Skip to main content

Book Review: The Crocheter's Companion by Nancy Brown-revised and updated!

Thursday, August 15, 2013
The Crocheter’s Companion by Nancy Brown


Even though she is making a “comeback” with the updated and revised version of her best-selling how-to-crochet book, The Crocheter’s Companion, my friend Nancy Brown never went away! She has been a staple in the world of crochet for well over forty years. Nancy’s contributions to the image and popularity of crochet are endless. Before it was politically correct, Nancy was touting the advantages and delight of crochet in local yarn stores across her vast territory as a manufacturer’s rep for various lines of yarn. In groups and one student at a time, she has taught thousands to crochet. A long-time member of the Crochet Guild of America, Nancy served as President of the organization in addition to volunteering in many capacities.

With impeccable illustrations, an easy-to-understand format, and the most updated information available, this revised edition will soon become the only resource crocheters will ever need. Revised and updated in 2013 by Interweave Press, the book’s classy new cover foretells the precise and informative collection of crochet guidance inside. Its 5 X 7 inch format is designed to be a part of the crocheter’s basic tool kit, easy to carry along in the project bag for handy reference when needed. Inside the A-Z of crochet rules and tips are complete, including tools, yarns and gauges, crochet instructions, basic crochet stitches, advanced techniques, Tunisian crochet, familiar and favorite stitch and trouble shooting, just to name a few.

The bibliography is a source for other classic crochet guides and the list of associations will encourage crocheters to “hook up” with others that have the same passion for crochet. Novice or experienced, the Crocheter’s Companion is a “must –have” in any crocheter’s tool kit.
Nancy’s book is available at:  Amazon: amzn.to/YVSH9Y and retails for $19.95.  

Loveland, CO: Interweave Press, 2013. ISBN: 978-1-596­68-829-2

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Craft vs. Fine Art: How is Crochet Blurring the Lines

I was awakening to the world of crochet in 1972,a time of immense artistic expression through fiber arts; and crochet was not the “ugly stepchild” at the time. In fact, Ferne Cone Gellar who I admire as a successful fiber artist said in “Knitting: The Stepchild of the Fiber Arts?” ( Fibercraft Newsletter 1978), “Has knitting been slighted among the areas of the fiber arts? The very word ‘knitting’ evokes images of the little old lady in tennis shoes. Over the years, I’ve learned to ignore all those jokes.” Cone Gellar went on to publish Crazy Crocheting in 1981 and encouraged her readers to create more than bedspreads, providing ideas such as “things to play with or to display on a shelf or hang on a wall.” A photo of single crochet from bread wrappers served as inspiration.  In 1972 in her book, Creating Art from Fibers & Fabrics , Dona Meilach wrote: “Why are fibers and fabrics becoming increasingly appealing to artists? Most artists agree

Wartime Crochet With Attitude, Part I

Wednesday, October 30, 2013 Karen Ballard and I have a mutual love of free form crochet. We met for the first time in a class taught by Prudence Mapstone of Australia at the Chain Link Crochet Conference 2011. I admire Karen's vast knowledge of needle work history and am grateful for her willingness to share with us as my guest blogger this week. Karen wearing a World War II-era knitting hat with stubby needles on top Karen's Heritage Heart,  with flowers symbolic of her heritage, is currently on tour with Prudence Mapstone's traveling "Hearts & Flowers Exhibition" in Australia and New Zealand   World War 1 Attitudes About Crochet by Karen Ballard In 2008, I coined that term, "Workbasket Campaigns" to describe the organized efforts during World War I (WWI) and World War II (WWII) coordinated through the American Red Cross {ARC} and the Navy League to create needle crafted items.  These items were mostly knitted but also sewn, qu

What is Free Form Crochet?

Monday, January 6, 2014 This topic came about from the title of my article recently in Fiber Art Now magazine.  "Crochet As Art: A Conversation with 5 Free-Form Crochet Artists." Yes, the 5 artists I wrote about, all of which are in  my book  The Fine Art of Crochet , are free-thinking when it comes to their creativity. They are free-wheeling with the hook and use unique fibers in many cases. Once you read the article, tell me what  you think? Are these artists doing free-form crochet? In order to define free-form crochet, we must look way, way back to it's origins: Irish crochet. A brief history of crochet, including the Irish method, written by Ruthie Marks is available through The Crochet Guild of America . Unfortunately, there are no images on the site. On her blog, Nancy Nehring has a beautiful montage of Irish Crochet in reference to a class she taught in 2013 at Lacis . I wrote an article in Old Time Crochet Magazine (Spring 1998), "History of Irish Croc