Inside Crochet Book Club: Your views on the latest books

Sarah has been wielding her crochet hook for 18 months, honing her skills on cowls, cushion covers, blankets, and most recently, a crocheted moustachioed pocket for her craft group's Movember cardi-knitathon. She is a big fan of the granny square and is currently hooking her merry way through a granny-chic shawl. Follow her bespectacled adventures in handmade and homemade at hometoroostblog.wordpress.com, or @home_to_roost on Twitter and Instagram.

When I first picked up Hip to Crochet by Judith L Swartz I have to admit I was underwhelmed. It was first published in 2004, and craft publishing has come an awful long way since then. Hip to Crochet now looks very old-fashioned, from the photos, to the styling, the layout and the font. As a massive fan of crochet books I was disappointed. And that feeling only got worse as I read through the pages. The projects sat rather sadly on the page, surrounded by cheesy styling, and unattractive yarn. Oh dear. I want to be inspired when I pick up a crochet book or magazine, as I've come to expect every month with Inside Crochet! Compared with recent crochet offerings, this book is not up to my exacting standards, and there are far more exciting and innovative books out there.

However, while I didn't find the patterns and projects particularly inspiring, I did like the extra information, such as how to set a sleeve into an armhole. 

I'd give it 6/10

What we said:

While not all of the designs will appeal to everyone, this book would be a great resource for a beginner who is looking for a pleasant challenge. 

As Sarah mentions above, the additional information and discussions on various yarns, their pros and cons and tips on customising garments are a nice bonus to the book.