Crochet One-skein Wonders

Crochet One-skein Wonders - In the world of knit and crochet, there are always crafters with one or two oddball skeins of yarn that go unused... they bought more than was needed for a project, found an adorable color in a sale bin they couldn't resist, etc.  And then there are the frugal crafters who love crafting, but hate the hefty price tag... decent soft yarn for the average women's sweater can cost anywhere from $30 to $120 and up, depending on the fiber content.  Sure, you could make a sweater out of the cheap

acrylic stuff at Walmart, but would you want to wear that squeaky, plastic-y stuff?  I wouldn't.  It feels like wearing recycled water bottles.

Enter the one-skein wonder series of books by Storey press.  The books have over 100 projects written for just one skein of yarn.  It's a very economical way to stay in touch with the craft you love; in the case of this book, it's crochet.

Unfortunately, the one-skein formula has its limitations.  The projects are all small... a scarf, a hat, baby booties.  This leads me to my second point against this book, the projects.  Since the projects have to be small to accomodate the one-skein formula, a lot of the projects are for small people.  My children are too old for infant sweaters and crocheted plush toys, and too young to be giving me grandchildren any time soon.  This means that at least fifty percent of this book is useless to me.

I rarely knit or crochet for neighbors, casual friends, or the needy in the community.  The charity crafting that I DO do usually has very strict guidelines as to the pattern of the item, and what kind of yarn it can be made from for reasons of consistency and durability and care.

The good points of this book are that first, it is very well organized by yarn weight... from thread on up to bulky.  So if you're sitting there with an oddball skein you'd like to use up, it's easy to see what your options are.  You don't necessarily have to match the exact yarn they used for the sample, although checking your gauge on garment items is always a good idea, as one company's worsted weight can vary greatly in thickness from another's.  Second, it has color pictures throughout, and where appropriate there is also a chart if the written instructions get confusing.

All in all, I give this book a three out of five stars.  While the concept is useful, their selection of items is not, for me.  Your usefulness may vary, however, so if you need a lot of last minute gifts and want to pare down your leftover yarns, this might be the way to go for you.