Reviews

150 Knit and Crochet Motifs

By Denise J. Lavoie

Heather Lodinsky, an industry professional with many designing years under her belt, has ventured into the motif world to create this compendium of knit and crochet motifs. Let me say, right up front, that in this genre of crochet instruction book, I am a huge Edie Eckman fan. Her Beyond the Square Crochet Motifs book (reviewed by CI here: http://www.crochetinsider.com/bookreview/beyond-square-crochet-motifs) is one I go to again and again – not only for the great motif visuals – but also for the clear and complete instructions concerning charts, gauge, joining tips, and a host of other process-related subjects.

Having said that, Lodinsky has compiled a solid, if somewhat predictable, array of knit and crochet motifs. A real strength of the book is its layout. It starts with a directory of motifs by shape. She does not separate the crochet and knit motifs into distinct sections. I found this a good thing for people like me who both knit and crochet. Having motifs in both disciplines side-by-side allows crafters to potentially harness double the creative possibilities. 

Additionally, I loved the snowflake and connectors sections. These contained some novel motifs – particularly the connectors section. Connector shapes are not always a focus in motif books, but have useful design implications. Lodinsky also provides nifty symbols to let the crafter know each motif’s difficulty level, as well as whether the motif is worked in rows or in a circular manner.

The book also includes a projects and techniques section at the end. While I found most of this section perfunctory, the discussion of working motifs in either a smaller or larger size, or creating a half or quarter of a particular motif, was very unique and helpful. As anyone who has done any motif work can attest, customizing motifs and projects are a big part of the motif appeal - as well as, of course, their portable nature. An ability to see the possibilities of a portion of a motif, and then have guidance on how to realize that possibility is a welcomed part of Lodinsky’s approach.

The subtitle of the book proclaims “anything-but-square shapes for garments, accessories, afghans, and throws.” Of course, there are square motif shapes in the book and, unfortunately, many of the other shapes and designs are, as mentioned earlier, fairly predictable. There isn’t much new ground covered in this aspect of the book.

Nevertheless, for anyone who loves motifs and motif work, this can be a handy reference to have at one’s fingertips.

Addiclick Interchangeable Crochet Hooks with Cable

This beautiful Addiclick hook set is at the high end of equipment for crocheters looking for a little luxury.  It consists of 8 hooks ranging from 3-5 - 9 mm in size, and a flexible cable that allows you to use it them as Tunisian hooks.  Distributed by Skacelknitting,  the set is intended as an upgrade or "booster pack" to the existing Click knitting sets, interchangeable knitting needles.  In other words, they wanted the Addi Click sets to be complete, so they added this set of hooks.  As a crocheter, I appreciate that this company, making some of the best tools in the business, saw the advantages of including flexible hooks, especially with Tunisian Crochet catching on by leaps and bounds.  They are beautifully packaged in a black case that looks like a wallet.  The smaller hooks are aluminum, super light and smooth, and the two larger ones are clear plastic, decorated with gold sparkles.  My only complaint is that two of my favorite Tunisian hook sizes are missing from the group:  5.5 mm (I) and 6.5 mm (K). At the same time, I doubt that I would often use the E and F hooks in the collection.  Am I alone in wishing that the choice had gone the other way? To obtain nice drape in Tunisian, hook sizes at the the larger end are usually best. The cable extension is very thin, and about 30" long.  The stopper that goes at the end of the cable must be purchased separately - it's a little red heart and is called a Heart Stopper -- pretty dang cute!

Around the Corner Crochet Borders

Author Edie Eckman really has her pulse on what gaps in crochet knowledge need filling.  Her new book, "Around the Corner Crochet Borders," pinpoints an obvious one that's been left unfilled for too long: how to work around corners when edging a square piece of crochet, such as an afghan.  Edie has given us a book with 150  colorful edgings with neat, and neat-looking corners.  The opening section prepares the reader thoroughly for how best to add edgings to crochet, knit or woven pieces, how to count and adjust for stitch pattern multiples and how to join rounds.  The edgings range from simple to complex, and include waves, leaves, picots and all the varieties of crochet prettiness one can imagine.  The stitches are nicely photographed and show good detail, with stitch diagrams supplied for each edging. Many are traditional looking, but others satisfy my own particular craving for more unusual ideas, like a border of overlapping discs.  Students of this book will be able to figure out ways to turn the corner on any other edging pattern they come across. Kudos to Edie for continuing to provide great resources to the crochet community!

