been photographed on a black background, making the details of each stitch easier to see — and learn!
These 176 pages are jam-packed with photos and explanations of stitches and techniques to help you create beautifully stitched projects every time. You'll also find a helpful glossary of basic and advanced crochet terms and handy tips to make each stitch work wonderfully.
Just as essential as a skein of yarn and a hook, Essential Crochet Dictionary is the practical, in-depth visual guide that is a must-have for any yarn-lover's library or project bag!"
Peeking inside, I am impressed with how much they were able to pack into this book. That said, I do feel like there were some shortcuts taken. Or maybe I just disagree with their choices? The Terms Used section has some great info... mixed with some questionable statements. As an example, in talking about Decreases it states, "The most common way of doing this is to skip the stitches you'd like to reduce at the end of a row." Is it really the most common? It's one way... but that's not how I would define Decreases.
Diving into the actual stitch instructions, the step-by-step photos are super helpful, although I think that some of the wording could be clearer - "threading" the yarn rather than "pulling" it through loops, for example. This might be a language issue, but as I have no info on Sophie I couldn't say. The instructions on Tunisian Crochet have the foundation row at the front, and then leave you adrift until you realize that was just the set up and the rest is at the back of the book.
So would I recommend this book? Only to those who already have the basics of crochet down and are looking for a compact project-bag sized stitch dictionary. There are some fun stitch patterns in here, and the Index at the back is great for quick checks of "am I remembering that stitch correctly?" But overall, I cannot recommend this book to beginners. Also... but...? You can form your own opinion when you win the giveaway below!
Get your own copy of the today!
Purchase your own copy of this book on Amazon, or ask for it at your local bookseller!
The Essential Crochet DictionaryGiveaway
Giveaway is open in the US and Canada. The giveaway ends February 24, 2026, at 12:15am Central US time. To enter, use the Kingsumo form below. Only the email option is mandatory – all other tasks are optional, for bonus entries only.
One winner will receive a paperback copy of courtesy of Landauer Publishing and shipped by Moogly. They will be notified by email.
GOOD LUCK ALL!
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Debbie Hawes says
This sounds like a book everyone should have. I'm constantly looking up stitches on u-tube
Susan Anderson says
I think i could figure this book out. It can't be any worse than some patterns I've already tried. Plus, I tend to "do my own thing" anyway, when I can't understand the directions or if I prefer a different process for the same outcome! 😉
It will be fun to check it out.
Janet C says
Happy Tuesday Tamara, What a great book idea! I like seeing book reviews for crochet and crafting. Thanks
Christine Voss says
I think this would be great as a reference when I can't remember exactly how a stitch is worked. It would also be a great inspiration book just to give ideas on which way to go with a project. Thanks Moogly!