Not only is Ellen an amazingly talented designer, she is a wonderful person. But you don't need me to tell you that. When you read the descriptions and notes she has written on these pages, you feel her warmth and genuine love of crochet.
Go Crochet! Afghan Design Workbook is so much more than your typical afghan pattern book. It is, well, a workbook. A class.
It begins with the basics, tools you will need and why, how to read a stitch diagram, how to measure gauge and why. It has clearly drawn and written instructions of the various stitches you will need to know. And then (yes-more! I'm telling you, it's a great book!), the discussion on choosing colors. Then.... wait, we'll come back to this part.
Next, 50 original motifs. 5 different shapes, 10 of each: Square, Rectangle, Triangle, Hexagon, and Octagon. Grab a snack and a cup of coffee (I like mine with a little french vanilla creamer!), spend some time flipping through the 60 pages of possibilities. Big, beautiful pictures. Detailed, colorful stitch diagrams of each.
Now that you have made the decision of what motif you love the most, you can flip back to the beginning of that shape, where Ellen provides "puzzles", line drawings of how to arrange the shape you picked.
Now also, is the decision of motif joining. Of course, she schools you on this, too. Pictures and choices at the end of section 1 (I told you we'd get back to it!).
Want a no-brainer? An afghan that is expertly & beautifully chosen? You got it! The last section of the book has 10 amazing blankets. Again, amazing photography & charts! My personal favorite:
So, now that we've walked through the Afghan Design Workshop, let's talk about the "more" I mentioned about this book. Who says you must use the motifs for a blanket? Not me! While I LOVE to wrap in the comfort of the afghans my grandmothers crocheted for me, making an afghan is not high on my list of things to do. On my list, of course, but not anytime soon.
For me, the real fun in this book is the possibilities of motifs! Truly, you can make anything using them. Be picky and purposeful in the yarn you chose.
Cotton worsted: chose a solid octagon motif for a purse, or an open one for a market bag
Sport/DK weight wool: pick a lovely square for an easy cardigan
Lace weight bamboo: chose an open triangle for a dreamy spring shawl
Worsted wool: opt for greys & warm browns, make a manly scarf from a rectangle
Really, the possibilities are endless. I know what I'm going to do.
You can find it a on Amazon, ~OR~ you can get an autographed copy from Ellen's site. It is definitely one book on your shelf that will not gather dust!
