Before I discovered free form, yarn spinning, weaving, felting, and all the other wonderful ways to expand your fiber arts world, I started like everyone else. A crochet hook, some generic yarn, and a book.
We had a “stitch and bitch” group at my job. We all learned together by following the lead of a colleague that was an experienced crocheter. We laughed. We were frustrated. We learned. Together. I remember one time we were all sitting in the conference room, ignoring our lunch. Our hooks and yarn right in front of our eyes, leaning forward in our seats, completely focused. Finally, someone spoke and said “are we all relaxed?” It made us all realize we were all doing the same thing, the same way, at the same time. I actually used to sit on the phone with a colleague at night crocheting on the phone together.
Over time we gained confidence. My yarn stash grew as well as my library. There were a handful of books that were instrumental as I learned and gained confidence.
My First Crochet Books
Donna Kooler’s Encyclopedia of Crochet: The first crochet book I ever purchased was the Encyclopedia of Crochet. It took me from my most basic stitches to making small motifs. I eventually made a scarf. I felt so accomplished!
How to Crochet: Learn the Basic Stitches and Techniques: This is a great little book published by Storey Basics by Sara Delaney was the perfect size to keep in my project bag. Any time I had a question, I had this handy little reference available. It’s written in plain language and made it easy for the beginner to understand and gain confidence.
The Crochet Answer Book: This was the first book by Edie Eckman I ever purchased. And it was definitely not the last. Another book that easily fit into my project bag, it is a great book with specific answers to just about any question. Each answer fit on a single page and was easy to find. A second edition of the book was published not longer after the first edition. I never purchased it, however, while writing this post, it was a good reminder I should pick it up.
How to Crochet from TNNA: This simple booklet is packed with plenty of information to get started on your crochet journey. How to Crochet has been published by The National NeedleArts Association, is reasonably priced and easy to understand.
If you are just getting started down your crochet trail, these are some great books to get you started. But trust me, before long you’ll have a race between how much yarn you buy and how many books you own!
Hi, Andrea. Glad to see that you are still at it. I am, too, still teaching via Zoom right now. It never gets old.
Jean