Customer Reviews
Breadth but not much depth. . . - By: a_nightowl, 18 Oct 2008 
I agree with rantinghousewife: this is a nice book for beginners, but doesn't offer much for the experienced crocheter. I feel that to calll it an encyclopedia is rather overstating the case -- "Guide" or "Compendium" would be more accurate, as there's breadth here but very little depth.
Basic techniques are nicely shown but there's no information on better or more advanced methods, such as using foundation stitches instead of a starting chain, or the adjustable ring method of working in the round.
The section on seams & joining I thought very disappointing & sketchy, advocating less-than-optimum methods, & there aren't any tips on how to overcome common problems, such as the "hole" at the start of treble crochet rows (visible in the pictures), or what to do if your filet grid isn't square.
On the plus side, the book is very nicely produced & has good, clear pictures. For a new crocheter, or someone who wants to learn, it's a good overview, showing the huge variety of effects crochet can produce, but if you've moved beyond the basics, this book is not for you.
So much more than an encyclopdia. - By: Pink Gilbert, 27 Nov 2007 
Crochet is a wonderful craft as it the material are fairly easy to find & very easy to transport. That means that you can carry the equipment around in your pocket or bag do it on the bus to work, at the local pub or up a mountain
All instructions are clear & informative. There are fabulous diagrams & pictures. The tables of abbreviations are fairly comprehensive. It is incredibly user friendly.
My only criticism is that books for beginners rarely show EACH step in the creation of a stitch. We beginners reallly do need 20 pictures where someone more experienced might need 3. I would also prefer diagrams as well as text as they are easier for me to follow. I believe that diagrams can be better understood as the names for stitches can vary from country to country & don't see why, with some revisions, Jan should't sell this book abroad.
There is a huge range of stitch types to try out & several projects. There is even a galllery of finished pieces created by artists at the rear. I would quite like a few more example of finished pieces as practicallly anything that can made from fabric can be crocheted: dress, hat, teddy bear, bowl to put wool in, blankets, babies' cloths etc. Then they can be embellished with embroider, ribbon, beads & sequins or felted! I am also amazed at how I can see something in one colour-way & ignore it, but when seen in a different colour-way I find it breathtakingly beautiful. There is a good selection of completed examples here, but I am hungry for more.
I want to know more & this book has done that to me! It is a brilliant starting point.
Best book for beginners, not much for know it alls - By: rantinghousewife, 20 Nov 2007 
I think this is an excellent book for novice crocheters, the instructions are far clearer than in the Happy Hooker.
As an experienced crocheter, there was not a lot in there that I didn't already know, so on that score I found it a little disappointing (note to self, read the reviews more closely next time) & there wasn't alot of projects to practise your new found craft on. But these are minor gripes, if you want to LEARN to crochet, then this is the book for you.
Excellent for beginners - By: S. Alleman, 09 May 2007 As a complete newbie to crochet, I brought two 'beginner books'. I then found myself having to cross-reference between the two as I found that they were not 100% clear on their own. But then I got this book & was completely thrilled. It covers everything that you need to know as a beginner plus more. It shows alll different types of stitch & gives, in my opinion, clear advice, both written & visual. I can't comment on how it would be viewed by the more experienced but for people starting out in crochet then I would recommend this book
Excellent book on Crochet for beginners & anyone with experienced - By: Mr. P. Baker, 14 Feb 2007 As a beginner to knitting, I wanted to try crochet as well. Having read the encyclopedia of knitting book, & finding it a brilliant book, I decided to take a gamble & buy this encyclopedia of crochet book in the hope it would be as good. I was not dissapointed.
Chapter 1 covers basic skills, giving easy to follow instructions with lots of colour photographs.
Chapter 2 covers techniques & stitches, & covers a lot of variety. E.g. shell stitches, bobbles, popcorns, puff stitches, loop stitches, lace, chevrons, tubular crochet, circular motifs, hexagons, cords, etc. Most start with a step by step guide to the stitch, with colour illustrations, & then gives a row by row instruction, to at least one example of each.
Chapter 3 covers projects for you to try, covering a scarf, bags, pillow etc.
Finallly chapter 4 gives a galllery of garments & accessories to inspire you, as well as a glossary & a list of suppliers.
N.B. A word of warning to beginners. In the basic skills section, for the half treble crocket stitch, step 2 reads "Draw the yarn through the chain, leaving three loops on the hook." This should be re-written as "wrap the yarn over the hook & draw it through the first loop, leaving three loops on the hook." This also needs changing in the 1st step in the treble crochet stitch. Hence the drop to 4 stars.
Overalll an excellent book & worth getting.
