Resources

Useful Websites

Craft Yarn Council

• www.craftyarncouncil.com
• Here you will find all the industry standards for yarn gauge, how yarns are labeled, standard measurements for babies and adult sizes, as well as free patterns, basic techniques, and community support.

Crochet Guild of America

• www.crochet.org
• This is your home if you get hooked on crochet! These are your people! Keep up to date with what’s happening in crochet, events around the country, and lots of support from other crocheters, as well as their Crochet Masters program. Additionally, if you become a member, you’ll receive a subscription to their magazine, Crochet!, which is full of new patterns and lots of great resource articles.

Crochet Me Interweave Press

• www.crochetme.com
• The online home of Interweave Crochet, this site has lots of great patterns and how-tos, as well as a formidable backlist of issues chockful of amazing patterns and techniques. This is a great magazine to have a traditional or e-subscription to.

Ravelry

• www.ravelry.com
• An amazing online resource for knitters and crocheters, with thousands of patterns listed, some for sale directly through the site. Here you will find info on yarns new and old, designers whom you can contact directly, and lots of forums to find help, kvetch, or discuss your favorite things.

WEBS

• www.yarn.com
• WEBS not only sells yarn, books, patterns, and accessories through their website, but they also offers how-to videos and classes, if you’re local to their retail store.

Reading List

Budd, Ann. The Crocheter’s Handy Guide to Yarn Requirements. Interweave. Always a great little pamphlet to keep in your purse or knitting bag, it has yardage estimates in different yarn weights for lots of different kinds of projects.

Schapper, Linda P. Complete Book of Crochet Stitch Designs, rev. ed. Lark Crafts, 2011. This is one of the best stitch dictionaries. There are 500 stitch patterns to choose from, all presented with wonderfully simple photographs, well-written pattern repeats, and charts.

The following books offer variations on the basics of yarn and tools, as well as basic stitches and advanced techniques. These little books are like having a crochet instructor in your pocket! Can’t remember which seam to use? How to weave in ends? Although not necessarily how-to books, they are all great sources of information if you need a refresher or quick reminder on a technique. Take the time to look through them and find the format that appeals to you most. Once you have, tuck that copy in your project bag.

Brown, Nancy. The Crocheter’s Companion, rev. ed. Interweave, 2013.

Chin, Lily. Lily Chin’s Crochet Tips & Tricks. Potter Craft, 2009.

Eckman, Edie. The Crochet Answer Book. Storey Publishing, 2005.