CRAFT Book-A-Day Friday: Get Hooked by Kim Werker

Get Hooked by Kim Werker

Book Site – Link.

Web Site – Link.

Today Kim Werker is most likely heading towards Cambridge, MA. At least that is what her web site says now. As part of her book tour promoting this new book, “Get Hooked”, Kim is touring the US with her knitting counterpart, Shannon Okey of Knitgrrl. Kim also runs the online crochet magazine, Crochet Me (which is awesome). This new book “Get Hooked” will likely get you addicted to crochet with all the fun patterns that are inside. You can crochet yourself a sushi pillow, key chain trinket, stylish scarves, belts, and bags, plus a whole lot more! The easy step-by-step tutorials show you all the basic techniques you need to get yourself going in crochet right away.

As Kim’s busy book tour carries on this week, she found some time to tell us more about “Get Hooked” and what’s we can expect from her this Fall.

Nat: Tell me a bit about your crafty background.

Kim: I suppose I’ve always been creative — possibly more with words than glue. I spent most summers of my life at one camp or another, so there was lots of creating stuff with smelly markers, glitter, popsicle sticks, and felt. I’m sure I made about a hundred thousand friendship bracelets out of embroidery floss. When I was 7, I made a larger-than-lifesized robot out of cardboard. As an adult I sort of forgot about all that stuff until I started knitting when I was about 26. Then it was as if the yarn caught hold of my brain and I haven’t been without a crafty outlet since.

Nat: Why you decided to write this book, “Get Hooked”? Why do you love crochet so much (maybe even over knitting)?

Kim: The truth is my editor came to me — it was her idea and I was thrilled to deliver. Speaking of summer camp, I spent many summers working with teenagers, and this book let me get back into that mindset. I’m excited to present a skill to teens when they’re hopefully not jaded too much to explore their creativity with abandon. I love crochet because I don’t like rules but I love constraints. Crochet can be anything, and I’m in love with yarn. I wouldn’t say I love crochet more than knitting — it’s not a competition. I definitely love it differently. I don’t understand knitting as well, which I appreciate because I can’t really approach knitting as anything more than a hobby, and I love having a hobby. Crochet doesn’t baffle me.

Nat: What would be one of the easiest projects we could get started with in the book if we haven’t crocheted before?

Kim: The book presents projects in order of difficulty, from easy to more involved. So the easiest project would be the very first one: the Chunky Scarf on p. 34. Since changing colours or adding new yarn is so integral to the craft, I made the scarf striped because I see no reason not to dive right into learning how to do that. All of the patterns are pretty straightforward; the designers really went out of their way to keep the patterns simple and easy to follow, and I tried to put in lots of tips and diagrams to make the instructions as clear as possible. The layout and tone of the book is certainly geared toward tweens and teens, but these details should help any beginner crocheter, regardless of his or her age.

Nat: Do you have a special crochet tip you can share?

Kim: Cecily (my co-author on Teach Yourself Visually Crocheting, Wiley 2006) taught me this: When it comes time to turn your work at the end of the row, remove your hook before you turn it. Then reinsert it afterwards. Then you don’t twist the turning chain and end up with a neater edge (at least I think it’s neater — it’s all up to personal preference).

Nat: What kind of knitting or craft projects are you working on now for fall?

Kim: Oy. So many! I just crocheted a scarf in Malabrigo yarn – it’s the only wool I’ve ever been able to wear on my super-sensitive neck. I’m also finishing up Shrug Off Winter from crochetme.com. I started it around April, and I’d love to wear it when it’s actually cool out. I’m also knitting my first sock (also for many months), and I’m working on a design for a new book. And when I was at Lettuce Knit the other day on our tour, Denny taught me how to do hairpin lace; I can’t wait to get practicing on that. And I’m dying for Shannon to teach me how to spin!