How Stitch Books Changed My Life (Seriously)
I know that sounds dramatic, but listen – having a good stitch book has changed the way I crochet and design patterns. Prior to having a stitch book, I would scour the internet looking for new stitches and stitch tutorials. Now, don’t get me wrong – Google is awesome, but somehow I felt like I saw the same old stitches over and over again. My first stitch book was given to me as a gift and it has literally been the gift that keeps on giving.
Every time I go to start a project or pattern from scratch, I get out one of my stitch books and start flipping through. There are so many great stitches in these (hundreds to be exact) and I am constantly bookmarking ideas. There are images for each stitch, so you can quickly flip through and get an idea of the texture it creates. I can go through hundreds of stitches in minutes to find the right one for my next project or design.
If you are a pattern designer, or someone who likes to crochet more than just single crochet – you need a good stitch book! I wanted to share a few of my favorites, and as you can tell my by yarn bookmarks – I use them constantly!
Update: I just got this book and I love it already!! I can already tell I’ll have to give a more thorough review of it here, because it’s amazing!
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Basic Crochet Stitches
Basic Crochet Stitches was my first crochet stitch book and I still haven’t exhausted it. This book is exactly what it says, 250 amazing stitches to crochet along with a nice intro to crochet in the front and a great glossary in the back. It has stitches from simple textures that beginners would love, to intricate designs perfect for an advanced crocheter. I love the variety in this book and can’t tell you how many stitches I have bookmarked to use! This is one of the books I think every crocheter could use, because it sets such a good foundation for learning a wide variety of stitches.
Indispensable Stitch Collection for Crocheters
The Indispensable Stitch Collection book truly amazed me. This book has stitches I have never seen before – from cables, to lacework, to shells, and even colorwork! The colorwork section of the book is what impressed me the most – Maybe I live under a rock, but I’ve never seen anything like some of the stitches in the colorwork section before! Regardless of what section you pick a stitch from, I would describe this entire book as modern, yet elegant. Everything is trendy and chic, yet still classic and beautiful at the same time.
If you’re an experienced crocheter that wants a book with some unique, new stitch ideas – the Indispensable Stitch Collection book is it!
500 Crochet Stitches
500 Crochet Stitches surprised me in a few ways. My first impression of this book was how well done it is. I love that it’s a hardcover book and the layout of the pages really clean and easy to look at. This book is sectioned into basic stitches, motifs, and edging. It also has a really nice intro to crochet with illustrations on how to create stitches (perfect for a beginner)!
However, I noticed the content of the basic stitches section, which accounts for the first couple hundred stitches in this book is eerily similar to the Basic Crochet Stitches book. Even the pictures of the stitches look identical… Yes, there are different stitches and not every single one is identical, but they are so similar that I would recommend choosing one book or the other. The area where this book shines over the Basic Crochet stitches is in the motif and edging sections of the book – other than that, they are very similar. The 500 Crochet Stitches book is a great overall introduction to crochet and a very complete set of stitches.
