Beyond the Square Crochet Motifs: 144 circles, hexagons, triangles, squares, and other unexpected shapes Spiral-bound Author: Visit Amazon's Edie Eckman Page | Language: English | ISBN:
1603420398 | Format: EPUB
Beyond the Square Crochet Motifs: 144 circles, hexagons, triangles, squares, and other unexpected shapes Spiral-bound Description
Review
“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
From the Back Cover
Create crochet magic.
All the things you love about granny squares are also true of crocheted circles, triangles, hexagons, and stars. Motifs of any shape are fun, creative, addictive, and a perfect way to use up small bits of yarn.
Play with colors and shapes. Refine your hooking skills. Sew your tiny masterpieces into trendy wearables and soft home goods. Piece dozens together to make blankets, wraps, and tote bags. These 144 motifs will go wherever your imagination leads.
See all Editorial Reviews
- Age Range: 6 and up
- Spiral-bound: 208 pages
- Publisher: Storey Publishing, LLC; Spi edition (July 30, 2008)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1603420398
- ISBN-13: 978-1603420396
- Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.7 x 0.7 inches
- Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
I bought this book because the cover was pretty, really - and that's not a bad reason at all, because the excellent color pictures continue inside. But there are many other reasons to like the book.
I crochet a lot of baby afghans and wedding afghans and shawls, and yeah, I got tired of the plain old granny square oh, about 30 years ago - but I keep on doing it because it's easy to do and because it's a great way to use up scraps of color. Well, this book gives me lots more ways to use up small quantities of leftover yarn, and many of the motifs are as easy as granny squares, so I'll be able to do a couple to learn them, then do them on autopilot, where I don't need to look at the pattern any more, or even at the yarn - so I can do them in the dark, at symphony concerts and movies and on long car rides. Motifs are also handy for those kinds of times, because you don't have a single huge crocheted something that you have to haul around with you and that starts taking up the seat next to you once you're more than half done.
Some of the circular motifs will become coasters without any sewing together needed, and they can also become the bottom of bottle cozies or can cozies ("koozies"), or, in a larger gauge and larger hook and cotton yarn, become trivets for your table. But the hexagons are my favorites - not only do they make good coasters, but they make lovely bedspreads with edges full of little points, like prairie points - make one just slightly larger than the top of the bed, so that the points just hang over the edge. Motif #54 is every bit as easy to do as a granny square - think of it as a granny hexagon - and think of producing a crocheted throw or spread that resembles a "grandmother's flower garden" quilt pattern!
This is a great crochet book. As an avid, experienced crocheter, most of the books I buy are so-so or plain awful. This book delivers.
PROS:
1) Easy to read and use. Clear large colorful photos (motifs made up in easy to see yarns) and large easy to read type on a spiral bound book, for flat, no flip pages. Large diagrams and well written instructions. Love having both to go by.
2) Creative and unusual. Lots and lots of new motifs here in all sorts of shapes, from the traditional square to decorative motifs, like the star fish. Well organized layout by shapes.
3) Nice introduction with hints for use, and even aids for making up your own motifs. Well done.
4) Thankfully, the first half of the book is not dedicated to learning how to crochet. Sorry beginners, but there are tons of learn how to crochet books, and I hate spending my money on a pattern book that spends more time showing me how then letting me get at it. Yes, there are charts and a few reminders, and even a glossary, but it's not overdone.
CONS:
Okay not cons, I love this book, more like a wish list.
I wish there were more squares. I am in need of new motifs for things that must be square, (hint: Title "Beyond-the-Square") and this book is chockfull of motifs, but fewer squares. There are a fair amount, but not as many as I would have liked.
I wish there were photos of projects. Yes, the book will inspire you, and there are a few pages with cutesy, colored ink drawings, but no actual photos of projects. Just for the sake of eye-candy, because the colored motifs are so striking, I would have loved to have drooled over a few photos of put together projects.
I wish the motifs had names, titles.
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