Every Tuesday during National Crochet Month 2013, I’ll be reviewing crochet books.  Today’s post features  a giveaway of my review copy of Short Row Tunisian Fashion by Kim Guzman, courtesy of Leisure Arts.

This post contains affiliate links.

Short Row Tunisian Fashion is one of Kim Guzman‘s latest contributions to the Tunisian crochet world.  (You can read more about Kim’s inspiration for this book in this interview I posted with her back in January.)  I recently received a review copy from Leisure Arts, and though I loved it, I plan to offer it as a giveaway at the end of this review and buy my own copy.  (Yep, it’s that awesome.  Plus, I want to support all of the work Kim has done to advance Tunisian crochet in the crochet community!)

Short Row Tunisian Fashion is a pattern booklet featuring six Tunisian crochet women’s wearables shaped with short rows.  Ravelry members can see all six projects on the booklet’s source page here.  Since this is a booklet by Kim Guzman, who is also a wonderful and dedicated teacher, Short Row Tunisian Fashion is also chock full of information about Tunisian crochet and Tunisian short rows.

The booklet opens with an introduction to two different techniques for making Tunisian short rows including both text and step-by-step pictures.  In addition, Leisure Arts is  hosting instructional videos for the booklet on their website, and an icon of a video camera indicates when a video is available.  The booklet then includes six patterns, along with reminders to view up to 11 short videos that will help the reader with the pattern and process.  (Many of the videos are repeated, but the video page on the website re-links them in order under each pattern so you don’t have to do any searching.)

My two favorite patterns are the Puff Sleeve Cardigan (pictured above), which, gasp!, actually makes me want to crochet a garment for myself and the Sapphire Wrap, which features Tunisian crochet pineapples.  (Yep, you read that right.  You can find out more in this blog post Kim wrote.)

Like most pattern booklets, this one lays flat so you can crochet and read at the same time.  Instructions for different sizes are color coded to make it easier to follow along with the pattern.  The booklet only includes written pattern abbreviations, not stitch symbols.  The only other downside I can see to this booklet is that it is too short – you will definitely want to make more things with Tunisian short rows after reading it :).  As with most pattern booklets, if the designs are not your style, you may not get as much from the book as other crocheters.

I give this booklet 5 out of 5 stars for Tunisian crochet junkies and 4 out of 5 for crocheters who haven’t yet discovered the wonders of Tunisian crochet.

Full disclosure: A free review copy of this book was provided by the publisher. Although I accept free books for review, I do not accept additional compensation from the publisher, nor do I guarantee a positive review.  My reviews are based entirely on my honest opinions. This also post contains affiliate links. You can read my affiliate and review disclosures here.

Giveaway

As I mentioned earlier, I’m hosting a giveaway for my review copy of Short Row Tunisian Fashion by Kim Guzman, courtesy of Leisure Arts.

This giveaway is open to all readers.  Enter by 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on Sunday, March 17, 2013.