Book Review: 200 crochet Flowers, Embellishments & Trims by claire crompton; F&W Media international

Every since I was a little girl, crochet has been a part of my life. I was given some really cool crocheted pieces that my great-grandmother had made. She made anything and everything; blankets, animals, and doilies. I loved how amazing the pieces looked and always wondered how to do it myself.

As I got older, I noticed that my Aunt had picked up Crochet hooks and was well experienced at making cute baby blankets, booties, hats, and scarves. I wanted to learn too. So, 3 years ago- I began teaching myself.

I am not experienced by any means. I have other things that take up my time and I wasn’t able to complete BIG projects that I started—so only small projects were completed on my crochet to-do list. I never really learned how to read crochet patterns because I was afraid and just a beginner.

When I got a chance to review the book 200 Crochet Flowers, Embellishments, and Trims by Claire Crompton I was ecstatic. This meant that I could do some little projects and begin reading crochet patterns..

So last weekend I spent the entire weekend reading this book- brushing up on the different stitches and teaching myself how to read the patterns without getting frazzled. I have to admit—I had SO much fun.

I began making some of the different flowers that they had in the book. The patterns were easy to read, easy to follow, and very easy to get done. It is amazing how great it feels to take a ball of yarn and complete something so beautiful (yet not SO time consuming) at the beginning.

As I got comfortable making the flowers and reading the patterns—I flipped to the back of the book where the different crochet fabrics were. They had so many different patterns that I’d never seen or heard of before.. They were also easy to follow and fun to make.

I started making washcloths for face washing, scarves with all the beautiful elegant stitches that they have, and even belts. I don’t think there has been a day since getting this book that I haven’t been sitting down and putting it to good use.

Not only has this book inspired me to re-start something that I loved doing, just couldn’t find the time to do—but it helped me learn how to read the patterns (both written and drawn) which was extremely hard for me before.

This is another scarf that I made from the instructions in the book. This is a beautiful shell stitch—so I made it into an airy open lace like scarf. It is absolutely stunning and I plan on giving it to my sister for her birthday.! It feels nice to create something out of just a ball of yarn. Something that I can be proud to say that I made!!

This book is absolutely amazing. I love that they have all the instructions in the front so that even a beginner can enjoy the book. (It isn’t just for advanced know-how crocheters). It also has detailed descriptions of the different types of yarn and what each type of yarn would be best for.

It also has very elegant edging and braids that can be added to blankets, shirts, or just about anything to make it more beautiful. I haven’t made any of these yet- but when I do—I’ll be sure to post them for you to see.

BUY IT: You can buy the 200 Crochet Flowers, Embellishments, & Trims book for $14.71

 

Jessica Renee