The Crocheter's Skill-Building Workshop

From choosing yarns, shapes, and styles to finishing off your project with flair, Dora Ohrenstein shows you how take your crocheted creations to the next level. This fun guide includes more than 70 stitch-along swatches that teach specific crochet techniques and five projects - a hat, shawl, neck warmer, bag, and scarf - that put your new skills to use. With a variety of stitch patterns and shaping types explained, you'll be inspired to build upon Ohrenstein's creations and develop your own sophisticated designs. 
Dora Ohrenstein is a leading crochet designer, author, and teacher. She is the author of Top-Down Crochet Sweaters and The Crocheter's Skill-Building Workshop, which is being hailed as a must-have resource by the crochet community. Ohrenstein's chic and innovative designs appear regularly in Interweave Crochet, Crochet!, Crochet World, Vogue Knitting Crochet, and many other print and online magazines. She is the co-editor of Crochet World's "Talking Crochet" column, and she has written for various other publications about crochet history, international traditions, and techniques.  Practical Lessons for Inspired Stitchers



Join the creative revolution in crochet!Dora Ohrenstein, a master of innovative crochet strategies, presents patterns for more than 75 swatches, each one designed to delve into the nitty-gritty of crochet. As you advance through the project lessons, you'll gain a solid understanding of counting stitches, changing tension, working in the round, and increasing and decreasing in complicated patterns. You'll hone your technical skills and gain the confidence to tackle sophisticated projects and reach new creative heights with your own designs. Preface



Part 1: Techniques



1. Choosing Yarns

      Yarn Sources

      Yarn Manufacturing

      Spinning and Twisting

      Yarn Weights

      Specialty Yarns

      Hand-Dyed Yarns

      Fabric and Drape



2. The Crochet Toolbox

      Hooks

      Other Tools



3. Controlling Tension

     Flexible Tension

     Working the Starting Chain

     Working Turning Chains

     Adjusting Stitch Height

     Hand Health



4. Fundamental Techniques

     Making a Slip Knot

     Basic Stitches

     Fastening Off

     Counting Stitches

     Working into the Starting Chain

     More About Turning Chain

     Alternatives to Standard Turning Chains

     Extended Stitches Can Solve Problems

     Joining and Changing Yarns

     Foundation Stitches

     13 Ways of Looking at Insertion Points

     Working Clusters

     Unraveling Work

     Unusual Stitches



5. Shaping and Construction in Crochet

    The Many Ways to Crochet Squares

    Mitered Corners

    Increasing and Decreasing

    Gauge Always Matters

    The Math: Starting with Something Simple



6. Crochet in the Round

     Starting the Circle

     Starting and Ending Rounds

     Shaping a Circle

     Working in a Spiral

     Stitch Patterns in Circular Work

     Crocheting Tubes



7. Advanced Shaping

     Shaping and Stitch Patterns

     Shaping with Half Pattern Repeats

     Shaping Ripples

     Internal Shaping

     Shaping in Columns

     Shaping Complex Lace

     Short Rows



8. Texture

     Puffs, Bobbles, and Popcorns

     Crossed Stitches

     Cabling, Techniques and Stitches

     Crochet Ribbing



9. Crochet in Color

     Carrying Colors along the Side

     Spike Stitches

     Complex Colorwork

     Tapestry Crochet



10. Finishing Techniques

       Weaving in Ends

       Crochet Seams

       Edging

       Blocking

       Care of Crochet



Part 2: Projects

      Slouchy Hat

      Marguerite Cow