30 of the best crochet books to buy

Whether you’re a crochet beginner or consider yourself a crochet pro, there’s a huge amount of crochet books available for every skill level! We take a look at some of the best crochet books available, and have separated them into 3 handy categories so that you can find the right book for you.

• Top 10 crochet books for beginners
• Top 10 crochet pattern books
• Top 10 crochet stitch books

Best crochet books for beginners

If you’ve never even picked up a hook before, only know one or two stitches, or just haven’t crocheted for years and need a refresher, then a crochet book is a perfect way to guide you through those tricky beginning stages. Here’s our selection of the top 10 crochet books for beginners

If you’re after a crochet book that not only gets you started, but also that comes in useful long after you’ve mastered the basics, then the Ultimate Crochet Bible by crochet legend Jane Crowfoot is a great choice!

Available from Amazon, ebay, John Lewis

With super-clear illustrations, and patterns to accompany each of the different techniques, How to Crochet by Emma Varnam is a fantastic book for learning as you go!

Available from Amazon, ebay, John Lewis, Waterstones

Nicki Trench is a crochet designer who has taught hundreds of people how to crochet and written many crochet books, so you know you’re in good hands with her Learn to Crochet book!

Available from Amazon, Waterstones, WHSmith

Dk books are well known for publishing fantastic guide books, and this complete step-by-step guide by Tracy Todhunter only strengthens that reputation, with everything you need to know to get started plus a whopping 80 patterns to make too!

Available from Amazon, ebay, Waterstones

Maybe you already know the crochet basics… but what about Tunisian crochet? Get to grips with this fun technique and put your new-found skills to use with 10 funky Tunisian crochet projects!

Available from Amazon, ebay, Waterstones, WHSmith

The Modern Crochet Bible by Sarah Shrimpton not only guides you through the basics with clear instructions and gorgeous photography, but also delves deeper and includes techniques such as colour-pooling and overlay crochet too, and includes 10 cutting edge crochet projects to make for you and your home.

Available from Amazon, ebay, Waterstones, WHSmith

We couldn’t possibly write this list without including this fab How to Crochet book produced by our very own Mollie Makes team! As well as taking you through the crochet basics, it also includes 15 fab and funky patterns, all in that gorgeous Mollie Makes style of course!

Available from Amazon, ebay, Waterstones, WHSmith

Perhaps one of the most popular books for beginner crocheters, The Happy Hooker is the perfect (and slightly cheeky) companion to take you from your first crochet stitch to making your first crochet garment. It is written in US terminology, but they do of course explain the differences in the book too!

Available from Amazon, ebay, Waterstones, WHSmith

The Crochet Workshop book by Erika Knight really is a beautiful book, with stunning photography and some really stylish projects to hook up, it’s definitely a book if you fancy some pretty crochet!

Available from Amazon, ebay, Waterstones, WHSmith

Crochet unravelled is a brilliant book for learning the basics with super-clear illustrations, but perhaps one of it’s biggest selling points is that it contains full illustrated instructions for BOTH left and right handed crocheters! Plus it also comes with 6 patterns to make too!

Available from Amazon, ebay, Waterstones 

Best crochet pattern books

Crochet books aren’t just for beginners, once you’ve mastered the basics there’s a huge array of crochet pattern books available for you to try. Here’s our pick of the top 10 crochet pattern books.

If you fancy creating some super-cute amigurumi characters, then Edwards Crochet Doll Emporium is a great book for you! This pattern book works like a flip book, where the different elements are separated (body/outfits/hairstyles), so you can mix and match the patterns to create a huge range of different dolls.

Available from Amazon, ebay, John Lewis, Waterstones

When it comes to crochet projects that you can really get stuck into, nothing beats a blanket project! This book by Amanda Perkins contains 10 main patterns for crochet throws and Afghans (another work for crochet blankets made up of motifs), plus instructions on colour variations to give you an additional 20 options. As well as using a range of different motifs blocks and shapes, it also includes instructions for all those tricky filler shapes you’ll need to join those motifs together.

Available from Amazon, ebay, John Lewis, Waterstones, WHSmith

Crochet has a strong connection with mindfulness – the repetitive nature of crochet stitches can help relieve stress as well as having many other positive factors. In this book by Emma Leith, you’ll find plenty of crochet projects for you and your home that are designed to help you relax and really get into your happy crochet place!

Available from Amazon, ebay, Waterstones, WHSmith

Whether you’re a plant obsessive, or can’t keep anything green alive, everyone can enjoy these fab crochet cactuses. These 16 fab patterns will add some lovely greenery to your home, and they’d also make brilliant gifts, but the best part is – no watering required!

