Crocheting in Plain English: Easy-To-Follow Lessons in Patterns, Sensible Solutions to Nagging Problems, the Only Book Any Crocheter Will Ever Need

Not a helpful book with extraneous info not relevant to instruction. The least interesting purchase out of all of my crochet books. I have nothing else to say except that it does not feel aimed at anyone under 50.

Book was packaged beautifully and shipped quickly. I would definitely order from this vendor again.

This book is helpful, but needs improvement. If u r teaching yourself, u will probably need a 2nd book to get started, as I did--- It shows u well how to make the 1st loop & 1st chain, but next, with single crochet, the very 1st diagram, showing u where to put the hook, is awful, leaving u stuck. Once u learn single crochet elsewhere however, this book can help in other regards. Other diagrams nicely clarified details that other books do not. This 'good' & 'bad' occurred throughout the book, for example: The BAD: The diagrams are all black & white, small, hand drawn, & I've seen much clearer diagrams in other books. Sometimes the author uses a term before explaining it. I read some chapters that really did not tell me anything. For ex, the chapter on yarn tells u to use good yarn, but does not tell u HOW to specifically know which yarns are good. While a matter of preference, it is wordy at times. There were a few spots where no diagram at all was provided coupled with explanations that were downright bad & NOT in plain english (such as in the FIRST few 'fancy' stitches after the basics). The problem was with the book, because I worked all of the way through the book up to that point & read & practiced everything, ( & also got A's in physics, biochemistry, etc)... there is no reason why I should have been stuck, except that the book 'plain' & simply has bad spots. It had an annoying order at times: When u are just getting started, trying to learn basic stitches, a lot of side info is thrown in (for ex, how to make buttonholes), which could have better been dealt with later. The GOOD: 1 aspect of the book great for beginners is how it leads u slowly along into developing ability to read crochet shorthand & diagrams, which other books neglect. It has a nice section on more fancy patterns & motifs. It provides helpful tips that could be beneficial as u progress in crochet. If u take time to carefully work thru the book & practice, it can help u develop a very clear sense of how to begin & end rows & keep them neat, (which also helps in counting stitches for patterns). In sum: Overall, if u need a book to explain things, this book is fairly good, as many other books do not provide such explanation, even though this book does do so in a wordy manner at times, provides some useless info & has some bad spots. Lastly, I dispute its claim that it's the only book u will ever need... there are many good pattern/ motif books, etc, to expand your skills beyond this book.

I like this book and the way M's Righetti writes about crochet and her love of the craft. The instructions are generally good but the diagrams leave a lot to be desired. They are difficult (to me) to understand and I wouldn't choose this as a first crochet book for anyone wanting to learn to crochet.Part of the reason for my opinion is that M's Righetti has a very strict view on how a crochet hook is supposed to be held. There is more than one way to hold a crochet hook and a person should be able to hold the hook comfortably in her/his hand. M's Righetti's recommendation of how to hold the hook makes my wrist sore and I have a great deal of difficulty crocheting in that position. I have been crocheting now for over 30 years and I get good results by holding the hook the way it comfortably fits my hand.Outside of her reprimands/criticisms of the "proper" way to hold the hook and the difficult to understand diagrams, this is a good book and I recommend it highly for folks who already know a little about crocheting and want to learn more. Stitches are explained well and her instructions on cutting a piece of crocheted work is definitely liberating. So buy the book and expand your knowledge of one of the greatest needle arts, crochet.

I decided I wanted to crochet and ordered this book. It was absolutely wonderful! The instructions were fitting for the title - they were in "plain English" and very easily understood. I had never crocheted and am now completing my third project in just a few short weeks. I have shared this book with one friend in particular that has been crocheting for years. She has now mastered stitches that she has never before quite understood. I would recommend this book for crocheters of all levels.

I knew nothing about crochet when I picked up this book, except that I was interested in learning it. I was crocheting within hours! The instructions make it sooo incredibly easy - this book is exactly what I was looking for. I'm looking forward to buying the author's knitting book and learning how to knit, too! I can't recommend this book highly enough for anyone who wants to learn crochet but is afraid it'll be too hard.