This week I sat down with Crochet Journey by the talented designer Mark Roseboom – aka The Guy with the Hook and today, I’ll be sharing with you my in-depth review of Crochet Journey.
We’ll talk about the resources available in the book for makers, as always I’ll share a sneak peek of some of the patterns you’ll find in the book and there’s a chance to win a copy of Crochet Journey as well. Keep reading to learn more about this new crochet pattern book and how you can enter to win a copy of the book for yourself.
This post may contain affiliate links which means that I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases made through these links at no cost to you.
Thanks to David & Charles Publishing for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
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Premise of the Book
Crochet Journey, in addition to its crochet patterns, contains short stories of the remarkable journeys Mark has taken around the world. The crochet creations in this book are inspired by the different cultures, places and experiences had during his travels. Mark has travelled to the most interesting places and I found reading his stories to be similar to sneaking a peek into someone’s personal diary, each story a cherished memory committed to paper.
Mark’s fascinating personal travel stories are definitely worth the read and can take you on your own mini global crochet adventure. He visits really unique destinations like New Zealand, Turkey, Indonesia, and Japan – just to name a few, and his travels always take him off the beaten path.
Patterns in Crochet Journey by Mark Roseboom
This 128-page book contains the patterns for 12 different crochet patterns inspired by locations visited by the author. These patterns are for various accessories and home decor items. The patterns are:
- Rivendell Shawl
- Santa Maria Maggiore Rug
- Kamakura Pin Cushion
- Nazar Mandala
- Fading Light Scarf
- Rituals Pouf
- Irish Shores Throw
- Portuguese Tiles
- Ketut’s Mandala
- Rainbow Subway Throw
- La Boca Shawl
- Templar Cross Table Runner
Check Out The Video Version of this Review:
The patterns in this unique book are written in US crochet terms. I could not find anything in the book in terms of a UK terms conversion chart so if you’re unfamiliar with US terms, you’ll have to do some googling to find a conversion chart to help you out.
Be sure to check out Mark’s Tips & Tricks on pages 6 -7 of this book. There you’ll find information that will help you to make the beautiful crochet items in this book.
I found the patterns themselves to be relatively clear and much easier to execute than they look. However, with that being said, this book would not be accessible to most beginner crocheters. This is definitely a book that is geared toward a maker with at least intermediate-level crochet experience.
Each pattern in the book includes the full pattern for the project as well as either a crochet stitch chart/diagram or a colourwork chart. Various different techniques are used throughout the book, some of my personal favourites being done using the mosaic crochet technique.
The projects use beautiful yarn and are full of colour and texture. My favourite project is one of the big projects in the book called the Rainbow Subway Blanket. I can’t resist a beautiful rainbow project but add cables to that and I’m done for.
Resources in the Book
In Crochet Journey, the author makes a note on page 7 indicating that they made the choice not to include stitch tutorials with the book. They recommend doing a google or youtube search to find a video tutorial should you need assistance with any of the techniques used in the book.
I found this to be really interesting as most publishers want their books to be entirely self-contained in order to provide a complete pattern support resource for the maker. This only solidified my belief that this book’s audience is experienced crocheters.
On page 9 you’ll find the stitch abbreviations with their coordinating crochet diagram symbols.
Other Book Reviews To Check Out Next
- Crochet You! by Nathalie Amiel
- Crocheted Bees, Bugs & Butterflies by Vanessa Mooncie
- Crochet Zodiac Dolls by Carla Mitrani
Tools and Materials Used in Crochet Journey
Below is a high-level outline of materials used throughout the book. The materials are listed with each pattern in the book:
- Crochet Hook Sizes: 1.75mm (4/0), 3.0mm (C2/D3), 4mm (G/6), 5.0mm (H), 5.5mm (I), 6.0mm (J/10)
- Scheepjes Whirl (acrylic / cotton yarn)
- Scheepjes Stone Washed/River Washed (acrylic / cotton yarn)
- Scheepjes Maxi Sweet Treat (mercerized cotton)
- Scheepjes Cahlista (cotton yarn)
- Scheepjes Merino Soft (superwash merino / microfiber / acrylic)
- Scheepjes Chunky Monkey (acrylic)
- Scheepjes Skies Heavy (cotton)
- Scheepjes Cotton 8 (cotton)
- Scheepjes Whirligig (alpaca / wool)
- Stitch Marker
- Fiberfill
- 8mm Button
- Large Metal Rings
- Pouf
- 16″ x 16″ Cushion
Overall, I really enjoyed reading Crochet Journey and Mark’s interesting travel stories that provide a lot of insight into the inspiration behind the beautiful designs in the book. I would recommend this title for intermediate to advanced-level crocheters that are familiar with all the basic crochet stitches or are willing to go searching online for additional support.
If you'd like to purchase a copy of Crochet Journey! by Mark Roseboom, it is available for purchase from Amazon.
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Crochet Journey Book Giveaway!
Thanks to David & Charles Publishing, I have one (1) copy of Crochet Journey by Mark Roseboom to giveaway!
This giveaway on The Loopy Lamb is open to worldwide participants (except where void by law and void in Quebec) and ends December 16, 2022 at 11:45pm Eastern Standard time. The winner will be chosen on December 19, 2022 and notified by email.
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 and Name option is mandatory – all other tasks are optional, for bonus entries only.
