Or try tunisian crochet for the ribbing.

Thanks!

And I've seen some of the projects in Positively Crochet (Mary Jane is a friend) and there are some cute things in there.

My fav is the Retro-fem top you see there in the large pic on the left. It's LOVELY.

I've had the Crochet Me book on my wish list for awhile now. It's my birthday month and we haven't had the family get-together yet. I'm hoping for a pile of crochet books I have listed on Amazon. My fingers and toes are crossed.

Sensual Crochet Book - Here's a skirt I made for it:

http://nexblog.mycrochetblog.com/?p=125

Shhh! It's buried on my blog. And it looks WAY better in person. That was a 2-second snapshot I took before sending it off. But really, it's my favorite thing I've designed yet.

Other pics can be found on flickr by searching for "sensual crochet."

I wish I could see what's in the Sensual Crochet book.

Yes, and thanks.

How about a video?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5dr2_3RKuI

Hope this helps!

I would read the directions carefully for *your* size. It looks as though there isn't enough ease in the bust area and if you're larger chested, it could be tight and stretch out there. Check those directions though to see if they've added room (if your size is larger than the model's).

I started designing things when I was pretty young (11 y/o maybe?) I learned by reading other patterns. I was interested in the structure of stitches. Crochet is different than knitting in this regard, but I enjoyed trying to make up my own unique stitch patterns by altering existing ones. I don't believe there's a right and wrong way to begin, per say. It's that initial inspiration that I feel you should hold on tightly to. It's what will make designing fun and not work, ya know? I'm also inspired by other work including knitting and how knitwear is constructed as well as sewing and the work of other indie artists.

And as already stated, start small. The best thing you could do for yourself is to learn to write well. Anyone can design but not everyone can take a design and translate it in a way that makes sense to a reader. If you can't communicate your ideas in written form, it'll be frustrating to others to read your work.

Lastly, don't be afraid to make mistakes. If you have a great idea and you're not sure how it'll work, just try it anyway. You can always rip back. Holding back on an idea because you're not sure how to execute it only stunts your creativity. Chances are, you'll learn from those mistakes you make.

Good luck in your designing!

I would check with Regina at Monster Crochet (www.monstercrochet. com).