Table Of ContentCopyright © 2010 by Jean Leinhauser and Rita Weiss
All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Potter Craft, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House,
Inc., New York.
www.crownpublishing.com
www.pottercraft.com
POTTER CRAFT and colophon is a registered trademark of Random House, Inc.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Leinhauser, Jean.
Crochet master class : lessons and projects from today’s top
crocheters / Jean Leinhauser and Rita Weiss.
p. cm.
eISBN: 978-0-307-96552-3
1. Crocheting. I. Weiss, Rita. II. Title.
TT820.L439 2010
746.43′4—dc22 2010022301
Photography by Alexandra Grablewski,
Carol Wilson Mansfield, and Marshall Williams
Senior Technical Editor: Ellen W. Liberles
Editors: Mary Ann Frits, Susan Lowman, Kathy Wesley
Cover design by Susi Oberhelman
Front cover photograph by Carol Wilson
Photo of Cat Afghan from Afghans for All Reasons & All Seasons by
Jean Leinhauser and Rita Weiss, published by Leisure Arts,
is used here by special permission of the publisher.
v3.1
CONTENTS
Introduction
WOVEN CROCHET with Jenny King
HAIRPIN LACE with Jennifer Hansen
TAPESTRY CROCHET with Carol Ventura
ARAN CROCHET with Jane Snedden Peever
ENTRELAC CROCHET with Joyce Wyatt
FASHION CROCHET with Margaret Hubert
TUNISIAN CROCHET with Julia Bryant
FILET CROCHET with Hartmut Hass
DOUBLE-ENDED CROCHET with Darla J. Fanton
TASSELS with Nancy Nehring
BULLION STITCH with Bonnie Pierce
OVERLAY CROCHET with Melody MacDuffee
BEAD CROCHET with Lydia Borin
BRUGES CROCHET with Tatyana Mirer
PAINTED CROCHET with Ferosa Harold
FREE-FORM CROCHET with Prudence Mapstone
IRISH CROCHET with Máire Treanor
WIRE CROCHET with Nancie Wiseman
A Refresher Course in Crochet
Abbreviations, Symbols, and Terminology
Index
INTRODUCTION
hat if you could take a class with a master crocheter? Or finally learn how to do
W
tapestry crochet, Irish crochet, or free-form crochet from the very best
needleworkers around? What if you could stay in the comfort of your home and learn
these wonderful techniques from crocheters around the world? We’ve made that possible
in this collection featuring masters of crochet.
Between the two of us we have almost one hundred years of involvement in crochet.
And during that time we have always been fascinated by crocheters who could find new
uses for their hooks and yarn or thread, or who have resurrected an old skill and added
new twists to it.
We like to think of those innovative crocheters as real masters, and we’ve always
wanted to thank them for keeping crochet a vital, living craft. And because writing
books has been our livelihood for so many years, we decided to write a book that would
honor each of the masters and would make more people aware of these wonderful skills.
With so many talented crocheters we’ve known and read about, this was not to be an
easy job! First we drew up a list of the skills and the crocheters we wanted to honor.
There were old favorite techniques like filet crochet, for example, and the filet master
who immediately came to mind was a young man from East Germany who escaped and
made his home in California: Harmut Hass. Through his website and his many articles
and books, he has brought new interest in and developed new techniques that expand
the scope of filet crochet.
Some other techniques presented more of a challenge in finding a present-day
practitioner. For example, we loved the look of Bruges crochet, an imitation of the
famed Bruges tape laces, which we discovered in vintage pieces of crocheted table linens
in photos from years ago. We were afraid, however, that we would not be able to find
someone who was working in this craft today. So imagine our surprise when, a few
years ago at the Crochet Guild of America’s annual Chain Link conference fashion show,
we saw a model coming down the runway wearing a spectacular contemporary outfit
made of Bruges crochet! And, sitting in the audience quietly smiling was the creator of
that outfit, Tatyana Mirer. We had found our master!
We like to think of these
innovative crocheters as real
masters, and we’ve always wanted
to thank them for keeping crochet
a vital, living craft.
Then there were all the other crocheters who breathed new life into techniques such as
Irish crochet, overlay crochet, hairpin lace, and bullion stitch. Some of these crocheters
had discovered old, nearly forgotten techniques almost by accident and then became
fascinated by them. Their constant experimentation has resulted in fresh, innovative
pieces that keep the craft alive, well, and constantly moving forward.
Our purpose in this book is to showcase the work of these talented designers and then
let you try your hand at each skill with a project designed just for this book.
Our masters have indicated the skill level needed for each project, following the skill
level definitions developed by the Craft Yarn Council of America. A definition of these
skill levels appears at the end of the book. In addition, each project specifies which yarn
the master used and also gives you relevant information about the yarn so that you can
substitute a yarn of your choice if you wish. The weight of the yarn is indicated by a
yarn symbol, which is explained at the end of the book.
And, just in case you want to brush up some of your crochet skills, we’ve given you a
simple refresher course.
We invite you now to join us as we introduce you to some the world’s most talented
and interesting crocheters, who tell you how they got started and eventually focused on
refining a special skill, who explain their craft, enchant you with a mini-gallery of
photographs of their other crochet work, and who then provide you with a project that
will enable you to expand your own crochet experience.
Jean Leinhauser and Rita Weiss
