Creative Modern Crochet for the Home

An ingenious combination of crochet, macramé, and weaving makes these 12 home projects pop. Known online as @craftingbylucy, UK-based crochet designer Djevdet does into great detail on up-front matters in her first book, with a review of materials and tools, in-depth looks at stitch anatomy and special stitches, and notes about the intricacies of related-to-crochet activities. The dozen unique projects include a raffia lamp shade, a versatile and sturdy jute rug, and a blanket. High-quality color photographs of both individual steps and finished products are included, along with instructions and the usual features, such as skill level, gauge/tension, approximate time needed, and making up. Many of the yarns specified are higher-end, and substitutions may not be readily available. Fans of any of the crafts Djevdet combines here may need to add another hobby to the list! -- Barbara Jacobs * Booklist * In contrast to most crochet handbooks’ focus on clothing or bedding, the projects in this fresh debut guide from Djevdet show how to make a variety of household goods, including a lampshade, a mirror frame, and hanging planters. An overview of crochet fundamentals explains such basic techniques as slip stitches and double crochets, as well as more advanced stitches, such as crab (single crochet stitches worked left to right) and moss (a combination of chain and single crochet stitches). The projects employ numerous fibers and weights. For instance, the feather stitch pillow is made with super bulky acrylic yarn, and the lidded storage baskets require light worsted raffia and cotton. Several incorporate other crafting methods, such as the hanging fruit baskets, which use a macramé cord to join the containers to the wooden ring they dangle from, and the crocheted wall hanging, which involves some weaving. The relatively sparse guidance on macramé and weaving might leave some readers feeling challenged by the projects that use these techniques, but the explanation of how to crochet is comprehensive and the creative designs show that the craft is good for more than scarves and blankets. This stands out amid the crowded field of crochet manuals. * Publishers Weekly *