The BEST Books for Crochet Stitches + Knitting & Crochet Patterns

1. 500 Crochet Stitches: The Ultimate Crochet Stitch Bible

2. 750 Knitting Stitches: The Ultimate Knit Stitch Bible

With knitting and crochet books, I think it’s best to learn as many stitches as you can. For me, designing patterns usually starts with picking a stitch pattern that I love and working from there. These two books are the same thing, one is crochet and the other is knitting, but both have beautiful stitches.

The stitches are explained through written directions and charts/diagrams so it makes the stitches really easy to learn. I did a full review of the 500 Crochet stitches here if you want to see more about that. I’ve also used these to learn the Star Stitch and Trinity Stitch, which are currently my favorite textures.

Related: 500 Crochet Stitches Book Review

3. Every Which Way Crochet Borders: 139 Patterns for Customized Edgings

This is a really fun book with ideas for finishing your items with a fun border. It’s written by Edie Eckman who also teaches a course on Craftsy about fixing crochet mistakes. I loved her style of teaching and this book is just as colorful and fun as she is. The borders and edging patterns in this book are so cool and different, making this book a perfect gift for someone who’s a little out there with their designs!

4. Cast On, Bind Off: 54 Step-by-Step Methods; Find the perfect start and finish for every knitting project

Like the book above, this book is all about how to create nice edges on your piece, only this one focuses on knitting. There are 33 different cast ons for when you’re bored of the long-tail cast-on or want something a little more decorative. Plus, there are 21 bind-off methods so you can end your piece beautifully too! It’s a great resource for any time you want to make a simpler design stand out more or if you want the perfect borders for your knitting projects without a whole lot of fuss.

5. How To Crochet: A Complete Guide for Absolute Beginners by Alison McNicol

This is a great resource if you’re just starting out. It goes over everything you need to know and has great beginner projects to try. If you click the title, you can take a look inside the book on Amazon and see all the things it teaches.

The thing I loved most about this was that it had a section at the beginning on how to hold the yarn and hook for left- and right-handed crocheters. Most resources only show right-handed instructions and I got this to help my niece who’s left-handed. The book is written with the UK terms, but it also gives the USA terms which was a nice touch.

6. The Crochet Answer Book, 2nd Edition: Solutions to Every Problem You’ll Ever Face; Answers to Every Question You’ll Ever Ask

If you only get one book from this list, I recommend you check out this treasure trove of a book from Edie Eckman. It’s exactly what the title claims, a crochet answer book with all the helpful tips, advice, solutions, and answers you’ll ever need. It’s a chunky book PACKED with information on crochet stitches and pattern reading. I turn to it all the time.

Pattern Collections & Inspiration Books

These next couple of books are all about pattern collections and although they include lots of textures and ideas, they’re less about the individual crochet stitches. The ones I listed below are a mix of knitting and crochet pattern books, and they aren’t in any particular order. I did try to keep the crochet together and the knitting together, but some of my favorite books have a mix of both!

7. Positively Crochet!: 50 Fashionable Projects and Inspirational Tips

This is the oldest in my knitting and crochet books collection. I bought it 10 years ago when I first started learning. I don’t think the patterns are quite what I would go for now, but I learned a lot from this book. Since I learned the basics through online resources, I used this to learn more about how those stitches would come together to make something. The patterns use simple stitches to create different looks that I didn’t think were possible.

Overall, I think this book helped me think outside of basic scarves and hats and showed me how to make crochet more interesting, even if you only know a couple of stitches. If you like the idea of making more vintage-inspired pieces, and 80s fun things, this might be perfect for you!

8. Luxury Yarn One-Skein Wonders: 101 Small Indulgences

You know that one skein of incredible, expensive yarn you couldn’t resist buying, but don’t know what to use for? This book is full of the perfect projects for that, but even if you use the regular worsted weight acrylic from the craft store, you’ll get something that feels luxurious.

The patterns are all elegant and simple and clean. I’ve used a lot of the patterns in this book; I made about 8 pairs of gloves for my mom and aunts. Also, the back of this book has measurements and references for everything. I’m a huge fan of all the knitting and crochet books in the One Skein series, but this is my favorite.

9. Corner-to-Corner Lap Throws For the Family (Annies Crochet)

If you’ve ever wanted to make C2C blankets before, you’ve probably already heard of Sarah from Repeat Crafter Me. She makes some of the prettiest and interesting crochet blanket patterns, and many of them are C2C. She also has a book out with a collection of 5 throws all using simple stitches so it’s great for beginners. The book is pretty slim (about 20  pages) but it’s full of great content and you’re supporting a blogger you already know and love!

10. Crochet to Calm: Stitch and De-Stress with 18 Simple Crochet Patterns

This book is a collection of patterns by a bunch of different designers and all compiled into one book of relaxing crochet patterns. The patterns in this book are super clean, easy, and modern. There’s a ton in here with 18 patterns, but the thing they all have in common is that they’re meant to be calming patterns and repetitive crochet stitches.

