Knit 1, Purl 2 in Crochet

Knit 1, Purl 2 in Crochet

Reviewed by Deborah Burger (cerdeb on Ravelry)

It was with great excitement that I received my copy of Bendy Carter’s new book!  Like many crocheters who choose not to knit, I often suffer from “fabric envy”, wishing that I could use my crochet hook to create similar fabrics to those created with knitting needles.  The early information about this book promised to make that dream possible, and I practically drooled with anticipation!  I find that the book delivers on the promise…. But only if the crocheter is willing to use it differently than we tend to use most new crochet books.  

Usually a crochet book presents an array of patterns, and if I need to learn a new stitch or new technique in order to work up the pattern I choose, I can simply follow the directions for that “special stitch.”  I tend to choose a project first, and then learn what I need to learn in order to work it.  This approach may well lead to frustration with knit 1, purl 2, in Crochet, primarily because it’s not the way the book is intended to be used!  Yes, there are some great projects presented…. But they are each presented as the application portion of a true lesson in technique!  It’s important to start at the beginning of the book, work the swatches in the first chapter, then make the first project.  That first project is a cute, but very simple-looking hot pad, which would not normally catch my eye and entice me to buy yarn and make it up.  HOWEVER, if I try to jump over that lesson and its project, I will find myself at a loss in the next chapter.  If I apply my usual “smorgasbord” approach, dipping a project here and a swatch there, throughout the book, I may well become hopelessly frustrated, and blame the book’s organization or editing.  In reality, it’s the sort of book that requires attention, concentration and practice… and rewards these by opening doors to myriad new possibilities in crochet.

For the past several years, I have been, along with several others, experimenting with techniques in “slip stitch” crochet, and some of the stitches and techniques in Bendy’s book were familiar to me… but being called by different names, in some cases, names that make much more sense!  This is the most comprehensive and systematic presentation I have yet seen of the techniques that will allow a person with one traditional crochet hook to create actual knitted fabric.

The typeface is clear and easy on the eyes, with colored boxes to highlight important information.  Swatch photographs could be a little sharper, in my opinion, but they are nice and large, which somewhat makes up for the slight fuzziness.  The color palette in the first dozen or so pages is not my favorite, but I try not to let the color of a sample or model affect my reaction to the pattern or lesson—I may love it made in colors I prefer.  Therefore, I sat down with a ball of my favorite blue worsted wool/alpaca blend, and worked swatches for an entire evening, getting through the first two lessons.  I am now ready to make my hot pad and my yarn bag, and then move on to learn increasing and decreasing.  I have read the rest of the patterns closely, and they seem to be accurate and clearly written, as we have all come to expect both from Bendy Carter as a writer and Annie’s Attic as a publisher.  

So… if you have the motivation, and are willing to do your homework, you too, can learn a whole new vocabulary and set of stitches, and this book will allow you to knit with your crochet hook.  Once you’ve completed these lessons and projects, the sky will be your limit.