“Light-Reflecting Fashions” – Book Review
I have received a sample copy of this book for review from Leisure Arts. I am not financially compensated for my blog post and am under no obligation to give a favorable review. Any conclusions and statements about the book are my own. If you do choose to purchase the book, I receive a small commission (at no extra cost to you), and you are helping support Goddess Crochet, allowing me to create more free crochet patterns for you. It’s a win-win!
“Light-Reflecting Fashions” – Book Review
“Light-Reflecting Fashions” is an easy-to-follow crochet pattern book that has something for everyone in the family, including your furry friends! Patterns within the 48 page book include “Cowl”, “Striped Scarf”, “Slouchy Cap”, “Hooded Scarf”, “Hand Mitts”, “Kid’s Slouchy Beanie”, “Kerchief”, “Halloween Tote”, “Wrist Band and Sweat Band”, “Hair Scrunchie”, “Curclicue”, Key Chain Bracelet”, “Dog Sweater”, and “Dog Collar Cover”. The book itself is a small size, perfect for fitting in your on-the-go project bag.
Crochet patterns range from beginner to easy, though personally I would rate the “Halloween Tote” and the “Dog Sweater” an advanced easy. They aren’t quite intermediate, but challenging enough to be a fun project for an advanced crocheter. Most patterns call for a size “J” crochet hook, the exception being the dog sweater (size “K”) , as well as the “Halloween Tote”, which calls for holding four strands together! You’ll need to move up to a size “P/Q” hook for that bag.
The “Halloween Tote” appealed immediately to me, since it is so fun and festive! As I said earlier, the pattern calls for four strands of yarn held together. This can be a bit tricky, crocheting while keeping the yarn balls from getting tangled up, but there is something you can do to help yourself before getting started. If you have a ball winder, definitely use it to make center pull cakes! Then you won’t have rogue skeins flopping around on the floor, getting all intertwined and such. If you don’t have a ball winder, you can place the skeins in their own loosely tied plastic bags. They’ll be less likely to tangle, and, you’ll keep them safe from picking up “floor debris”, like pet hair, or the crumbs of your toddler’s afternoon snack.
Here’s an in progress picture of the bag in progress, skeins and all!
The “Halloween Tote” pattern calls for 8 skeins of orange and 4 skeins of black. Perhaps I have tight tension, but I ended up using exactly half of that! So…if money is tight and you can’t manage 8 skeins, you might be able to pull it off with 4.
On a trip to the local craft store I spotted a pack of fuzzy spiders with little alligator clips attached to them, and they were the perfect size. Yay! If you plan on using the plastic spiders, may I recommend an adhesive called “Fabri-tac”. You should be able to find it in your craft store. It works wonders for adhering things to yarn, and you won’t have to use a hot glue gun.
This “Halloween Tote” works up very fast, I was done with the crocheting portion in about an hour. Weaving on the web takes some patience, and took me about as much time as the crocheting part. It was SO worth it though, the bag came out amazing! Even with attaching the spiders, this is something you could totally make in one evening.
If you have some Red Heart Reflective yarn in your stash (or you’d like to) and you’re not sure what to make with it, “Light Reflecting Fashions” is full of great ideas for all skill levels. It is available in paperback and in eBook format, so you can literally have the patterns right now! Instant gratification!
Have you made any of the patterns in this book and want to share? I’d love to hear about it, and see pictures! Comment below or connect with me on Facebook, Twitter, or Ravelry.
Happy hooking!
