At last, a crochet book that takes into account all the left handed people out there!

The book begins with a short history of crochet and jumps right into the basic crochet terms and instructions for both right and left handed crocheters. The drawings are clear and the text is easy to follow. Someone who has never crocheted before can complete the projects shown in this book.

The instructions and the sequence of each project builds on the preceding one so unless you start in the middle of the book, you won't end up in deep water over your head!

If you already know how to crochet and start on a project in the middle of the book there is a "Review these Techniques" part for each pattern that can help you out. I really like the fact that the actual stitch or round instructions were printed in a shaded box separate from the other instructions for each project. This made it easier to find my place at a glance when I was working.

The last section of the book is devoted to bead crochet techniques. Personally, I wish this section was in the front of the book, before the projects start. There are valuable tips there that I wasn't aware of until later. Since I knew how to crochet, I wanted to jump right into a project. When I got to the "Review the Techniques" part of the pattern, most of the information was in the back portion of the book that I hadn't read yet. I learned. I put my hook away and read the bead crochet technique section! Things went much smoother after that. Lydia wanted to get to the "good part" of the book as soon as possible, just like I did. Aren't most of us like that?

Even if you know how to crochet, this book is a valuable tool for when you want to add beads to your pieces. The different sizes and shapes of beads and how they perform when crocheted are a whole different story than crocheting with just yarn. This book walks you through the possibilities of these differences and shows how to use them to your advantage.

This book is beautifully illustrated with clear color photos of each project. I would recommend it to beginner as well as advanced crocheters. My copy is already well thumbed and I've been crocheting for more than 25 years.