Filet Crochet to Wear: A beginner-friendly guide to crochet fashion by Lauren Willis

I wanted to start off - because I tend to write my review in my head before I've finished reading - kind of ragging on books about crocket, all because I tend not to follow patterns. For starters, I've been crocheting for near 20 years. I have and have had many books on crochet. Books about Tunisian crochet, books about crocheting blankets, books about crocheting sweaters, and so on and so on. I have vivid memories of all the times I'd go to the Barnes and Noble looking for books only to walk away, almost exclusively, with books about crocheting. And yet! 

I was never the person to referencing said books as I looped and chained away. That's probably not true about the Tunisian crochet books I had, but that's generally how I rolled and continue to roll. I'm on Ravelry, I follow lots of crochet designers, but as I've said, I'm not one to follow patterns. Give me the general structure and I'll improvise my own thing. Show me the gist of how you made your garment and I might take inspiration for a specific finish. Mayhap I'll walk away having learned a new stitch. 

Despite all that, I actively went scrolling through the review copies available on Edelweiss for books on the topic. "Filet crochet" immediately caught my attention, because I've made many garments of the fashion. Lauren Willis' "Filet Crochet to Wear: A beginner-friendly guide to crochet fashion" had the extra draw of its modern take on the style. Glossy color pictures in abundance? Check. Light conversational tone. Check. Well, somewhat. That tone is surely present in the blurbs preceding the pattern, however the patterns themselves are mainly just abbreviations. That's not necessarily unexpected but there's barely any explanation of the patterns beyond that. On the other hand, the book is short and sweet. Convenient book length? Check.

But maybe I should appreciate the format of the patterns in the book. The graph of the stitches gives an overview that I feel comfortable adjusting just at a glance if I so desired. Relatively easy to understand instructions offered with flexible sizing? We love to see it. 

I do think this book is as advertised, beginner-friendly. Would I buy it for myself? Not necessarily. For one, I'm not a beginner. I have experience with crochet, with filet crochet. I'm not necessarily the target audience. But this would make a nice book to have as a reference on my bookshelves. A majority of the patterns were appealing to me. While I don't tend to follow patterns, I'm never saying never. Still, there's nothing newly innovative for me with this read. 4 stars.

Filet Crochet to Wear: A beginner-friendly guide to crochet fashion (ISBN:9781446310649) was published April 30, 2024. 

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