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Book Review of Triangle Treasury by Darla Sims
Book Title: Triangle Treasury: 25 Versatile Triangle Motifs Plus Innovative Projects for Inspiration
Author: Darla Sims
Publisher: Leisure Arts
Copyright Date: 2010
ISBN 13: 978-1-60140-920-1
ISBN 10: 1-60140-920-6
Format: Softcover With Staple Binding
Number of Pages: 32, not counting the covers
Cover Price: $8.95 US dollars
Triangle Treasury Book Premise:
Darla Sims takes readers on a quest to explore the concept of crocheting triangles.
She presents readers with 25 original triangle designs to crochet, and then she shares four different crochet patterns which incorporate these triangles.
Note that the back cover of the book says "5 projects," but it looks to me like two of the projects are different colorways of the same pattern. When I actually counted the number of patterns for making the projects, I found that there were four, not five.
The Triangle Patterns
If you're in need of triangle patterns, this book is a great choice; you'll find a variety of triangles to choose from, all in one place.
Most of these triangles are of medium size; there are a few smaller designs as well. To give you a better idea of the size range, I decided to tally up the numbers of triangles by number of rounds you have to crochet to complete each triangle.
- 3 rounds: Four triangle designs
- 4 rounds: Twelve triangle designs
- 5 rounds: Eight triangle designs
- 6 rounds: One triangle design
These triangles all look like they'd be interesting to crochet.
So far, I've crocheted one of these triangles.
I included a picture of it on this page so you can see how it turned out. Mine looks a bit different from Darla's sample triangle; She used Cascade 220 wool yarn to crochet all of her project samples. I crocheted my sample triangle using two different colors of Caron Simply Soft acrylic yarn.
The Crochet Projects:
Tote:
The tote bag pattern is nice. Note that the photo shows a lined tote bag, but the instructions don't give you any details about how to line the tote. You're totally on your own for that. Since the triangles used to crochet the tote have large open areas, I do think you'll want to give it a lining, unless you plan to use it as for carrying things that are too big to slip through the holes.
Scarf:
I think the scarf, as shown, is unappealing. Looking at the model in the book, I think the scarf overwhelms her, and she looks way better in it than I would.
Having said that, I think this scarf could be nicer if it were crocheted in a lighter weight yarn, using different color choices. If I were going to crochet the scarf, I'd try crocheting a few triangles using DK, sport and / or sock weight yarn instead of the recommended medium weight yarn; depending on how they turned out, I'd go from there.
Beret:
While I think the beret is a clever hat design, it's not a design I'd want to wear. Your mileage may vary.
Pillows:
I think the pillows are both creative and fun. Thumbs up to this pattern.
Project Instructions
I found the instructions to be clear and understandable.
There aren't any symbol charts included; the project instructions are all written out in words.
At the back of the book, you get three pages worth of general instructions including information about abbreviations, gauge, and yarn. This section does feature a few pictures showing you how to do reverse single crochet, post stitches and whipstitch. (All of which you can also learn how to do by looking at our free instructions for reverse single crochet stitch,post stitches, and whip stitch.)
The general instructions section of this book is not comprehensive. If you don't already know how to crochet, this book isn't going to teach you how, but you don't need a book for that; just check out the crochet videos posted on our web site and you will be crocheting in no time.
Book Layout:
I like the way this book is laid out; each project is presented with its instructions either on the same page or on the adjoining page. I like this because it means you don't have to do a lot of flipping back and forth between the instructions and the photos; you can see both easily without having to put your work down and turn pages.
Book Value:
I do think this book is a good value for the price, but whether it would be a good buy for you depends on what you are looking for. In my opinion, this book is valuable mainly for the triangle instructions; I was much more impressed with the triangles than I was by the patterns for finished projects made using the triangles.
If you already have ideas for how to use crocheted triangles, this book is going to be a fantastic purchase for you; I think you'll have sooooo much fun with it!
On the other hand, if you would need help knowing what exactly to do with a bunch of triangles, this book is not going to be a must-have addition to your crochet library. You might be more inspired by the projects (scarf, beret etc) than I was, but if you aren't, the book will be a waste for you.
To help you with that dilemma, I'm going to open the floor for comments from other readers – tell us about your ideas for using crocheted triangles. If you've come up with a creative way to use triangles, you are invited to share it!
Darla's Other Books:
Darla Sims is a prolific and talented author. I enjoy owning several of her books. My favorite is Triple Play Pattern Stitches, a book that I found highly inspiring; another of her books, 99 Crochet Post Stitches, is also well worth owning.
Disclosure: A review copy was provided by the publisher. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.
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