Essential Crochet Next-Level Stitches

October 15, 2024
Leapman's name is well known among crocheters and knitters. Her 1,450-plus patterns appear in dozens of publications, and she's authored more than a handful of books and teaches in workshops and on needlework cruises. This book, in a two-part series with Essential Crochet Starter Stitches (2024), is a revamp of Melissa Leapman's Indispensable Stitch Collection for Crocheters (2016).The 100 or so stitches in Next Level Stitches build on the foundation built in Starter Stitches, covering textures, colorwork, and fancy edgings. Get ready for colorful names! Waffle and faux ribbing are probably the most common textures used by crocheters, while more adventurous needleworkers will try posy (which looks just as it sounds) and the trellis with popcorn panels. Among the highlights in Leapman's colorwork section are happy hearts, snazzy shells, and dancing Vs to challenge experienced crocheters. And though the edgings are not named, there's a wide range of choices, from straightforward picot to large bands of colorwork. Once again, Leapman's instructions are right on point, with clear color photographs of each swatch, along with both written and charted how-tos. Resources at the end mirror what she includes in the first book, with abbreviations, international crochet symbols, and crochet techniques for 37 illustrated stitches. For beginners as well as the experienced, with its companion book, this could well be the foundation of a design-it-yourself project and a major reference to consult again and again.

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January 1, 2025

Adapted from Melissa Leapman's Indispensable Stitch Collection for Crocheters, this pocket guide is the next step for crocheters after Leapman's Essential Crochet Starter Stitches. Like that book, this pocket guide features 100 crochet stitch patterns taken from the author's long career, with some new patterns included as well. The book's introduction and resource section are the same as in Indispensable Stitch Collection. The book is divided into the three sections in the subtitle. The textures section features stitches such as the popular waffle stitch, warm thermal stitch, and cable variations. Some of the texture patterns, the posy for example, require rotating the work. From textures, Leapman moves on to colorwork, presenting stitches such as tongue-and-groove, mosaic, and checkerboard. For a fun twist, some of the colorwork stitches produce a different pattern on the back and front. Patterns for 24 interesting crochet edges end the pattern section of the book. VERDICT The stitches featured here live up to the book's title and are next-level complex. Luckily, crocheters are guided by expert Leapman's easy-to-follow instructions and charts. This guide deserves a place on library crafting shelves.--Lynnanne Pearson

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