Crochet Book Review: Crochet Boutique

Back in early August I was ordering a few birthday gifts for Cory from Amazon and a suggested product (not because of Cory, but because of previous purchases) for me was Rachael Oglesby's new crochet book, Crochet Boutique! At first I was surprised because I've followed Rachael's blog and shop for so long, I was surprised I missed her speaking about this book project. Either way, I was stoked to get a little more insight to this intriguing crochet artist.

Since I'm trying my hardest to get back into the blogosphere on a regular basis, I thought since I'm currently drooling all over this book, I'd share a review of it with you!

To be honest, this book is like a peek inside a lifestyle I can only dream about right now. It's warm, inviting, comfortable, and effortless. All the images are gorgeous and you practically want to own every piece of crochet wear plus the outfits the models are wearing. The pairings seem natural unlike other crochet books where it's obvious the models don't wear crochet or knit on a regular basis.

The models look as if they not only enjoy wearing these goods, but that they could easily be Rachael's best friends. The book opens up to a gorgeous spread and a very detailed table of contents.

If you're a fan of Rachael, it should come as no surprise that the projects featured within this book have a varied skill levels but use very simple, easy to acquire yarns that you can find at your local craft store. I'm usually all about high quality yarns, but I've seen a lot of obscure yarn published in books. Let's be honest, if you're reading this book, you're going to want to start on these projects ASAP and not have to wait around for your yarn delivery to come in within the next few weeks!

 When I pre-ordered my copy of the book, I actually ordered two books. I knew I was going to keep one, but I also had a friend that was just getting into crochet, and I knew I could trust Rachael to include projects for beginners that would have very easy-to-read directions. I was totally right. I gifted the second copy of this book to a friend back in mid-September and although she may not have the time to dig into it right now, there's no doubt in my mind that the general perception of the book is making her eager to get started!

The photo above shows the step-by-step photo directions for each of the stitches used throughout the book. The stitches are actually fairly simple for each of the projects. I like it because many of the projects I could easily make in just a few hours. Nothing beats a quick project!

When it comes to Crochet Boutique, I think it actually was the jump start I needed to get back into crocheting full-force after a crazy summer away from home!

For those of you already thinking of holiday gifts, certainly add Crochet Boutique to the list. It would be an excellent gift to give a friend who wants to learn the craft or would function as a great resource for the most experienced stitchers out there!

I hope you'll check it out!

xo,