Personalized Gift Ideas

If you can crochet, there are so many personalized gifts that you can handmake and they will be very thoughtful presents for many occasions. The Crochet Answer Book: Solutions to Every Problem You'll Ever Face; Answers to Every Question You'll Ever Ask is one of the best resources when it comes to crocheting. There are lots of ideas and ways to create personalized gifts.

Crochet might be easily defined as creating a series of loops with hooks; to many novices, however, the craft itself might defy simple understanding. Eckman comes to the rescue with dozens of well-thought-out questions, comprehensible answers, and chapters on topics ranging from equipment needs to resources for more information.

She includes line illustrations and charts for added explanations; tools, for instance, and specific techniques (stitches, borders, and buttonholes) are well illustrated. Best of all, her can-do personality and gentle humor shine through, comforting the unsure crocheters among us.

Who could quibble with her response to the question "I put down my afghan for a year, and when I came back to it, my gauge had changed? What happened?" Responds Edie, "Life." Appended are standard crochet abbreviations, common crochet terms and phrases, standard body measurements and sizing, suggested sizes for accessories and household items, and yarn care symbols. Barbara Jacobs - Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

“Absent a live-in grandma or an all-night craft store? That’s where The Crochet Answer Book comes in. The handy volume addresses myriad issues that can arise in the middle of a needlework project.”

—    Knight Ridder News Service

Beyond-the-Square Crochet Motifs: 144 circles, hexagons, triangles, squares, and other unexpected shapes (Spiral-bound)

“Once you pick up a copy of Edie Eckman’s “Beyond the Square Crochet Motifs”…you may never what to put your crochet book down again, at least not until you’ve created one of the 144 fun-to-make colorful squares, rectangles, circles, hexagons and stars featured in the spiral-bound book.” –Detroit News

Product Description

Learn to crochet, make a granny square. It's a simple formula that has held true for decades. Crocheters love granny squares because the technique is simple to learn but the possibilities are endless. Vary the colors. Use the same colors but change their placement. Add unique images. Make the same square over and over but in different sizes. There is much to love about the classic square crochet motif.

But if it's hip to make squares, imagine the coolness quotient of circles, stars, triangles, and hexagons. Beyond-the-Square Crochet Motifs introduces crocheters to more than 150 designs of every size and shape. Full-color photographs capture the intricate details and color work in each motif, and the stitching instructions offer the flexibility of being presented in both text and symbol formats.

Each motif can be quickly crocheted and then used as a small embellishment on a larger item or combined with other motifs to create original pieces, from baby blankets to tote bags. Edie Eckman inspires readers to see the world of possibility in each motif. Master the technique, then let the imagination run wild.

Motifs give crocheters the freedom to play with shape, color, and texture in patterns that are small and quickly completed. Motifs — each one a tiny work of art — are at once addictive and rewarding. With its unexpected range of shapes, designs, and color ideas, Beyond-the-Square Crochet Motifs will keep enthusiasts happy for a very long time!

There are many personalized gifts that can be made by crocheting. If you have never crochet, you can learn fairly easily. There are many crochet patterns that are easy to follow and they make great gifts at the same time. This book called The Crochet Stitch Bible will teach you how to crochet from start to finish. By crocheting yourself, you can keep the cost of your gift low and yet make an amazing gift.

Author Betty Barnden shared her knowledge of needlecraft design with embroiderers in The Embroidery Stitch Bible--now she uses her expertise as a hand-knitter to bring readers The Crochet Stitch Bible. This is the book crochet enthusiasts have been waiting for. Hundreds of traditional and contemporary stitches are photographed and accompanied by detailed charts in this essential illustrated reference.

More than 200 crochet stitches are each clearly explained with a photographed sample, row-by-row instructions, easy-to-follow symbol charts, and comprehensive descriptions of all the associated techniques. Whether novice or expert, this book provides clear guidance for all skill levels with additional chapters on basic techniques and materials, a stitch identifier, and a how-to-use section.

* More than 200 photographed stitches accompanied by detailed instructions * Includes a stitch identifier for easy reference to all 200 stitches

About the Author

As a professional hand-knitter and needlecraft designer, Betty Barnden has produced patterns for numerous yarn companies. She studied at the London’s Royal College of Art. Her designs have appeared in magazines published in Britain. Betty is also author of The Embroidery Stitch Bible, published by Krause Publications in 2003. She lives in Shropshire, England.