Berocco Boboli

Berroco Boboli: a Persian carpet in a skein of yarn Color shown: #5310 Crumpets Boboli is a rich mélange of colors in a lightly twisted, somewhat thick & thin yarn style. It glides through the fingers softly and produces a visual feast for the eyes. Because of the richly varied color changes that occur in each stitch, simple and basic patterns will work best to showcase this gem. The yarn immediately appeals in its skeined state and continues to delight as you stitch with it. Visions of solid fabrics punctuated by ridges or bobbles led to the sample swatch stitch combo. My hunch was right. “Boboli” responded by working up easily in basic single crochet with textured ribbing and cluster stitches enriching the colorplay in the fabric. Upon first sight of this bundle of beauty, I thought it would be a yarn to work on a larger hook than size 8(H)US/5 mm, so it was a pleasant surprise to find that it crocheted perfectly with this recommendation. Envision projects such as comfortable cozy cowls, scarves, hats, shrugs, arm or leg warmers in “Boboli.” It could work up into a stunning fall-into-winter shawl. The Persian carpet effect is evident no matter how this yarn is viewed: in the hank, on the swift, in the wound “cake”, and in the fabric created. Whatever project you choose, the end result is sure to be noticed! Rating: Highly recommended for its rich color interest and stitching ease. Content/Care: 42% wool, 35% acrylic, 23% viscose. 206 yds/190 m per 100 g ball. Suggested gauge: 3.75 single crochet = 1” on size 8(H)/5 mm hook. Hand wash in cool water.

Kathy blogs at http://www.designsbykn.com/blog/

Blue Sky Alpacas Techno

Blue Sky Alpacas Techno: Cloud-Soft Wonder

Color shown: 1977 Aquarius

The tag on a hank of “Techno” reads: “Whipped up alpaca”.  You will know why the moment you hold it in your hands. Cloud-soft and light as fluff, this yarn will have your fingers itching to crochet it (or just pet it!) The tag does not include a crochet hook symbol or gauge recommendation, but since it appears to be a lightweight bulky, I set to work with a size K/10.5 (6.5 mm) hook to match the 10.5 US/6.5 mm knitting gauge suggested. Perfect!

"Techno's" plain look yet sumptuous feel led to a variety of swatches: a lace motif “super-sized”, a fan pattern fabric, and a textured ripple/single/double crochet combo. The more I worked with “Techno” the more I wanted to crochet, so I would happily have kept on going with other options just to see what would happen.

Visions of “exploded lace” shawls, openwork shrugs, textured cuffs, sleeve trims, cowls and fingerless mitts all come to mind as appropriate projects for quick-stitching “Techno.” You will get warmth without weight with this yarn, so I would say that in this case a little would go a long way in providing comfort. Small accessories would be dreamy in “Techno”. Larger projects might be best if crocheted in loose, openwork patterns, as the alpaca/merino/silk blend will furnish warmth naturally. And as stated above, once you start crocheting with it you won’t want to stop!

Rating: Highly recommended for its softness, versatility and stitching ease.

Content/Care: 68% baby alpaca/10% extra fine merino/22% silk. 120 yds/109 m per 50 gm ball. Suggested gauge: 3-5 sts/in. on size 10.5 US/6.5 mm needles. Hand wash or dry clean.

Kathy blogs at http://www.designsbykn.com/blog/

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By Hand: The Use of Craft in Contemporary Art

By Hand is a fascinating look at how artists are  incorporating all sorts of hand work into their pieces. The editors believe that artists are increasingly turning to crafts in reaction to the prominence of technological influences in art of recent decades.  While many of these artists use technology and computers to help them create, the new aesthetic is a departure from the stark modernism that characterized late twentieth century art.

The book is filled with inspiring works incorporating craft in unusual ways. David Hale's now famous giant pink teddy bear, knit from  insulation, is pictured, as well as crocheted sculptures by the duo Keith Knittel and Alisa McRonald, and knitted land mines by Barbara Hunt. Fabric and sewing play a big part in this book, most notably in a performance art piece called "Connection," where women are wearing clothing they are sewing at the same. The fabric they are working on is embroidered  with poetry.

The thirty individual and group artists in By Hand use extremely labor-intensive, time-consuming techniques. Their message seems to be that process is as important in their art as the end product.

