200 Crochet Blocks by Jan Eaton (2004, Paperback)

What an inspiration! This book is full of wonderful color and pattern combinations. Eaton's ideas are beyond the normal grannies, they're works of art that anyone would be proud to own or give. I'm purchasing one for my sister all my friends. I highly recommend this book.

This book is an invaluable resource to the crocheter interested in more than just patterns. Jan Eaton provides resources for hook sizing, blocking, arranging squares creatively to make simple patterns appear complex, and even teaches about creating successful color schemes and moods. She treats crochet as art.

There are more than 200 squares featured in the book, but many of them are repeats of the same pattern shown in three different color schemes, so the number in the title is a slight misnomer. Still, she grades the skill level of each square accurately, and gives the reader ideas on how to pair each pattern with other patterns in similar color schemes to make clever designs. There is an excellent guide to choosing yarns and many other helpful features.

And anyone who, like me, enjoys crocheting for charity, will find thematically creative ideas on how to piece together afghans or individual squares that are age appropriate.

I decided to buy the book because it had so many different patterns. I was not disappointed. I like to book because it gives me ideas. I don't have a great imagination, especially for colors and designing patterns and this book had it all. There was nothing I did not like about the book.

Tons of beautiful designs, you will never run out of ideas with this book. True, there are some errors, but if you check with the publisher they list corrections on the internet.