Crochetville is proud to be the next stop on the blog tour promoting Kathryn White’s newest book from Annie’s: The Go-To Book of Irish Crochet Motifs. I’ve known Kathy since 2005, when I first became a member of Crochetville. I remember the days when she shared pictures of her beautiful work on our site. Although we encouraged her to try to get her work published, she was a bit leery of turning her love of crochet into a job. Crochetville members all strongly believed the rest of the crochet world deserved to be able to experience her incredible design talent with thread and have the opportunity to create those designs for use in their own homes. I am so glad she took the risk, because the rest is history. Kathy now has an unbelievable amount of published designs, each one more beautiful than the next.
If you’d like to keep up with Kathy, check out her Crochet ‘N’ Beads website and her Facebook page.
Be sure to read to the bottom of this review for details on how you can win a free copy of Kathy’s book. Due to the high cost of international shipping, giveaway is limited to those with a US mailing address.
The Go-To Book of Irish Crochet Motifs
Retail Price: $14.95; Amazon Price: $12.02
Review copy and giveaway copy supplied by Annies, Inc.
All photos © 2013 Annies. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
As a teenager, I crocheted mainly with thread because that is what my mother preferred. Patterns, thread, and steel hooks were always readily available. I made many doilies, sachets, collars, and other things. I never really did much traditional Irish crochet with padded cords and rings.
For those new to Irish crochet, traditional patterns involved “padding,” crocheting over rings or multiple pieces of thread which provide that distinctive Irish crochet look. If you’ve ever tried crocheting from vintage Irish crochet patterns, I’m sure you quickly realized that the instructions do not follow today’s pattern writing conventions. In this book, Kathy has rewritten instructions for traditional motif shapes in a style that will be easily understood by today’s crocheters.
Kathy opens her book with a section that explains the basic stitches and techniques. You’ll learn the traditional method of padding along with an updated easier version. You’ll learn several padded cord techniques as well.
This book is not a book full of patterns for projects such as doilies and bedspreads. Instead, it is a spectacular reference and technique book. Chapters 2 through 8 focus on various types of motifs: flowers, leaves, fill-in motifs, edgings and insertions, dangles, overlays, and fill-in lace. Chapter 9, Assembly, teaches you how to put all the various motifs together. While Kathy doesn’t provide patterns for finished pieces, she walks you through the process of how to put all the motifs you’ve created together into whatever type of finished piece you desire. Chapter 10 provides five different motifs that could be used to make scarves, table runners, bedspreads, and more.
Now that you know what’s in the book, let’s take a look at some close-up photos of some motifs.
Win a Free Copy of
The Go-To Book of Irish Crochet Motifs
Please Note: Due to the high cost of international shipping, we regret that the giveaway is open only to those with a US mailing address.