Embroidered Crochet

If you're keen on yarn crafts while not at your embroidery hoop, here's a way to combine the two disciplines. Double crochet is perfect for stitching on using either crochet yarn or stranded cotton. The results are textured, raised designs which contrast beautifully with the soft crochet base. The book includes all the basic info you need, with 10 projects to try. Embroiderers will find this handy book for exploring a new material to decorate with your stitching.

* Stitch Magazine, Feb/Mar 2023 *

Crochet fabric made using double crochet creates a firm, dense base for surface stitching, enabling you to embellish home accessories with striking designs that still have the tactile quality of crochet.

Anna provides a basic introduction to the materials, tools and techniques you'll need for both crochet and embroidery, before launching into the fun part – ten gorgeous projects to make. Each project starts with the crochet pattern, and is followed by detailed instructions for the embroidery design, including a transfer or chart. Transfers can simply be cut out and ironed on to your crochet, just as you would for embroidery on fabric.

There are so many must-make projects in this book. From a practical shopping bag hooked in a super-chunky yarn with chevron stripes worked on top in equally chunky embroidery, the the whimsical Wild Garden Pillow Set embellished with delicate floral motifs and finished with corner pompoms. Decorations include the Wildflower Wall Hanging and the Woodland Pennant Garland featuring on-trend toadstools and forest creatures in cross-stitch crochet, and a Roses Basket Set adorned with blooms that could be used for everything from yarn storage to plants.

Embroidered Crochet is an exquisite collection of projects that will bring an exciting new dimension to your crochet.

* Inside Crochet, Issue 155 *

All ten projects have a dense, firm double crochet pattern and detailed instructions on how to embroider. There are matching iron-on transfers or harts, so you can start embroidering straight away.

* Machine Knitting Monthly, April 2023 *

To mix crochet with embroidery is an exciting opportunity to combine two of my favourite crafts and this book is beautifully set out with enough detail for even a beginner to give it a go. It will be interesting to see how easy it is to use the full size iron-transfers, but given there are step-by-step instructions and advice also on how to use them with a heat-transfer pencil if desired, the author has thought of everything. The modern projects within the book offer an opportunity to create a beautiful project that also has a function. I feel this is another successful collaboration between publisher and author.

-- Helen Todd * Customer Review *

We will have encountered crochet in its many forms at some point; imagine your favourite granny, with her crochet blanket adorning her knee. Or in my case, my surrogate grandmother, with her solo pristine house which was home to a whole array of varieties … a waistcoat, a cushion cover, an armchair rest cover …yet if I am honest, I looked at the medium coldly, with a definite visual image of what crochet was. My definition? Squares all finally attached together, each made separate.  Either in one colour or if the artist was feeling fancy, a contrasting tone edge. Ta da, final. Are you with me? If so, then maybe you, like I, will be surprised to discover that there is a depth to this method … your crochet creations do not have to stop at bland beautiful squares … why not decorate them with another textile art method: embroidery!

Who is Anna Nikipirowicz? A crochet and knitwear designer, her patterns and tutorials span many a webpage. Inspired by her family, namely her mother and sister, her creative background has developed within her the ability to emerge as an artist herself. She is a Rowan design consultant, so we know our progressive learning is in good hands!

This book has been written with a wealth of abilities in mind. Discover the basic steps of crochet, before you eventually tackle the bigger picture, making your own crochet projects which have been finished with an object or scene in embroidery.

Within Embroidered Crochet, all the patterns have been included for the projects and you will come across everything from meadows to birds and nature. The colours of the projects are all subtle yet not bland; they are tasteful, not gaudy to overly bold or brash.

Imagery throughout documents every step and comes across as very aesthetically pleasing.

Project themes cover the usual blankets, with more unusual ideas, for example bunting and basket making.

So if you are after a niche gift for someone you know well, or would like to add a 3D element, or an added flourish to your own crochet creations, this is a book which I observe to be a key player.

-- Ailish Henderson * www.ailishhenderson.com *

Have you ever tried double crochet? This gorgeous practice forms a dense, firm base that is perfect for stitching on using crochet yarn or cotton. This intriguing title introduces the best materials, tools and techniques to use, before delving into a medley of pretty projects. Say hello to a meadow-themed tapestry, a rose emblazoned basket set, and a granny square blanket adorned with woodland birds.

* Sew Magazine, ISSUE 175, May 2023 *

Which came first: the crochet or the embroidery? In this case, embroidery trumps its companion, since every one of the 10 projects is defined by the stitches on its top. Prolific blogger and author Nikipirowicz (Crocheted Wreaths for the Home, 2020) has created nature-inspired home and hearth objects that fit into any décor, from a wildflower wall hanging and mushroom bunting to vegetable coasters and a birds and trees blanket. While the background for each pattern is a beginner’s joy of single crochet all the way (double crochet to those in the UK), the stitching on top takes fanciful needlework to portray—fairly realistically—items like roses and mushrooms. Straightforward directions include excellent color photographs, and it's an unusual treat that Nikipirowicz includes both the yarns she used and generic options, which will be important for U.S. stitchers who can't access brands only available abroad. Upfront sections on blocking projects, 11 embroidery stitches, and finishing are comprehensive and easy to follow. The only missing ingredient? Design templates are a bit tiny and not easy to duplicate. 

-- Barbara Ja