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Book Review: The Big Book of Crochet Stitches by Jean Leinhauser and Rita Weiss

Tuesday, April 22, 2014
The Big Book of Crochet Stitches 
by Jean Leinhauser and Rita Weiss


The Big Book of Crochet Stitches
Both authors, Jean and Rita, are icons in the world of crochet and publishing. Their contributions are many and they have touched crocheters with their incredible wealth of published crochet books for decades. Separately, both Jean and Rita have been honored as Honorees to the Crochet Guild of America Hall of Fame!

A visually appealing and colorful Contents page highlights the fifteen categories of stitch types within from Bobbles and Popcorns to Fans and Picots.

Sample Instructions
The Big Book of Crochet Stitches honors the memory of Jean Leinhauser. Weiss' heartfelt introduction of her dear friend reminds us all of how Jean was also a friend to all crocheters she met, and of the many and important contributions she made to the crochet world. Rita also gives an inside look at Jean's passion for "collecting" crochet stitches.

Truly a dictionary of stitches, this book is not based on gauge but on multiples. Colorful, clear photography presents each stitch in a 2 1/2 x 3-inch swatch format which is ample, along with the stitch instructions, for learners from beginning to advanced skills.

Example of Instructions
Readers will probably be surprised to find the wonderful selection of  familiar stitche, like the ripple or shell, with variations that they haven't seen before.  It is a compendium chock-full of over 350 stitch techniques that will challenge crocheters to try their hand and hook at creating their own original designs.

For those who prefer symbol crochet, unfortunately, diagrams are not to be found in this volume of hundreds of stitches and 192 pages.  This should not be a deterrant; and every crocheter will want to have The Big Book of Crochet Stitches in their personal library, both as an important reference and as a fond memento of Jean Leinhauser! It retails for $19.99 and is also available as an e-book for $14.99.

Photos by Brent Kane are used with permission from Martingale.

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