An absolute must for any beginner crocheter, Claire Gelder’s The Pocket Book of Crochet explains everything you need to know about crochet; starting with reading your ball band and choosing the right yarn and crochet hook for your project right through to deciphering abbreviations and reading crochet patterns.
The book is structured as a simple 3 step course progressing through bronze, silver and gold to improve your skills and grow your confidence. You will start in the bronze section with the basic stitches and techniques finishing with a cute colour block scarf before transitioning to silver. Here you’ll experiment with adding more stitches like magic circle to your repertoire in order to make a pair of cosy pom pom slippers. Soon enough, you’ll find yourself going for gold as you introduce some simple shaping to create a cuddly crochet teddy bear. Claire also chucks in a bonus granny square blanket pattern for good measure.
Filled with positive affirmations and beautifully illustrated, this wonderful book is the ideal introduction to crochet for a complete beginner.
About Claire Gelder
Claire Gelder loves all things hand-made, hand-woven and hand-crafted. She has been crafting for relaxation and fun for over twenty years. In 2015, Claire left her career as an NHS Director to launch her new business, Wool Couture, which specialises in knitting, crocheting, weaving and macrame. She quickly got her DIY craft kits on the shelves of retail giant John Lewis and, in 2017, secured two Dragons’ Den investors to help her pass on her passion of crafting to the next generation. Adding a modern twist to age-old pastimes knitting and crochet, Claire uses giant, chunky yarn and oversized knitting needles made in her own factory.
As well as a successful entrepreneur, Claire is also a firm believer in the therapeutic side of craft, particularly its benefits to mental health and well-being. Claire lives in Wakefield, UK and is proud to be continuing Yorkshire’s textile tradition.
