A Sweet Scoop...

...of 'Soft Serve' from Everyday Crochet by Doris Chan. Crocheted from Classic Elite Avignon, a discontinued pima cotton/silk blend: 115 yards (106 m.) per 50 gr. skein. 8 skeins used - hook size 6.0 mm (J). Sleeves were lengthened by one repeat, and body was lengthened by three repeats.

Doris Chan's second book (the first being Amazing Crochet Lace) presents a range of garments crocheted in her signature style: top down, seamless, raglan shaping using a variety of shell stitches. If you know you like working this way I think you'll really like this book. If you're not sure, or think it's not for you, please give it a look before dismissing it out of hand. Doris may prefer working this one way, but her garments are attractive and eminently wearable.

Styles featured are camisole/tanks, pullovers, cardigans, vests, coats and even some belts. She also gives instructions for a cute button fastener she calls "In-Line Links" which is two buttons joined by beaded links which is used instead of ordinary ties or buttonbands. As a big fan of unique buttons and beads, that's a technique I'll be trying soon.

I've mentioned before that I often have problems with "any" written crochet instructions, so the fact that I've been able to make 3 of her designs speaks well for instructional clarity. I won't kid you, I sometimes have to re-do a section, but I'm sure that has more to do with my own limitations.

When you're working all (or most) of your designs within the same stylistic framework, you might expect the results to be overly similar and thus less interesting. This may prove to be true later in Ms. Chan's design career, but her effective use of shaping, garment proportions and a wide range of attractive yarns worked in drape-able gauges helps give individuality to the various designs.

I'll probably make a couple more designs from Everyday Crochet -- when you consider all the pattern books I have which haven't been used for any garments -- well, high praise indeed.

300 Crochet Patterns book

If you enjoy creating with crochet motifs, then this is the book for you. As with all Japanese stitch pattern books this one is all charts, along with a few diagrams -- mostly illustrating how to join as you go (as in -- no sewing motifs together) along with a panel showing a looped center starting ring. These diagrams have Japanese writing (no English) but frankly the diagrams are clear enough that most crocheters shouldn't have trouble following them.

There is a dizzying array of different motifs -- squares, six-pointed, circles, octagons, triangles and tri-lobed, and one I'm not even sure of -- rhomboid perhaps? They range in size (somewhat) from small 2-round flowers to larger 10 round (doily like) circles. The photos show them worked -- some in thread and some in yarn. Depending on your intended use I would think most of them would be successful either way. Many are shown worked in more than one color, but you could certainly work most of them either solidly or multi-colored -- crocheter's choice. In addition to charts for each individual motif, they all show one possible arrangement of modules, and, what is especially nice, the motifs that fit together leaving large spaces also have a chart for a small "filler" pattern.

While motifs make up 221 of the 300 patterns, the rest are edgings. Some are just straight edgings, but a few (19) of them are shown worked at right angles (in other words, around a corner) thus taking all the guesswork out of edging a cardigan. Take them around all four corners and you'd have a pretty square frame -- for a pillow, or perhaps to trim a fabric photo frame. My first thought on seeing the right angle trims though was "would this work to trim a vee-neck top"?

I used some perle cotton to try out a few -- they're all done with the same size hook too, so you can see that there is a difference in motif sizes.

I think my first project will be a crochet/sewn fabric combo top -- along the lines of Crochet me Magazine's Galaxy Top by Katy Westcott. Just as soon as I finish those STR socks. And, for those of you who were wondering: yup, the second one is patterning just like the first. What fun, my own Children of the Corn socks!

Note: As with all my other Japanese pattern books, this one was purchased online through yesasia.com. It is probably available from other sources too, I have simply found YesAsia to be easier to order from.

I have to admit...

...that I'm of two minds about Nicky Epstein's work. I've admired some of it (mostly older designs) and thought "WTF???" about a good bit of it. So I approach each new book of hers with skepticism. I really liked Knitting On the Edge, thought she plowed some of the same ground with Knitting Over the Edge, and by the time I saw the felted purse book (which title escapes me) I was thinking "dear lord, won't someone please take her needles away" -- I mean a felted swan bag? Does anyone over the age of six really want to sling a felted swan over her/his shoulder? And now we have "Knitting Beyond the Edge."

This book is organized into chapters dealing with collars and cuffs, necklines, corners and edges, closures, a few patterns (5) and brief instructions for various necklines, converting a pullover pattern into a cardigan pattern and some knitting basics.

Most of the collars in chapter one are to be knit as separate pieces, then (I'm assuming here) worn over a basic sweater. Not my cup of tea, but if you like that concept you may find something that pleases. The cuffs are cast on and knit bottom up and evolve into plain stockinette -- wherein you would continue on with a regular sleeve pattern, as no further shaping is given. It is assumed that you are knitting to a gauge of 18s/26rows and all the patterns she gives you reflect that gauge.

The neckline chapter covers some scoops, several v-necks, shawl collar, mandarin collar, a couple of plackets and plenty of turtlenecks. Most are meant to be sewn in to a finished edge. In all cases finishing instruction is very skimpy -- it appears to be assumed that you have your own methods for sewing trims to garment, fur or beads to trim, etc., etc.

Corners and edges does contain some worthwhile (to me) patterns for mitered lace trims, along with general instructions for mitering (i.e. turning a corner) in both stockinette and garter knitting. However, many of the trims are not mitered at all, but are simply instructions for knitting an ell-shaped piece. And the instructions for a ribbed edging for a rounded edge? Well, basically you're told to "pick up and knit" -- no special technique, no special instructions.

I like many of the cabled bands in the closures section, and some of the flowered bands would be cute for a little girl (again, though, the trims are knit separately and sewn on). One of these days I'll try knitted frog closures, and there's a couple here.

Patterns? Well, there are five, and two of them feature peplum waists. No, really. There's also a hooded shawl, a faux Fair Isle jacket, and a deep v-necked sleeveless sweater -- for the very toned I suppose, since the vee extends 13" down into a 20" (total) front piece, and is meant to be worn as the only layer over -- well, over skin I suppose, since the model wasn't wearing any undergarments.

I tend to buy knitting books first, then decide later if they're worth holding on to. If I had a tight budget for knitting books though, this is one I'd pass up. For me, the few techniques that I'd like to try just don't add up to the $29.95US price tag -- I'd have been better off waiting for it at our local library. As always, your mileage (and opinion) may vary.