Couture Crochet Workshop: Mastering Fit, Fashion, and Finesse

I have taken several of Lily's Classes at CGOA conferences. I love her practical style. She goes further in the book, teaching the advantages of steam block v. wet block, crocheting into the last stitch, other small little tips that will make your garment appear less "homemade". The lessons on fitting, draping, and garment design are invaluable for knitters and crocheters alike. This book assumes that you know basic crochet.

The nice point of this book is you can learn to crochet garments, rather than afghans and boxy jackets. Lily Chin, who is known for fitted knit and crochet designs, shows you how to crochet swatches and then draft a pattern for anything you might want to make. As to patterns in this book, there are all kinds of suits, dresses, jackets as you'd expect. You actually are making fabric in a way--some open, some densely crocheted, some even rippled like those inevitable couch afghans. Some of the dresses in here had me laughing about an incident years ago; a colleague in a lab where I worked had crocheted a VERY open dress of bright blue yarn (not ALL that different than the dress here) and then worn it over a leotard in order to attract the attention of a male colleague. When she walked in our lab wearing the dress, our eyes grew round and our mouths all took on the shape of a wordless "o." "Don't all exclaim," she purred, "I made it myself." The object of her desires, however, a crusty bachelor, stated his opinion loudly and unfavorably about this new couture, and she was seen the rest of the day, a lab coat buttoned tightly around her. Who would guess that 30 years later, this dress might be considered fashionable? And that brings me to my point; execution and materials are EVERYTHING. If you practice swatches and get your technique up to snuff, these not-that-difficult patterns will look stunning. But nothing less than good fit and finish will make these worth wearing. Pay attention to the good advice Ms. Chin provides. Also remember, dense crochet takes MUCH more yarn than knitting, so consider mill ends and other sources of good designer yarns if you are on a budget. This book is a MUST for anyone who wants to do clothing from crochet. This will take those rippled afghans to a new level.

I've got hundreds of knit/crochet books. I think this book has the best description of blocking and sizing that I've ever seen. I love Lily's understanding of garment structure from the inside out. She really explains construction well. I happen to also love the patterns. The color scheme in the book doesn't bother me...rather it allows me to see the design rather than the colorway. I can see myself making several of the patterns in this book which is rare. Overall, I'm very happy with the purchase.

The bad stuff first - Yes, the colors that Lily chooses for her garments are ugly. Yes, most of the yarns are her brand (just like Debbie Bliss, and Jo Sharp do in their books). But I've seen all of these garments in person and I can tell you that they do not photograph very well. In person these garments were stunning and breath taking. They were flattering on many differently shaped women. Maybe Lily just needs the help of a professional stylist. The good stuff - The information about fitting and shaping is invaluable. The technical material is presented very well and is essential information for any would be crochet or knit designer. I'm very happy I bought this book. This book is a bargain compared to taking a TKGA, CGOA, or Stitches course. THis is going on my shelf of favorite knitting books right next to Sally Melville, Barbara Walker, and Elizabeth Zimmerman.

There are two parts to this book: information on how to make well styled and fitting crocheted clothing (40 pages)with some excellent tips, and then the patterns (24 or more) which show off the theory going into the first part. Pictures indicate all the garments fit beautifully. EAch pattern well written with full schematic and in some cases international crochet diagrams. My favorite patterns are the Tunisian crocheted sweater, the chevron tunic with matching hat, the mohair wrap, full circle vest, scallops bolero and hat. There are patterns for necklaces and some patterns include beading. Size range goes from small to 56" in some cases (others smaller though).Negatively: yarns used are somewhat pricey and no indication using the new yarn standards, or old, of what size yarns they are. Lily calls for smaller hooks but many of her patterns are larger hook sizes. Her colors are very boring. Book is well bound and printed. This book is the equivalent of Deborah Newton's landmark book for knitters on design, but it is written in a very nice easy-to-understand style with a sense of humor. It is not a beginner's book but meant for the serious crocheter who wants to understand how to make her garments fit better. I feel she has definitely accomplished what she wanted to do and therefore an essential purchase in this subject.