Couture Crochet – Oooooh!

…Well, we may be a little thematic on the crochet this week, but what’s wrong with that!?

So, I’ve been collecting basic crochet books since last October. And while I love them all, I’ve also been scanning around for reference material that will help me grow from a scarf-and-dishcloth maker into someone capable of crocheting clothing . . . that I will actually end up wearing.

And so I was quite jazzed to find Couture Crochet Workshop: Mastering Fit, Fashion, and Finesse by Lily Chin. Lily is well-known as a master knitter and crocheter, with deep roots in the fashion world. (Read a great interview with her over at the ever-wonderful CRAFT Blog.)

This is truly a “workshop” type of book, offering up all kinds of tips and tricks for making a crocheted garment fit properly, drape nicely, and incorporate all the little details of craftsmanship that elevate it from “homemade” to “handmade.”

I learned a lot about finishing in these pages. Lily has all kinds of ways to experiment with a swatch to see how a finished garment will perform — saving you the heartache of having spent hours and hours making a garment, only to have it fall apart or pill up when you wash it.

There’s also a killer section on pattern-making. I loved Lily’s simple system for using your existing garments to create crochet patterns. There’s also much good info about the small details of how garments are constructed so they hang well on the body. (Like, for instance, I finally understand why some of my sweaters constantly slip down my back, requiring constant pull-downs — the back neckline wasn’t scooped enough to accommodate the back of my neck!) This is information I can use to improve the fit of any crochet pattern.

Speaking of patterns, there are seventeen garment patterns here — ranging from fingerless gloves to dresses, skirts, and jackets. They are definitely more of the Coco Chanel variety, which I was glad of, as I’ll never be able to wear the peek-a-boo halters and teeny crocheted bikinis that populate many of my beginner books.

. . . Lily’s turning-chain trick alone is worth the price of the book, really. She eliminates those bumps at the edges of your double and triple crochet!

(Wow, it’s official. I have indeed become a crochet geek.)