Crochet from Start to Finish: Techniques, Tips and Advice to Get it Right First Time

Issue 15

A thorough and informative quick-reference guide to all things crochet, this book will help you get to know your yarns, hooks, stitches and everything in between. With step-by-step tutorials and hints for what to do when you get stuck, you'll wonder what you ever did before.

Feb 14

Everyone needs an indispensable reference book, and Catherine Hirst provides a comprehensive guide to everything you need to know. There's a lot of troubleshooting advice and help with pre-empting problems as well as solving them, plus tips on tricky issues such as yarn substitution and tension. Organised according to the different stages of a project, with step-bystep-tutorials and plenty of photographs and illustrations, this could easily become your go-to guide to mastering crochet.

Feb 14

Catherine remembers the first time she crocheted, as a young girl in Pennsylvania, under the careful tuition of her grandmother. Now she's ready to do offer the same gentle guidance to you. This reference book is full to bursting with step-by-steps and tips, and answers questions such as, what do you do if your border doesn't lie flat? Or, how do you substitute yarns? It's all presented in the right order too, with the first things first and the last things, ahem, last.

Spring 2015

The contents of this book certainly live up to the title. The introduction starts that it is designed to be a personal crochet tutor and that it contains everything you have ever wanted to know about crochet; it includes an explanation of the difference between British and American terminology, which has caught me out in the past. This is not a large book but is aimed at everyone from complete beginners to fairly experienced crocheters; they will all learn something. Starting with how to hold the hook and yarn and make all the basics stitches, the book progresses through to shaping techniques and reading a pattern. All instructions and descriptions are accompanied by clear photographs and illustrations which really help. At the end of the book are informative sections on finishing, blocking, care and maintenance of crocheted items. The book does not include any projects but this does not detract from its usefulness. As a left-hander I immediately looked at the index to see if it accommodated left-handers and there was an entry of pictures of how to hold the wool and hook, although nothing about the problems of reading a crochet pattern from a left-handed point of view. Many of my friends who are expert at all sorts of crafts, yet find crochet difficult, would find this book helpful. I can fully recommend it to anyone wanting to master crochet.

Catherine Hirst was taught crochet at a young age by her grandmother and took to it immediately - she quickly learned to knit and embroider as well, and has been hand-making clothing, accessories, and gifts ever since. Her first book, Teeny Tiny Crochet, is also published by CICO Books.