Crochet Illusion Blankets by Helen Smith In-Depth Review

Today we’re looking at the book Crochet Illusion Blankets: 15 patterns for optical illusion crochet blankets, afghans and throws by Helen Smith.  This is a collection of eye-catching crochet blankets and we’re going to be doing a deep-dive review into what’s included in the book, what skill level is needed and more.

Thanks to the publisher, David & Charles Publishing, I have a copy of this book to give away to one lucky winner.  Keep reading to find out more about this book and how you can enter to win.

Thanks to David & Charles for providing me with this book free of charge in exchange for my honest opinion. I do not guarantee a positive review of any product reviewed on my site.  All opinions shared here are my own. 

This post may contain affiliate links. This means that I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases made through these links at no extra cost to you.

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About the Author:

Helen Smith is a UK-based crochet designer who independently publishes patterns under her Emkat Crochet brand.  She started crocheting during the pandemic and has quickly found success publishing in magazines, subscription boxes and now, her first book.  Find her on Instagram @emkatcrochet.

Crochet Illusion Blankets Patterns:

There are 15 crochet blanket patterns in this book that all use the crochet intarsia technique. The names of the illusion blanket designs in this book are: 

I found the patterns to be relatively straight forward. However, they all lack the instruction for the maker to turn at the end of the row.  This isn’t a problem for experienced crocheters but it may leave some scratching their heads. Particularly if they skipped straight through to the patterns and didn’t bother with the resource section (which many do).

These geometric blankets use simple stitches and would be accessible to a beginner who is capable of changing yarn colors, following instructions and has patience when learning new techniques.

Blanket Sizes

These blankets don’t come in a variety of sizes – just the single size is offered and their measurements put them in between a lapgahn and smaller throws. They are all roughly different sized blankets the smallest being 44″L x 34″W and the largest being 50″ L x 40″W.  

The main reason for them being offered in a single sizes is because if you were to resize these blanket projects you would lose the optical illusion effect.  Adjusting the sized of the blankets could be done with a lot of work and new colorwork charts being needed. But then, you’d have a massive book that would cost a fortune to produce and buy.  If you’ve got the skills and are dead set on making it a different size, it’s up to you to work that out.

If you want an easier way to make large afghans from these patterns but want to retain the optical illusions of the different designs, you could use a heavier yarn weight and larger hook size.

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Check out the video version of this review & see a flip-through of the book!

Terminology

Crochet Illusion Blankets is written using US crochet terms.  Since only one main stitch (half double crochet) is used for all of the different blankets, there isn’t a need for a US to UK terms conversion table.  However, you can find a note on page 10 indicating the UK term for half double crochet.

Materials Used In The Crochet Illusion Blankets

All the patterns in this book use various shades of Scheepjes Truly Scrumptious aran-weight yarn ((50% recycled polyester, 50% acrylic), Aran/Worsted weight (4), 100g/3.5 oz / 108m/118yds)), and a 6.5mm (US K) crochet hook.  Besides yarn and hook, you’ll need your standard notions as well (yarn needle, scissors, etc).

Supports for Makers in Crochet Illusion Blankets

The main supports for makers are found at the front of the book on pages 6 – 15.  

If you’re new to crochet colorwork, start on page 8. Here the author explains intarsia crochet, the importance of colour combinations and changing colours.  

Intarsia Crochet

When doing Intarsia Crochet, you generally create separate balls of colour and don’t carry your yarn/crochet over unused colours (as in tapestry crochet).  The author shares some tips on page 11  for managing yarns. 

I love that in the materials section of each pattern, the author tells you how many balls of each colour they made and how big the balls were (in grams and ounces).  Keep in mind, however, that these are just guidelines based on the gauge given. If you’re not matching gauge, then don’t be surprised if your number of balls is different.

Adding that you should ideally have a yarn winder and kitchen scale to the materials list to achieve this would have been prudent.

A Note for Left-Handed Crocheters: The section of this book called “Reading a Chart” gives instructions solely for right-handed makers.  If you are reading an intarsia chart, you will read your chart from left to right – starting in the bottom left-hand corner on your first row and then right to left in the second.

Other Supports

At the back of the book, there is a General Techniques section that includes step-by-step instructions for basic stitches.  There’s also section called Finishing Off which includes finishing techniques like adding a border, tassels and pom poms to your blankets as a bonus.  

The term “join yarn” was used a few times in the book to reference different circumstances, including the border instructions. However, the book doesn’t have instructions for how to do that, nor does it clarify the differences in how do to so.

Based on the border instructions, I recommend using the HDC Join/Standing HDC technique found here to join your yarn.

If you're interested in buying a copy of Crochet Illusion Blankets, it is available here on Amazon.

Overall

Crochet Illusion Blankets is a beautiful book of intarsia crochet blanket patterns that are bold and eye-catching.  I’d recommend this book for experienced crocheters that are looking patterns for bold, modern blankets designs that don’t require them to be in multiple sizes.

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Crochet Illusion Blankets Book Giveaway

Thanks to David & Charles Publishing, I have a copy of Crochet Illusion Blankets by Helen Smith to giveaway!

This giveaway on The Loopy Lamb is open to worldwide participants (except where void by law and void in Quebec). Giveaway ends Friday, Juy 26, 2024, at 11:45pm Eastern Standard time.

To enter, use the King Sumo form below. If you are on mobile and have difficulty entering, please use a desktop computer to enter. Only the email address and name options are mandatory. All other tasks (like following social media platforms) are optional, for bonus entries only.

If the Kingsumo form isn’t working, click the link here to view the giveaway entry form.