My review of Karen Whooley’s newest book
Coastal Crochet
I totally see the West Coast in Coastal Crochet. Storm, the cover tank top evokes the storms that come in to the Pacific Northwest. Coastline and Beachcomber remind me of the greens of the trees on the cliffs, moss, ferns and Haystack Rock in Cannon Beach OR.
Let me just say that I am an east coast girl, a shore girl, but I have lived on the west coast for many years before landing back east in Florida.
Karen gave me a PDF copy of Coastal Crochet for review purposes, I still purchased my very own book (books purchased from Karen come with a download code too). I never have to think twice about buying one of Karen’s books. They are clear, easy to understand
with written patterns, charts and schematics. The photographs give you a clear picture of the design. I am giving away one PDF of Coastal Crochet. Enter at the end of this post.
with written patterns, charts and schematics. The photographs give you a clear picture of the design. I am giving away one PDF of Coastal Crochet. Enter at the end of this post.
When I saw the cover design, Storm, I knew I had to make it, living here in Florida I chose Skacel CoBaSi purchased at Jimmy Beans Wool which is a Cotton, Bamboo and Silk blend.
Here is the front so far…
Karen chose Lace weight or Fingering weight for all of the designs here. You can feel the cozy in Beachcomber, above or Coastline, below. A Lace weight Waffle stitch perfect for those cool days and nights on the rugged beaches of the northern pacific coast.
Coastline, above, is a Swancho, a cross between sweater and poncho, love it.
Deep Blue Sea, above, clearly is the pacific ocean from up on the cliffs. This is an open airy shawl perfect for dinners while on vacation.
Ah, now this picture above is Shoreline. What I see is driftwood. All the shades of grey. I love the shape of this shawl and the changes in stitches to give a visual of ruggedness. I think the first time I saw the ruggedness of the Pacific was on the beach in Tofino British Columbia. It was so dramatic and different from the Jersey Shore. Darker sand, lots of driftwood, cloudy skies and white caps. See it in this shawl?
These are pictures of beaches on Puget Sound in WA when I lived on the Hood Canal.
In Coastal Crochet Karen discusses the importance of gauge and the possibility of substituting a heavier yarn, honestly, I love her choices and wouldn’t want to lose the softness or drape of these designs. If you have never taken one of Karen’s classes you can tell from her books she is a great teacher of crochet.
Karen self publishes her books and has a fantastic group of talent for photography, layout and technical editing. The thing I love about the actual book is the front index of designs with a picture for quickly finding the design you’re looking for. The size and weight of the book are perfect for in your project bag too.
I’m sure by now you would love a copy of your own. Don’t forget to enter below. The winner will be chosen Sunday October 7th.
Ok, the picture above is a Florida beach…..but see how different it is?
Here is Karen Whooley. Her website has all the info you need to see her patterns and purchase her books.