Friday book review

"Essential Crochet: 30 irresistible projects for you and your home"
by Erika Knight
ISBN: 978-1844001651
UK crochet terms

This really is a lovely book with a good range of projects using a variety of techniques and materials. The layout and photography throughout this book is clear, simple and beautifully done making you want to flip through it with a nice cup of tea and dream of all the things you could make.

The crochet instructions at the start are well written and have some of the clearest photographs of how to work the stitches that I have ever seen. There is also instruction on how to work a Solomon's knot which is a technique that produces a net like fabric and is one that I haven't come across before.

The first section contains some basic patterns to get you started but all of these have an unusual twist to give them a professional look that you don't get with most beginner projects. The use of different materials like leather thonging to make a simple tote bag and finishing a simple scarf with an assortment of buttons is the key in how these finished projects look so good.

The other sections in this book contain projects in 4 different styles; timeless (think filet crochet and lacy edgings), contemporary, heirloom (some lovely baby items here), and vintage. There are some beautiful projects that are very tempting, though my favourite is the one using the Solomon's knot technique to create this beautiful gauzy net curtain that looks a little like a spider's web.

For new and more experienced crocheters I think this book would make a great addition to your personal library, however one word of caution - if you already have "Simple crochet" by Erika Knight then you may find that some of the ideas are quite similar and so it may be best to choose between the two.