Melissa Leapman's Indispensable Stitch Collection for Crocheters: 200 Stitch Patterns in Words and Symbols Kindle Edition

I finished a masterwork king-size cable crochet bedspread for my husband's parents, thanks to this book.I love Melissa Leapman's take on working crochet stitches, but her section on post stitch patterns was a revelation. For one thing, most of her backgrounds are worked with half double crochet, which makes a huge difference in the result. I love the variety, I love the complexity, and I can really get into mixing and matching the different cables for each panel.She has graphs. This is a deal breaker for me -- no graphs, no purchase.The photographs are large enough to clearly see the details. Unfortunately, she did use some dark blues and purples in other chapters, which make it harder to "read" the crochet stitches.Section Two gives basic instructions on cluster stitches, bobbles, front and back loop stitches, and color changes. Post stitches are covered, including how to work the long cables when the cross each other, over and under the previous post stitch. Terms are in American style.I did not find information on the yarn or hook size used for her projects.I have other books that describe cable crochet, but this is my go-to for afghans.

MELISSA LEAPMAN’S INDISPENSABLE STITCH COLLECTION FOR CROCHETERS is a basic crochet stitch dictionary containing about 200 patterns grouped into six sections: (1) Simple Solid Patterns, (2) Shell and Fan Stitch Patterns, (3) Openwork and Lace Patterns, (4) Textured Patterns, (5) Colorwork Patterns, and (6) Edgings. For each pattern, there are written-out instructions, charted instructions, and a color photo showing a crocheted sample of the pattern.Because I’m a big Melissa Leapman fan, I was looking forward to this collection of her personal favorite crochet patterns. However, Melissa does NOT include any personal commentary on the individual patterns (e.g., why she likes the pattern, how or where she has used the pattern, etc.). In a brief introduction, Leapman states: “This collection includes 200 of my favorite crochet stitch patterns gathered from nearly thirty years designing for the yarn and fashion industry. Some patterns are long-standing favorites, such as Solid Shell Stitch on page 18; others, like the Saxon Braid Panel on page 99 are original to this collection.” As far as I can tell, Leapman does not otherwise indicate which patterns are old, and which are new.The book provides a good selection of stitches for new crocheters, and is a good standby reference for experienced crocheters, but it doesn’t go very far beyond the stitch collections generally found in how-to books on crocheting (e.g.,  A to Z of Crochet: The Ultimate Guide for the Beginner to Advanced Crocheter ). If you’re looking for a more complete crochet stitch dictionary, you might consider  The Complete Book of Crochet Stitch Designs: 500 Classic & Original Patterns ), and the other two titles in the Linda Schapper series.Because the book has only 200 patterns, and lacks commentary by the author regarding their selection for inclusion, I rate MELISSA LEAPMAN’S INDISPENSABLE STITCH COLLECTION FOR CROCHETERS at 4 stars ("I like it" on the official Amazon scale).

Update: other reviews mentioned edging stitches that I did not see. So I went through the book and counted the number of patterns. It was less than 150. There is an entire section of the book that is missing!This definitely has unique and interesting stitches. But since the photos can come before or after the written pattern, it can be hard to tell which pattern goes with what photo.And the photos aren't great on the kindle either. Even if you open and zoom, the detail isn't great.

This is an attractive book, full of common and uncommon stitches. I am disappointed, first, that 37 of the 200 stitches are edging stitches. If I'd wanted edging stitches, I would have bought a book on edgings. I would have much preferred 37 more body stitches because so many stitches I see in photos of projects online are not in this book. In addition, the book contains far too many shell stitches. Shell stitches can be lovely, but they can also be very old-fashioned, and today's crocheters have many more exciting techniques that make our projects so different from those we learned about from our grandmothers. I was hoping for more interesting techniques, particularly stitches that look like knitted stitches.

I downloaded several kindle versions of crochet stitch books. I read through this one first and found so many things I want to try. I totally understood the instructions and feel confident because this book is so clear and understandable. I looked through a second book after reading this one, and I was appalled at how bad it was, especially compared to this. So many beautiful patterns here to try, so glad I didn't read the other book first!

I am an advanced beginner/intermediate crocheted looking for reversible textured and colorwork patterns for decorative scarfs. While there are a small number that look interesting, most are either more advanced than I want or don’t look appealing. I found the stitches in the colorwork section especially unappealing, and the colors selected made it worse. My definition of reversible is that the pattern looks the same on both sides. That is not the author’s. Too often, a reversible pattern has one side that looks like the “back.” Finally, I think many patterns are intermediate or above.I bought this used at a very low price so I’ll keep it. At full price, I would return it.

Great (Crochet) book with lots of good crochet patterns and clear pictures. Very good postal service too.Thank you!

Excellent book. Very clear nd detailed.

Good book, decent charts, useful addition.

Awesome sums this up I think

Me ha encantado, mucho puntos diferentes explicados super bien, tanto escritos como con los gráficos, las imágenes se ven muy bien.