Title: Jewelry With A Hook: Crocheted Fiber Necklaces, Bracelets, & More
Author: Terry Taylor
Pictures: 5/10
Clarity of Instruction: 8/10
Complexity: 8/10
Overall Score: 7/10
I will be completely honest and say that this book was not what I thought it was going to be. I had reserved the book from my local library, thinking it was about crocheting with wire. I admit, it had been a very bad day. I COMPLETELY missed the lines underneath the title saying 'Crocheted fiber necklaces, bracelets, and more". Don't ask me how I missed it, I'm still not sure. >< In my defense though, the library page didn’t have an image of the book.
So, if you're not like me, and that subtitle made sense to you, this book is entirely about making jewelry from fibers. It's not really my thing. But, since it is about jewelry, and I did bring it home, I figured I should review it.
The pictures are clear and the models are lovely. The entirety of the instructions is in shorthand though, and I admit, it left me baffled. According to a friend who does crochet though, it's well written and makes perfect sense. There's even a section in the back that shows you how to do 'basic' techniques and explains all the abbreviations used in the book. I did try decoding it. For once my coding skills failed me miserably. I will be quite blunt and say that most of the pieces in the book look more like... well, centerpiece decorations than something you'd wear yourself. Then there are some pieces that look as though they can't tell whether they want to be scarves or necklaces. On the flipside though, there are pieces that I find quite lovely, if not something I'd wear myself. There's one that is a high choker done in a very lacy fashion, that when in black, looks stunning. Another is a fine chain done from a silver thread that would looks superb with a pendant strung on it.
This is a book that has it's upsides and it's downsides as far as I'm concerned. I will say this though, if you already knit or crochet on your own, and you've ever wondered if you could somehow combine the two, this is the book to check out.
Do you have any thoughts on this book? Feel free to comment below. :)
