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Vogue Knitting – Crocheted Shawls on the go! A Review.

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vogue-shawls.jpg I heard about how much my friend, Ronnie, like this book, so I asked her to write a review for all of us. So, here’s my guest columnist, Ronnie, with her review:

The latest in the series from Crochet Shawls Sixth&Spring Books contains an interesting grouping of information and patterns.

Normally, I just give the intro section a quick glance (if at all)…but the layout of this section caught my eye. With the conversion chart for hooks (US/Metric) to the Standard Yarn Weight System (SYWS) (totally awesome…all the info that anyone who has a habit or need to experiment with different yarns will love) and the tips regarding construction, sizing, & blocking, all written clearly and concisely.

An excellent section on reading patterns and a “cheat sheet” of terms and abbreviations, make this section a must for the beginner or those who have problems reading patterns.

The book contains patterns for 21 shawls with the skill levels generally in the intermediate stage. For some of the shawls, it is because of the type of yarn that is used…not the pattern itself (i.e.mohair) or that there are motifs that need to be joined. I suggest that even a beginner can make the majority of these with very little stress.

The patterns do list the SYWS number for ease of substitution, while some have the various motifs charted out, and the assembly layouts are included (except for the Snowflake Shawl – level experience…).

I rate this as a good addition to any one’s library…

Ronnie in St. Louis

 

Comments

  1. I recently bought the “Vogue Knitting – Crocheted Shawls on the go” book.
    I browsed the book in the shop and came across the last pattern, the Aran Shawl! And I’ve never seen a cable-crochet pattern before!!!!
    So the book definitely was a must have – solely for this one pattern.

    Unfortunately, the pattewrn does not seem to work out.
    The foundation row has 125 half doub;le chains. But the ‘establish pat’ row on top of the foundation only adds up to 91 stistches…..

    help!
    I’ve been trying to work this out for hours and even made a spreadsheet, deciphering all the repeats. Yet I only get 91 again and again and again. :o(

    Is it just me?
    Or is the pattern faulty?

Have you read?

Free Purple Witch Hat Keychain Crochet Pattern – Cute Halloween Bag Charm

If you love those tiny crochet projects that use hardly any yarn but still look ridiculously cute, this little witch hat is worth adding to your Halloween list.

The Free Purple Witch Hat Keychain Crochet Pattern on CraftBits is worked from the top down in one main piece, so there is very little sewing together at the end. You start with the pointed purple hat, add a black band, work the brim, then finish it off with a tiny gold buckle and that classic crooked witch-hat shape.

It is exactly the sort of project I like for leftover yarn. You only need small amounts of purple, black and gold, which means those odd little yarn balls we all refuse to throw away finally have a purpose.

The finished hat can be attached to a keyring or bag clip, but you could also use it as a Halloween tree ornament, zipper charm, gift topper or even string several together to make a spooky little garland.

I also love how easy it would be to change the colours. Try orange and black, green and purple, or cream and dusty pink for a softer cottage-witch look.

If you are in a Halloween crochet mood, you might also like our roundup of Free Halloween Crochet Patterns You Can Make in a Day or these 15 Spider Web Crochet Patterns for Halloween.

This is a quick, beginner-friendly Halloween crochet project that would be especially cute for party favours, market stalls or little handmade gifts.

Grab the full pattern here: Free Purple Witch Hat Keychain Crochet Pattern – Mini Halloween Bag Charm.