Do you LOVE crocheting lace? And would you enjoy having a brand new collection of 50 stylish crochet patterns for making clothing, accessories, blankets and home decor items that incorporate bunches of different lace stitches — as well as some solid and textured crochet stitches, too? How about if the collection incorporated a range of yarn weights from lace weight on up through super bulky? With some solid-colored patterns, plus a few that are vividly colorful and bohemian? If you’d find it appealing to be able to access such a delightful variety of patterns by only buying ONE new pattern book, please allow me to introduce you to Carefree Crochet: 50 Soft, Fashionable Projects That Make You Feel Good. The patterns in this book range from casual to dressy, from beachwear to evening wear, with the vast majority of the patterns being casual looks. Quite a few of these designs could be dressed up OR down, so you could potentially get a whole lot of wear out of them.
What You Need to Know About This Crochet Pattern Book:
Author: May Britt Bjella Zamori
Publisher: Trafalgar Square Books
Copyright Date: This book was originally published in Norwegian. I am reviewing the English translation of the book, which has a copyright date of 2018.
ISBN 13: 978-1-57076-888-0
Book Format: Hardcover without dust jacket
The Focus of This Book:
The projects in this book all have one in common: they feature a carefree, fun-loving style that you’ll be delighted to either wear or decorate with, depending on the project.
Crochet Projects Included in This Book:
The majority of the projects in the book are wearable: fancy lace tops, cute sweaters, long jackets, lacy scarves, warm mittens, stylish hats and practical handbags. There are projects for all seasons. The summertime wear includes a beach-friendly bikini and a coordinating shawl you can use as a cover-up. There’s also a lacy jacket that would work as either a beach cover-up or a fabulous little something to throw on overtop of your sundresses or tops.
The book also includes patterns for multiple on-trend pillows and a couple of fabulous blankets.
Here are some highlights:
Colorful Crochet Blanket and Pillow
This bohemian blanket and pillow are simply spectacular. They look like they’d be intriguing crochet projects.
Bikini
If you’ve been looking for an outstanding crochet bikini pattern, you can end your search right now — you just found it. This is just drop-dead AMAZING. The stitch pattern is a colorful chevron that is slightly retro, yet totally up-to-date right now. The bottoms are fitted shorts. Wearable bikini patterns are in short supply, so if you want one, definitely grab this!
Fringed Crochet Bag
This bag sort of resembles macrame — a craft which is making a huge comeback in fashion and home decor right now. But, it isn’t macrame — it’s definitely crocheted. You can crochet the strap (instructions are included) or attach a leather strap if you prefer.
Gray Cardigan
I’ll die of surprise if most of you reading this don’t want to drop what you’re doing, pick up a crochet hook and get to work making this sweater now. It has all the makings of a popular pattern:
- The finished sweater looks amazingly cozy, warm and wearable.
- Considering the great big super bulky yarn and the gigantic size M/N hook, it looks like this will be a relatively quick project (at least, quick as far as sweaters go — ya can’t expect instant gratification when you’re making a sweater, of course).
- The broad range of sizes makes this design accessible to many crocheters; it’s sized from XS (33″) to XXL (51 1/4″). The pattern is graded for 5 sizes all together.
- The stitch patterns used to crochet this sweater are SUPER EASY! The overall skill level rating of the pattern is “intermediate”, but it looks to me like that is because of the shaping. You DO want shaping with a sweater this bulky and long — without shaping, it would look like you’re wrapped in a blanket rather than wearing a sweater. But don’t be afraid of the shaping in this pattern; there is nothing overly complicated going on here.
Blue Crochet Hat and Wrist Warmers Set
Blue Crochet Jacket Pattern
White Poncho
The suggested yarn for the main color of this poncho is a luxurious lace weight mohair / silk blend that looks absolutely dreamy! The stylist in the book paired the poncho with jeans; but if I were going to make this, I would likely wear it with party dresses. It is a gorgeous, sophisticated and exceptionally wearable piece — just beautiful!
