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CONTEMPORARY CROCHET

July 11, 2009 by jd wolfe

contemporary-crochet-0709

Here’s a new book by Sys Fredens.  I was not familiar with this designer/author, but I sure do like her designs!  I am currently working on one of the pullovers in this book for my daughter.  Not only did my daughter approve the design and yarn I chose, the sweater is actually fitting her nicely!  A win for me as my daughter is not generally fond of my crochet.

Great thing about this book – the sweaters are constructed from the TOP DOWN.  Hooray!  A designer who finally listened to me (us??);-)  Top down is such a great way to crochet a sweater as one can try it on throughout its construction to be sure it fits.

The book includes numerous color photos, often showing the design from more than one angle, and with simple schematics for each.  There are sweaters, shells, bags, hats, mittens, and shawls.  The shell I’m making is the Summer Top with Shoulder Bands on pages 44 and 45. With 37 designs included, there’s a good selection included.  Yarn selections tend to be generic too – so no high end yarn prices to contend with.

The patterns are very basic, assuming a knowledge of and experience with garment construction.  This can be a problem for beginners, but the schematics and photos will help as the designs are not terribly complex.  I believe this book would be a great addition to anyone’s crochet library with the exception of a rank beginner.

Published by Martingale Publishers, 2009

94 pages

$21.99 (well less than $1 per design!!)

ISBN 1564778975

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Have you read?

Book Review: Merry Stitchmas

It might seem a little early (if you’re reading this when I’m writing this) to be thinking abut the holiday season, but cross stitching takes time, and if you want to stitch a bunch of gifts or decor for the season, that’s going to take some time. 

Merry Stitchmas by Emma Congdon is here to inspire you to get your holiday stitching started, with 24 fun and colorful designs. You’ll find wall hangings, ornaments, stockings, bunting, greeting cards and gift tags, cute letters made out of decorated gift boxes, another set of drop shadow letters, stylized snowflake hoop art and more.

There are folk art figures, a festive patchwork and plenty of word art, with lots of bold and not always traditional colors to go around. 

Some of my favorites include the bold graphic lettering on the ho, ho, ho bunting banner and the collection of little stamps, which she shows all stitched together but would also be cute stitched as individual gift tags or you could even make a stitched card with a fabric envelope and use one of these as a stamp. 

The charts are large and colorful and provide options for personalization and spelling preferences. One design says “My favorite color is Christmas lights” and it includes charts for both British and American spellings. Rows are numbered and the color key is in the center of the page spread, which could make it a little hard to read (I reviewed this in PDF so I’m not sure if the margin is big enough to keep the key out of the gutter). 

The back of the book includes instructions for how to stitch and read charts as well as making up instructions for finishing projects in the various ways shown in the book such as a wall hanging, framed picture, stockings, a pillow, hoop art and gift tags. There are also templates in the back for the shapes used.

This is a sweet book for people who like their holiday decor a little traditional but a little modern at the same time. 

About the book: 136 pages, paperback, 24 patterns. Published 2025 by David & Charles. Suggested retail price $24.99.

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