101 Fun-to-Crochet Projects --Reviewed by Denise Dennett
The House of White Birches
Berne, Indiana 47611
First Printing: 1996
Major Review by Denise Dennett, with add'l comments by review editor
PROS
**Beautiful color photography
** Bold face text is used to mark rounds/rows so it is easy to track
your place
**Lots of tips are sprinkled throughout the book----like crocheting
with rag strips, and finishing seams
**Lots of darling little stuffed animals, cute decorations, and baby
items.
**A Recommended Buy
CONS
**Although the pattern instructions were clear, sometimes
important steps were missing---like how to sew on the legs and arms
for Rosie Bear, or how many stitches between increases.
** Index is difficult to use.
Denise's Review This is a 176-page hardcover book with beautiful color photography. The text is done in a good size (12 point) and spread out so it is easy to read. Bold face is used to mark rounds/rows so it is easy to track your place.
The patterns in this book cover just about everything you can make by crocheting except clothing. Both yarn and thread projects are included. The sections in this book are:
As with most crochet publications, this book has a section on general instructions, understanding abbreviations, and a stitch guide for the most common stitches.
Sprinkled throughout the book are side boxes with tips on
subjects such as: Crocheting with rag strips, Selecting
appropriate yarns, Finishing seams, Popcorn edging. and more.
Each pattern has a box labeled Let's Begin:. It's like a
shopping list, with small boxes for checking off your supplies. It
also identifies the skill level needed for pattern. Most of them are
labelled for Beginners, with several Intermediate, and only a few
Advanced. I wasn't quite sure what to think of the one labelled
Advanced Beginner.
I've made several projects from this book: Rosie Bear, Pocket Pals
(the bear and puppy),Old-Time Teddy Bear, and the Pineapple Star
Doily
Overall, the patterns were clear
and easy to follow. I would recommend this book. However, there were
some specific problems with some of the patterns. For
instance, the instructions for the Rosie Bear pattern never tells you
to sew the arms and legs to the body!! The Old-Time Teddy Bear simply
says "increase 6 sc evenly around." They don't tell you the number of
stitches between each increase. I converted it for myself and it
worked out OK.
Even with these small annoyances, I completed the projects without a hassle. And I didn't notice any problems with the other patterns that I completed. Reviewed by Denise Dennett for Crochet Partners. Posted 8/96 Denise.Dennett@prepress.pps.com
----------------Additional comments from review editor, ssg
I, too, liked the look and feel of this book. I especially like hardbound crochet books because they are easier to use: they stay open when I'm reading the instructions and they are more hardy.
My only big complaint: The Index is really hard to use. Instead of being able to look up "Potholder" in the index and then go to that area in the book, you have to remember the actual name of the potholder. Since I work with indexes, it's probably just my pet peeve. However, if I recall seeing a pattern I liked in a book, I want to be able to locate the pattern again quickly. I naturally gravitate towards the index to help me locate it. Some of the other crafts books have better indexes.
****However, I think this book has very strong sections for baby items and bazaar sellers. Lots of darling little stuffed animals, cute decorations, (like the Piglets for Sale door stop) and baby items. I would definitely recommend this book for people who make lots of stuff in that area. -ssg 8/96