I met Linda Permann for the first time at this Summer’s TNNA (National Needle Arts convention.) She was at our Stitch Co-op party and introduced herself to me. When she told me about her book, my eyes really lit up! I’ve been looking for something JUST LIKE THIS.
Crochet Adorned: Reinvent Your Wardrobe with Crocheted Accents, Embellishments, and Trims
As you know, there’s a HUGE surge in crochet right now. Lots of gorgeous patterns have been showing up all over the place from Linda, Robyn Chachula, Amy O’Neil Houck, Julie Holetz, Marly Bird, and longtime designers like Dora Ohrenstein, Doris Chan, Lily Chin, Annie Modesitt, Teva Durham, and many many more. They’re really using crochet in new ways and creating gorgeous garments and accessories.
Seeing all of the new things that crocheters are doing makes ME want to crochet, and I’ve dabbled. A little. Badly:
By the way, what the heck am I doing wearing that thing next to crochet star Kristin Omdahl??
A book like Linda‘s is the perfect resource for someone like me. I already design garments. I already know how to manipulate crochet stitches, I’m just not proficient enough to DESIGN in crochet. Crochet Adorned (Potter Craft, 2009) is full of ways to add a little crochet to another project. Whether that project is a design that I’m working on OR, as in many of the projects in the book, a pre-made dress, jacket, or pair of shoes. Here are all of the projects on Ravelry.
I think that I could handle adding crochet trim to a jacket like this:
And on a good day, I might even be able to muster up enough crochet mojo to accomplish something like this:
What really makes this book stand out is the fact that all of the crochet instructions are presented in words AND charts. I’m visual. I can crochet from a chart much more easily than I can from a string of abbreviations (remember when you first learned to read patterns…you spend most of the time looking up definitions!)
There are tons of instructions for trims and photos showing how they can be used to decorate LOTS of different things. I like this because it really fuels my own imagination and helps me visualize ways that crochet can be used as an accent. There are also patterns for whole crochet objects, like pillows, table runners, trivets, and more. Linda includes an over-40-page index of stitch patterns for not only lacy trims, but for all-over patterns that could be used for garments, throws, and anything you could imagine.
So, I’m imagining that after working through a few of the add-ons, I might be able to crochet a whole THING!
I know that I will find myself referring to this book a LOT in the course of my own crafting, and definitely will be adding more crochet to my craft arsenal!
