I ordered it this book when it first came out in October and wanted to review it then, but I just now received it in a box of goodies my mother sent from America.
Whenever I hear of a new stitch dictionary, I feel the need to add it to my collection. I have been buying Japanese and Russian dictionaries, so it was exciting to acquire a comprehensive dictionary in English. I had heard the author,
Robyn Chachula, talk about the book on the
Yarn Thing Podcast, and I was really intrigued that it included many different techniques and types of crochet. It is like an expanded version of a traditional dictionary, and that is why it is called an encyclopedia!
Like the Japanese and Russian dictionaries, this book has a stitch diagram for each stitch in the book. In addition there are written instructions for each pattern. This is very helpful, because if you have trouble with one of them, you have another way to clarify any confusion.
Now that I have had the chance to look through the book, I want to show you some of the stitch patterns and motifs that I especially liked in each chapter:
Chapter 1: Simple Stitch Patterns
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| Forked Half Double Crochet |
Chapter 2: Textured Stitch Patterns
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| Popping Circle Stitch |
Chapter 3: Lace Stitch Patterns
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| Trefoil Link |
Chapter 4: Unique Lace Stitch Patterns
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| Anesha Lace |
Chapter 5: Colorwork Stitch Patterns
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| Carnation Walllpaper |
Chapter 6: Tunisian Stitch Patterns
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| Ocean |
Chapter 7: Square and Hexagonal Granny Squares
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| Carnation Lace Motif |
Chapter 8: Flower, Snowflake, and Joining Motifs
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| Zimni Snowflake |
Chapter 9: Edgings
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| Bubble Edging |
Many of the stitches and motifs in this book are unique, and the author gives a new twist to classics. There are many "tips" in the book regarding stitches and techniques that I am finding very helpful.
I also really like that there are some stitch patterns that include one of my favorite techniques;
surface crochet, as well as some lovely Brussels lace and cable patterns. Examples of these are pictured below.
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| Larkhall |
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| Jacintha |
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| Olivia Cable |
All in all, this is an interesting book that will ignite your creativity, and show you new techniques for use in crochet design.
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