Reviewed by Amy O'Neill Houck

Classic Elite Portland Tweed

by Charles Voth

Here's a lovely yarn that evokes thoughts of Sherlock Holmes, pipe tobacco, Victorian parlours and walks through the misty moors. Classic Elite's Portland Tweed (available at many LYS's) is a soft, fine worsted weight 3-ply yarn.  The singles are spun with a z-twist (counter-clockwise) and then plied together with an s-twist (clockwise). Each ply is a blend of 50% virgin wool, 25% alpaca and 25% viscose. It is put up in 50 gram cake skeins with 120 yards of warm, cozy comfort. With a 6.5mm hook, I swatched this yarn in three ways: a square of horizontal rows, a lacy piece with eyelets and crossed double crochet stitches, and a lacy motif with popcorn stitches and picots. The solid square has beautiful drape and isn't stiff, yet retains a nice balanced structure after wet-blocking. The halo from the wool and alpaca fill in the gaps between the dc stitches sufficiently to avoid a lacy look for a men's garment. The lacy swatch with bobbles shows them off well, and the halo adds an ethereal warm to the lacy fabric. This yarn in a lace pattern would make a great cardigan to layer on for warmth and a classy look. The motif I chose didn't suit this yarn well. The picots at the corners were difficult to make consistent, and the openness of the pattern contradicts the calling of this yarn to warm us up. A less lacy motif would help this yarn do what it has been designed to do.

Contemporary Crochet: 37 European Designs

This book has some strong positives to recommend it:   very stylish and wearable designs for all seasons, and a large number of varied projects.  The stitching and construction are quite simple, the shaping sophisticated but not fussy, a variety of yarns and fibers are used, and the projects are nicely photographed.  Sys Fredens is a Danish designer who first published this book in a Danish edition.  Other than her instructions, the text is written by Martingale staff, in magazine-style go-go prose that supplies more hype than information. 

There are several beautiful skirts, awesome fishnet stockings in hot pink, openwork tops for layering, numerous jackets, sweaters and cardigans, shawls and bags, and a dress. The European sense of style is seen in the attractive combination of casual and chic.  Most items come in 3 sizes and none are larger than typical American large.  

This fine designer deserves to have her work shown in a more artful fashion than it is here. The design of the book is bare.  Instructions are written in a European shorthand style that some Americans will find hard to follow.  Also problematic is a statement made in the book's introduction, which claims that the models shown are

"crocheted with yarn available in Europe, but we've made it easy to find yarn beautiful yarn that's similar, close to home.  Rather than limiting you to a specific fiber and manufacturer, each project lists the type of yarn to use.  Simply refer to the "standard Yarn-Weight system. . . and you'll find the perfect materials for every piece."  

What this means is they tell you the fiber content of the yarn, and its weight by CYCA Yarn Standards number. This limited information is not sufficient for making yarn substitutions.  Yarn weights are notoriously variable, and even if one stitches to gauge the difference in the appearance can be marked if the yarn is slightly thinner or heavier.  The texture and construction of the yarn -- for example, how many plies, can also have a great effect on how stitches actually work up.  The bottom line is, substituting yarns is an art, and doing it casually without much thought to precise yarn-matching will often end in an unsatisfactory outcome, after considerable expense and labor by the crocheter.   I wish publishers would take a more honest approach to these things and help educate consumers, rather than supply the usual platitudes.

Despite reservations, I like this book for its very attractive garments that look they could be worn for years to come, and salute designer Sys Fredens for reaching out to the American public. By Dora Ohrenstein

Creative Crochet Lace: A Freeform Look at Classic Crochet

This is a real breakthrough book by Myra Wood that develops her special perspective on freeform crochet.  For those seeking to go beyond scrumbling, Myra offers five alternative freeform techniques she calls  Funky Filet, Doodle Lace, Tossed Salad, Wild Irish Crochet and Organic Lace Scrumbling.

Funky Filet offers a stitch count formula which allows you to line up blocks of filet and fill them in any number of ways you like. Doodle Lace is a clever and simple method of creating freeform lace in one large piece, and Myra’s Peacock Path, a Doodle Lace cape, is stunning. With the Tossed Salad technique, Myra introduces “lace logic,” a method for changing stitch patterns at will whike keeping  the edges of your work even. Wild Irish is a modern approach to traditional Irish Crochet, making it adaptable to the yarns of today and far less painstaking to execute. Finally, Organic Lace Scrumbling shows how scrumbling with openwork stitches is quite different from “traditional freeform” (if one can use such a term). This last technique appears to be the most spontaneous, and Myra has several awesome examples,including Beauty in Bloom, a long duster, September Blush, a tunic, and Sweet Romance, a blouse.

There is some lovely inspirational writing in the book as well, as in this passage:

   Everyone has the abiity to unleash his or her own creative side.  While you are           
   crocheting, take it one stitch at a time and reserve any judgment about what you are   
   doing.  The first steps are only the beginning, and each piece grown into a splendidly   
   woven fabric the more you work on it.

Wish I could follow this advice more myself!

I was fascinated to read that Myra’s freeform methods are underpinned by structured and sturdy mechanisms: the dress form and templates. It’s the backbone of freeform, vital to achieving the intended effect, especially in the hands of an artist like Myra. Myra self-published this beautiful book, and shows herself as adept at book-making as she is at crochet.