The Knitting Experience - for Crocheters!

This morning I would like to start an occasional series called "Knitting Books for Crocheters". These are the knitting books that I draw inspiration from when I think about designing crochet projects. It occurred to me, though, that crocheters who don't knit wouldn't know about these books.

I would like to start with Sally Melville's 3 volume work called The Knitting Experience. Volume 1 focuses on the knit stitch, volume 2 adds the purl stitch, and volume three explores the use of color in design. These books are interesting in several ways. First of all, the concept of limiting the designs to one stitch would seem to have tremendous potential for crocheters. After all, knitters only have 2 basic stitches, while crocheters have several to choose from. I have often thought that if I ever did a book like this, I would choose the half double crochet. I love the versatility of the stitch and I think it would be a real creative challenge to explore it further.

Melville's books are inspiring in other ways, as well, though. I think many of her patterns would lend themselves to crochet very easily. This might be because many of her patterns use basic shapes, such as triangles and rectangles, as building blocks. For example, one of my favorite patterns in the book is a scarf that starts as a triangle and ends as a rectangle. The way she combines those shapes with other design elements is also interesting. Even the patterns that don't lend themselves directly to crochet are inspirational. The shaping used in various garments, and the attention to detail in every pattern, are practically guaranteed to get the creative juices flowing.

If you are a crocheter who is thinking about picking up knitting, Melville's books are a great place to start. Her instructions are clearly written, and the patterns in the books move from easy to progressively harder. She starts with scarf patterns but quickly moves to other garments, such as ponchos and sweaters, that are doable even for newbies. All in all, I highly recommend these books to everyone.