Crochet in Black and White (book review)

I’ve had the opportunity to review a copy of Crochet in Black-and-White and am finding it refreshingly wonderful! I love the concept; as much as I love brightly colored crochet, there is something utterly fabulous about two-tone black-and-white designs. I love the projects, especially the inclusion of a few crochet art pieces for the home, which is not something that I see often enough in crochet books. And I love the design of the pieces, which use simple stitches in smart ways to really showcase the graphic appeal of black-and-white work.

Beauty of Black and White Crochet

I am actually currently working on a large black and white granny square crochet blanket that I started years ago and never finished it. I brought it out again, inspired by this book to remember the striking quality of these two colors combined together in the texture of crochet. I had always planned to display it as wall art in my bedroom, which has black and white curtains and black furniture.

The 30+ crochet patterns in this book work with the black and white color combination in many creative ways. Several pieces are primarily one color with details in the other color. However, some pieces are equal parts black and white, invoking nostalgic designs with checkerboards and striping. Motifs we are used to seeing in black and white also make an appearance, including music notes on pillows. One design uses a black-and-white variegated wool yarn for an entire bag. The options for using the colors are creative and sometimes new but the beauty evokes a great mod style that is also highly contemporary.

Detailed Crochet Design

The details really make the difference in design, upping the ante on a piece from same-old style to something-new. There are so many great new details in this book. For example, there is a black and white iPhone cozy that uses 2-3 buttons as not only a decorative detail but also as smart closure for the cloth case. A crochet wave pattern is repeated on baskets, a bag and even a lampshade, always using a different ratio of black-to-white lines to showcase different effects for the same stitch pattern; this is also a great way to create sets that aren’t too matchy-matchy, as exemplified by the baskets.

Patterns for Crochet Art

My favorite part of this crochet book is that mixed in with the patterns for accessories and home decor are a few crochet art pieces. I love using crochet as art, and it saddens me that many crocheters don’t consider themselves to be artists. Working with crochet art patterns, like the skyline mural and decorative wall art squares from this book, can encourage crafters to start exploring the artistic side of their handmade skills.

Crochet Book Design

This book itself has a smart design, with some of the pages written in white text on a black background to enhance the overall theme of the book. Each crochet pattern has written instructions; many also have graphs at the back of the book which are great for working these patterns in filet crochet, pixelghans, etc. There are also symbol charts for some of the patterns. The book offers basic crochet stitch instructions for those who need a refresher.

About the Crochet Book Authors

This crochet book was co-authored by Constanze Diehl-Hupfer and Magdalena Melzer. They are both German crochet designers; this book was originally published in German and has been translated into English by Trafalgar Square Books. Magdalena also co-authored Crocheted Scoodies.