It’s time for some good news, some news that I’ve been waiting to tell you for a very long time.  And now that (I noticed that) it’s already been made public in the form of officially being listed on Amazon.com with a cover photo and everything, I wanted to let you know that I wrote a crochet book!! It won’t be coming out until August 11, 2009, but here’s your invitation to start your crochet engines.

The book is called Crochet Adorned: Reinvent Your Wardrobe with Crocheted Accents, Embellishments, and Trims, and is being published by Potter Craft , who have been absolutely wonderful to work with. The book contains 20 sweet and simple projects that focus on embellishing your wardrobe– the idea being that you can either revamp an old item or start with an inexpensive tee, tote, skirt, etc from the store.  I can’t describe the concept better than Debbie Stoller so graciously did upon reviewing an advance copy: “Appearing in the form of subtle rick-rack on a plain t-shirt, a cute scalloped edging on a coat, a butterfly on an apron, or colorful flowers on a simple cardigan, crochet is here applied like icing on a cake, improving everything it touches.”

The book features over 100 different trims, motifs and stitch patterns, and includes a stitch dictionary so that you can mix and match the crocheted accents with the suggested projects in any way you desire. I really had fun designing the projects and can assure you that there are some super-simple ideas for garments included, along with more complex projects. I also snuck some sewing in there if you’re so inclined. Even if  you don’t plan to follow the patterns to a T, my hope is that the book will fill you with inspiration. You might have noticed that I’ve only recently found the patience to crochet an entire sweater, so these projects are perfect for those of you who like instant (or close to instant) gratification. I just love all of the crochet I’ve seen popping up in fashion but I always felt like I could make things better (and with nicer yarns) than the versions in the department store. And now you can, too!

As I mentioned, Crochet Adorned is available for pre-order on Amazon.com, or you can wait to run out and buy it in August. I’m looking forward to sharing more when the book hits the shelves, and hopefully having a little fun with book events, too! Of course, that’s all months away, but I wanted to make sure you heard it here first.