Making with Meaning Crochet Book Review

Making with Meaning: More than 20 Meditative and Creative Crochet Projects is a brand new book release from influencer, blogger and designer Jessica Carey of The Hook Nook. Making with Meaning releases today, October 6, 2020 and I’m excited to be able to share this review with you on the day of its release.

Thanks to Abrams Books for sending me this book to review. This book was sent to me free of charge in exchange for my honest review.

Pin it for later Save

The book begins with an intro from Jessica discussing her motivations behind the creation of Making with Meaning and it’s patterns. It talks about meditation and using meditation while creating these patterns to focus on different aspects of life to create a sense of peace and well-being. It takes the concept of crafting as therapy and creates a kind of guided meditation process throughout the book.

The book is broken down into sections to guide you through meditation for those projects. Those sections are:

• Gratefulness & Motivation,
• Perspective & Mindfulness,
• Intention,
• Love and,
• Acceptance & Foregiveness.

Watch the video version of my review of Making with Meaning here:

At the beginning of each section is a section which discusses what that concept means and how meditation on these concepts can create a better understanding of ourselves, our motivations and create a space for personal growth. Each section has a challenge aimed to help push you out of your comfort zone.

As stated in its title, Making with Meaning contains more than 20 different crochet patterns. Those patterns include:

• Cowls,
• Blankets,
• Small amiguurmi toys,
• Dish cloths,
• Scarves,
• Hats,
• Garments,
• A Bag,
• A Basket,
• A Table Runner,
• A Shawl and,
• A Headwrap.

The patterns in the book are simple and accessible to most beginners. The patterns all have simple 2 to 5 row repeats meant to be repeatetive to allow your muscle memory to take over and allow yourself the mental space to focus on your thoughts and to create with intention – focusing on the recipient or the guided meditation for that section.

There is a brief reference section at the beginning of the book walking you through the basic stitches utilized in Making with Meaning. Because garments are included in the book, I expected to see a resource regarding blocking or measuring gauge but those are not included. As stated above, the patterns are accessible to most beginners however, lacking those resources may lead to some frustration for beginners attempting to utilize this book to create the garments and end up with a tent or a shrug instead of the beautiful pictured cardigan in the book.

As expected, there are plenty of gorgeous photos of Jessica in the book, wearing or using the projects in Making with Meaning. There are also lots of additional photos to accompany patterns that seem to be work in progress photos. Most of the additional images appear to be for astethetic purposes and not necessarily a complimentary image to walk you through the process although there are some that do.

Overall Making with Meaning was an interesting read with a neat concept. I like the idea of creating with intention and using that crafting time as double purpose to create personal growth. I’d recommend this book for makers that are looking specifically for that guided meditation and Jessica’s perspective on how to do that. If you’re a beginner considering this book, I’d recommend having all the basics nailed down and knowledge of how to match gauge and ideally, how to block before attempting the garment patterns to avoid potential disappointment. If you’re looking for a series of crochet patterns that have simple row repeats that you can do while taking a mental break or have that added component of giving your projects more personal meaning then Making with Meaning may be for you.

If you want to purchase a copy of Making with Meaning by Jessica Carey, you can check it out HERE.

Find Jessica Carey & The Hook Nook on Instagram HERE.

If you enjoy crochet pattern books, you can check out some more of my crochet book reviews on my blog:

• Waterfall Crochet Granny Squares
• Crochet Cafe by Lauren Espy
• Crocheted Wreaths for the Home by Anne Nikipirowicz
• 3D Granny Squares
• You can find all my crochet book reviews HERE.