Best absolute beginners guide to crochet...

[sadiesadiemarriedlady]

Please recommend a book for me which helps someone who has NEVER even picked up a crochet hook but is desperate to learn..thanks!

Oooh - and for me please. Bought a magazine t'other day but find the instructions a bit hard!

A couple of good books...

Happy Hooker by Debbie Stoller, though the terminology is american, it's an easy guide to start with.

Chicks with Sticks Guide to Crochet by Nancy Queen

Both are modern books and should be available through your local library service. And contain simple patterns as well as instructions.

And I like to recommend Jan Eatons Encyclodpedia of crochet techniques it has no patterns but it's full of different stitches in easy instructions.

Youtube is also a valuable source to learn some basic stitches.

I picked up a free instruction leaflet one day in hobbycraft and had a go. Watching tutorials on the internet helped and I tried a few of attic24's designs from her blog.

I have had books from the library and bought 'the happy hooker' which covers most things. I still find the most confusing thing is the different american/english terms.

Hoping someone else comes along with some good suggestions soon.

Oh, they have. Thanks kellestar.

I also learnt using the Jan Eaton's book which I found the easiest to follow. I had the Happy Hooker too and although it was useful I ended up concentrating on Jan Eaton's book because it is English and seemed to cover more. It doesn't have any patterns in it but you can get those free off Ravelry to begin with so it wasn't an issue. It does, of course, teach you how to do blocks so as a first project a throw made up of all your samples is a good idea.

The other book that I have got more recently is this one which I have only just noticed is also by Jan Eaton. It is really good too and does have some patterns in. What it is like to learn from scratch with this book though I don't honestly know as I knew some of the basics by the time I got it.

Magazines ususally have basic patterns and instructions in them - they might suit you (I know they don't suit everybody as Nonnomum says) and they are relatively cheap.