annieb123
Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.
Crochet Baby Sets is a fun and well written guide with tutorials for crocheted baby items by Kristi Simpson. Released 5th March 2024 by Rowman & Littlefield on their Stackpole Books imprint, it's 112 pages and is available in paperback and ebook formats.
This is an appealing and up-to-the-minute book full of doable patterns for cute baby things. It's professionally designed and printed and the photography is clear and in color throughout. The pattern models in the book are *not* only shown in pastel and that's a huge plus for readers who have trouble visualizing projects in other colorways.
It's arranged in 10 different layettes, which each contain several pieces. The items can be mixed and matched of course. Most of them are (mostly) gender neutral and can be made and given before they know the gender of the baby. There are a couple of them which are decidedly "girly" (see cover), but most are not.
There's a good general how-to tutorial included as well as process photos for crochet and the construction and finishing for the projects. Readers would still be advised to have a friend or local yarn shop teacher available for help if needed (or the masses of info available online, but in that case it's often difficult to winnow out and find the info needed in an acceptable time-frame).
Four and a half stars. Very well written; clear and easy to follow. The author has a welcoming and friendly style of writing and the projects are attractive and fun. This would be a good choice for public or school library acquisition, home use, or for fibrearts/makers groups.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.