Review by Booklist Review
Leapman's name is well known among crocheters and knitters. Her 1,450-plus patterns appear in dozens of publications, and she's authored more than a handful of books and teaches in workshops and on needlework cruises. This book, in a two-part series with Essential Crochet Starter Stitches (2024), is a revamp of Melissa Leapman's Indispensable Stitch Collection for Crocheters (2016).The 100 or so stitches in Next Level Stitches build on the foundation built in Starter Stitches, covering textures, colorwork, and fancy edgings. Get ready for colorful names! Waffle and faux ribbing are probably the most common textures used by crocheters, while more adventurous needleworkers will try posy (which looks just as it sounds) and the trellis with popcorn panels. Among the highlights in Leapman's colorwork section are happy hearts, snazzy shells, and dancing Vs to challenge experienced crocheters. And though the edgings are not named, there's a wide range of choices, from straightforward picot to large bands of colorwork. Once again, Leapman's instructions are right on point, with clear color photographs of each swatch, along with both written and charted how-tos. Resources at the end mirror what she includes in the first book, with abbreviations, international crochet symbols, and crochet techniques for 37 illustrated stitches. For beginners as well as the experienced, with its companion book, this could well be the foundation of a design-it-yourself project and a major reference to consult again and again.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
