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Book look: Indispensable Stitch Collection for Crocheters by Melissa Leapman

I have been a huge fan of Melissa Leapman for a long time.

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(See? Trufax.)

In the interests of full disclosure, I have also had the great fortune of getting to know Melissa as a friend. (Sometimes I still get all fan-girl, and think “OMG! Melissa Leapman likes me!!!!”)

I felt extra-lucky, then, when a review copy of Melissa’s latest book appeared in my mailbox.

Called Melissa Leapman’s Indispensable Stitch Collection for Crocheters (Quarto Publishing 2016; available for $16.14 at the time of this post), this book is exactly what it professes to be: a clear and exceedingly useful book full of wonderful crochet stitch patterns.

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The book begins with a helpful introduction explaining how to use a stitch dictionary, how to swap stitches into existing patterns you own, tips on designing, and how to add shaping to a stitch pattern. Then you’ll find the 200 stitch patterns, organized into the following sections:

    • allover stitches
    • stitches with shells and fans
    • openwork and lace stitch patterns
    • textured patterns
    • colorwork
    • edgings.

The book concludes with a section showing techniques, abbreviations and how to decipher international symbols used in crochet patterns.

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What is so special about this book?

  1. Close-up, clear photographs of each stitch pattern (worked in Cascade 220, the perfect smooth worsted yarn with excellent stitch definition).
  2. Each stitch pattern is included written out in words for the verbal crafter, and shown in chart form for visual crafters.
  3. Reversible stitch patterns are marked with a special symbol.
  4. You’ll find stitch patterns that are original, making this especially valuable since there’s less overlap with the stitch dictionaries you may already own.
  5. There are a lot of texture and colorwork patterns, a type of crochet that seems (at least to my eye) to be used less in patterns and stitch dictionaries.

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Melissa is one of the most professional and conscientious designer/authors in our industry, and having reviewed scores of books over the years, I have come to realize how good it is to buy a book knowing that the author has worked diligently on it AND has extensive experience designing and teaching–nothing slapdash here.

If you’re looking for a holiday gift for the crocheter in your life, or want to treat yourself, then this book is a wise choice: so much inspiration, presented in an easy-to-use format that will delight any crocheter.

READ THE FINE PRINT: I received a review copy of this book to incentivize me to write a review but the opinions expressed herein are entirely my own. I participate in the Amazon Services LLC Associates program, which allows me to earn a small advertising fee when the Amazon link above is used to purchase items from Amazon.com. Photographs and cover image are used with the author’s permission and for review purposes.

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