Available from Amazon, ebay, Waterstones

Fancy giving your home a crochet makeover? Then this crochet home book by Emma Lamb is the one for you! From pretty flower-garlands, beautiful blankets, cool cushions and more, there’s plenty of projects to give your home that vintage crochet style!

Available from Amazon, ebay, Waterstones, WHSmith

If you think crochet is just for grannies, then this is the book that will definitely prove you wrong! Super-star designer Nicki Trench brings you 35 super-cool patterns that takes retro crochet style and gives it a modern twist. From crochet crop tops to an oversized hoodie, there’s something for every crocheter in this fab book.

Available from Amazon, ebay

If you’ve got loads of single skeins of yarn in your stash, it can sometimes be hard to know what to do with them. If this sounds like you, then this book is a must-have! With 101 projects to choose from, in handy sections arranged according to yarn weight, it’s the perfect stash-busting book!

Available from Amazon, ebay, Waterstones

This book by Melody Griffiths is a great all-rounder book for beginner and more experienced crocheters alike. With plenty of motif and block patterns, as well as projects to use them in, it’s a fab book for those who want to get creative with their shapes!

Available from Amazon, ebay, Waterstones, WHSmith

Here’s another fantastic book for those of you who love decking your home in crochet! The 35 patterns are separated into colour themes – bright and beautiful, warm and rich, and neutral and natural, so whatever your style you’ll find the perfect pattern for your home.

Available from Amazon, ebay, Waterstones, WHSmith

Best Crochet stitch books

There are so many different crochet stitches and shapes that you can make, so many that even the pro’s need a reminder from time to time. That’s where stitch guide crochet books come in handy, think of them as your ultimate reference book! Here’s our list of the top 10 crochet stitch books.

The Ultimate Crochet Stitch Bible is a great book for both beginners and pro’s alike. The book is split into three main sections – basic crochet stitches, motifs and shapes, and crochet edgings.

Available from Amazon, ebay, Waterstones

If you’re a fan of crochet motifs, then you simply must get your hands on this book! With 144 shapes that go way beyond the standard granny square, you’ll be hooking up a huge range of shapes in no time!

Available from Amazon, ebay, Waterstones, WHSmith

Granny square have been given a new twist in this fantastic 3D Granny Squares book! There’s 100 different designs including flowers, animals, food and drink, and motifs, so you can hook up a fab 3D blanket to celebrate your favourite subject.

Available from Amazon, ebay, Waterstones

If you’re after a crochet reference book to take your crochet skills to the next level, then this book by Jan Eaton covers everything you need to know! As well as stitch techniques this book will also help you to get the gips with the more complicated elements of crochet such as making yarn substitutions and adapting patterns for the perfect fit. There’s also some fun ‘Try it’ and ‘Fix it’ panels to help you practice new skills and fix common crochet mistakes.

Available from Amazon, ebay, Waterstones

Erika Knight is a household name in the crochet world, and this book shows off her expert knowledge with 250 stitches to choose from. As well as respecting the traditional crochet stitches, there’s also plenty of new stitches for crocheters to try too!

Available from Amazon, ebay

We do love a good granny square, there’s so many ways you can add style and character to a simple crochet square. This awesome crochet book is all about the squares, with 200 different designs to mix and match – your granny blankets are going to look stunning thanks to this book!

Available from Amazon, ebay, Waterstones

Crochet edgings can make or break your finished project, thankfully this Crochet Borders book covers everything you need to pick the perfect edging for your project. As well as guiding you through the maths of how to get your corner edgings perfect, it also covers how to add crochet edgings to different fibre materials such as knitting, fabric and felt.

Available from Amazon, ebay, Waterstones, WHSmith

You may have thought Tunisian Crochet was just a simple variant of crochet, but it’s a whole little craft in itself. If you fancy becoming a Tunisian crochet master, then this book is what you need to crack all of those stitches, and with 3 volumes of the book available, there’s enough Tunisian crochet stitches to keep you hooking for a lifetime!

Available from Amazon, ebay

You might have realised by now that we’re a little bit obsessed with Granny Squares, but after all it’s one area of crochet where the possibilities are endless! This awesome book by Margaret Hubert has 100 different squares for you to choose, from simple stylish ones to intricate lacy ones.

Available from Amazon, ebay, Waterstones, WHSmith

Finally we have a crochet book with a difference. There are plenty of stitch guide books available, but most of these only show you how to create a straight-edged piece of crochet. This book is different, each stitch includes 3 different ways on how to increase or decrease your stitches – without shaping, with shaping at the edges, and with internal shaping. This book is a must-have for crochet pro’s or for anyone that fancies trying their hand at designing crochet projects for themselves – definitely one of the best crochet books out there!

Available from Amazon, ebay, Waterstones, WHSmith