This is a handy little book to have when you need last-minute gift ideas or just need something to destress with. It really does make crocheting feel simple and relaxing again, especially if you’ve been on a  deadline and need something easier.

11. Whimsical Stitches: A Modern Makers Book of Amigurumi Crochet Patterns

This next book is fairly new but it’s already on this list! You may have seen it floating around on Instagram, but this book is absolutely amazing for anyone who wants to get into amigurumi, or just wants to make some cute toys! There are 31 little plushies in this book, from a couple of different categories so there’s something for everyone. Plus the book is filled with easy step-by-step instructions so you get gorgeous results just the pictures! I would love to go more in-depth in a review of this one, so let me know if you’re interested in that.

12. Crochet One-Skein Wonders® for Babies: 101 Projects for Infants & Toddlers

Another book from the One-Skein series, this one is focused on patterns for babies and it’s just about the cutest thing in the world. It has tons of patterns sized for the tiniest newborns to big kids. It’s sectioned into hats/caps, dresses & tops, little pants, and diaper covers; it also has sections for random toys and accessories, blankets, and anything else you’d want to make. Another thing I love is that not only does it tell you how much yarn you need and what kind, but it also gives you the exact name and color they used, so you can get the same results.

13. Cutest Ever Baby Knits: More Than 25 Adorable Projects to Knit

This is a short and sweet book. It’s small but there are some adorable patterns in here. I’ve made everything in this and I love it. The patterns are more for children under 6-9 months and everything is really small, but they’re sweet and easy to make. The first 20 pages of this book (which is 100pgs) are about how to knit, measure, finish and just general tips similar to most knitting and crochet books.

14. 60 Quick Knit Baby Essentials: Sweaters, Toys, Blankets, & More in Cherub™ from Cascade Yarns® (60 Quick Knits Collection)

This book makes me so happy! Each and every pattern here is incredible; they’re fun and colorful, stylish and still easy to do. I love that these patterns feel modern and something you’d really want to dress a kid in. As much as I love the patterns in the other books, they can sometimes feel tacky or too “granny-ish”, but these are patterns that I am completely in love with. This book makes me want to save patterns for when my friends and cousins have kids lol. These patterns are mostly for toddlers and “big kids” so it’s nice to have this supplement the book above.

15. Socks From the Toe Up: Essential Techniques and Patterns from Wendy Knits

This is an amazing resource for learning to work socks. The book is so beautiful and detailed. It goes over several different ways to works the toes and heels and give you tips along the way. The first pattern for each section has a simple socks design using a certain toe & heel combination so you get to practice getting those techniques down. It really helped me make sense of short rows and practice increasing. The patterns in this book are just exquisite. I like to just flip through and look at them sometimes!

16. Peanuts Crochet by Kristen Rask

This is actually a kit, but once you use up the yarn and stuffing they supply, the book is pretty great and you can always go back to it. The patterns in the book are great and described very easily, but you can’t learn to crochet from them. You can learn to crochet amigurumi from it, as long as you already learned the basic stitches.

This was so fun to use and I made a figure for each of the kiddos in my family and they went by quickly. The shapes are simple and it was so cool to see how they worked up. Overall, I love this book (and kit), and it was a great intro to working with small figures.

They also have different versions of this kit: Star Wars, Disney princesses, Marvel Avengers, and even a nativity one! This would be a really fun gift for someone just learning to crochet, so just pick their favorite series and you have the perfect kit.

17. The Little Box of Knitted Throws

This next one isn’t really a book, but I’m including it anyway because it is a collection of patterns. This is actually a box and inside there are cards with the patterns on the back. There are 21 patterns, plus a card that includes abbreviations and extra info. The 5 in the first row of the picture are my favorite. I really like the way this is in a box form; when I work on a pattern, I can just grab the card I want. There’s a good mix of patterns, from the bright and cheerful baby blankets to the more manly, woodsy throws.

18. KnitPicks Catalogs

I’ve been shopping from KnitPicks since I started knitting 10 years ago, and it always makes me super happy to get their catalogs in the mail. I only started saving them recently though, because I realized how much good stuff is in there. They don’t have patterns or tutorials in them, but they show you everything they have in stock.

So if you did want a pattern or kit, you can get it from their website. I love these and keep these for inspiration. I always feel very inspired by the designs and the new things I see in the catalogs and I like to reference them for ideas. They’re free and they’re full of beautiful pictures of yarn so I keep all of them. 

BONUS: The Beginner’s Guide to Crochet

This year, I came out with my own book! It’s a full course designed to teach you how to crochet even if you’re just starting out. Especially if you’re just starting out. It’s an ebook that you can download and work through at your own pace. There is a “Getting Started” section that goes over the tools you need, choosing the yarn, and some tips and guides to help you.