Falling for Crochet

Apparently, Fall is for crochet. My two favorite knitting magazines have put out special crochet issues. I've gotten my hands on both of them. First, there's the premier issue of Family Circle Easy Crochet which will be published twice a year. This issue has some great retro inspired patterns and some very interesting designs which combine crochet and knitting. Then there's Interweave Knits Crochet which is the second of what may continue(?) to be a yearly crochet issue. The patterns range in style from vintage to completely innovative. Many of the designers are those whose names we're used to seeing on knit patterns including Norah Gaughan and Annie Modesitt.

Inspired by these magazines, I've decided I'd like to refine my crochet skills. I learned to crochet long before I ever picked up knitting needles. However, since I learned to knit, I haven't used my crochet hooks for anything but auxiliary knitting tools. I also feel that I've gone much further in acquiring knowledge of knitting techniques than I ever bothered to do with crochet. In hopes of rectifying that, I checked Donna Kooler's Encyclopedia of Crochet out from the library. If it proves to be as wonderful a resource as it appears from a cursory flip-through, I will definitely buy my own copy.

I'm very excited to see crochet starting to get some of the attention and buzz that knitting has been enjoying for awhile now. It can really be amazingly beautiful, and there certain applications for which it is simply better suited than knitting.

tags: crochet