Orange Top
One of my favorite patterns in the book is this brilliant multicolored lace top. It has a hippie, bohemian look. The stylist shows it paired with simple denim shorts, demonstrating that it can be successfully dressed down. I think it would also look fantastic paired with a maxi skirt, an asymmetrical skirt, a pair of khakis or maybe even a dramatic pair of 1970s style bell bottoms. Looks to me like it would be more than worth the time and the yarn.
Blue Top
The style of this blue top is similar to the orange top I wrote about above — but the colors are more soothing to the eye. If the bright orange colorway isn’t your thing, this design might be more to your liking. I want to make them both!
These are just a few of the projects from the book that stand out to me as being wonderful — but there are bunches more projects in the book I’d really want to make. The scarf on the cover, for example — wow! LOVE IT!
The Best Things About This Book
The patterns in this book are all either super stylish or totally classic.
I get bunches of reader requests for long cardigan patterns. If you’re interested in crocheting a long cardigan, you absolutely NEED this book! There are 11 long cardigan patterns included, some of which are appropriate for fall and winter, and some of which are more suitable for wearing on chilly spring or summer evenings (or perhaps as beach cover-ups).
This book has an astounding number of patterns in it compared to competing pattern books that are available in the same price range. There are 50!!! projects in this book; most comparable pattern books of the same length and price feature a total of 20 – 25 projects. So, when you buy this book, you’re getting a truly spectacular value for the money you spend.
The author of this book has made it easy to make yarn substitutions. She has included the information about the exact yarns she used in the project, plus specified the yardages and weights needed, PLUS included the Craft Yarn Council’s yarn weight standard for the suggested yarn, PLUS in some (but not all) cases she has suggested alternate yarns that would work well in the projects. A big thumbs up to having access to all that information!
The book includes symbol crochet charts, written-out text instructions and full-color photographs of the completed projects.
The sturdy hardcover format seems like it will stand up to repeated wear and use. I plan to use the heck out of my copy, so I’ll report back if it turns out I am wrong about that.
The design of the book, the format and the presentation are user friendly. The fonts are readable and classic. While there are some trendier projects included that are likely to go outdated in time, overall, the book’s design and contents are timeless. I’m predicting that you’ll still be delighted to work from Carefree Crochet 15 or even 20 years from now.
Other Observations About This Book
International symbol crochet charts are included for some, but not all of the patterns. The colorful blanket and pillow (pictured above) do not include symbol crochet charts, for example.
A few of the garments in this book, particularly the shorter-length sweaters, are a bit on the boxy side.
The book includes the basic reference information you need to make these projects including yarn information and a list of abbreviations. However, there are no in-depth stitch tutorials included in the book. But no worries – if you’re new to crochet, or you need a refresher on your stitches, we’ve got you covered with our beginner’s guide to crochet. You might also want to check out our list of the best crochet books for beginners.
Conclusion
I’m thrilled to recommend this book to other crochet enthusiasts, particularly crocheters who are in need of lacy women’s clothing and accessory patterns. Carefree Crochet is also a fantastic buy for crafters who need home décor patterns and perhaps even for crafters who enjoy armchair travel – because, along with the project photos, you get little glimpses at the Norwegian landscape in the background.
I think this book is an excellent value for its cover price. If you’re in need of new womenswear crochet patterns, accessory patterns or home decor patterns, this is a book you’re quite likely to enjoy.
Where to Buy This Book:
- Click here to shop for this book at Amazon.com.
- Click here to shop for this book at the Publisher’s website.
Similar Crochet Books and Related Resources
This book is included on a few of our best-of lists, including our list of of best crochet womenswear patterns and our list of best crochet sweater patterns.
Learn More About Crochet:
- Click here to find our picks for the best crochet books.
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- Click here to learn more crochet techniques.
- Click HERE to Find Fabulous Yarn for Crochet and Knitting
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- Click here to find my favorite crochet project bag.
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Page last updated on 6-7-2021. Thanks for visiting!