The Color Book of Felted Crochet by Amy O'Neill Houck and Stina Ramos

So being that my head has been in the sand for a few months (and will continue to be, don't get me wrong), I totally missed the release of this fabulous new book. I gotta say, I haven't been too thrilled with some of the stuff that's been coming out recently - too much same old crap, to be honest. And I got tired of hearing myself complain about uninspired design, poor color choices, lousy fit ... well, I've made no secret of my displeasure with the state of crochet design in general. So I haven't been doing any reviews here. Who needs to hear me whine on and on?

So imagine my surprise when I came across this book recently. The designs are fresh, pretty, wearable, and clever. For instance...

This bag is gorgeous! I love how it pushes design out just a bit further to make an interesting texture, blending crochet elements with a simple weaving technique for a bag that really stands out.

These legwarmers are worked in tunisian crochet, a wonderful and still-not-fully-exploited technique that gives great drape and beautiful fabrics.
There are over 25 projects in this book - several of which you'll be seeing some state of progress on this site. Amy and Stina did a fabulous job with "Felted Crochet." This is one new crochet tome that has this hooker's seal of approval!