A (semi?) rant....Barnes & Noble's lack of crochet books...

[Starr]

I was very dissappointed today when I went to Barnes & Noble today in search of a new crochet pattern book for my small, but growing, collection.

 

Well, of the 2 bookcases full of Knitting books, there were a smattering of crochet books and all of them, but maybe one or two, were for beginners.

 

I did look at the Blue Ribbon Crochet book by Carol Alexander, but it was around $25-$30 and I still needed to get lunch as I only had about $30 on me today. I also glance at Felted Crochet, but I am not ready for that one yet.

 

It was very frusterating. I don't need more books where the first 1/3 of the book is dedicated to the "How to" of crochet, I want patterns and the patterns that I was seeing in all of the books that they had (which I must repeat weren't many) were all basically the same things, or just very similar, but with different yarn or things that I just am not interested in making.

 

I came really close to getting a knitting book that had a few graphs in it to see if I could convert any of the patterns and, if any of them were easy enough, maybe knit, but I am not the best knitter, even though I do know the very basics.

 

I love crochet books and I have a small collection, but they seem to be getting harder to find, at least in my area. Even at Border Books, JoAnn's and Micheal's I can't find what I am looking for.

 

JoAnn's and Michael's do seem to have more Crochet Books than Knitting, but they all seem to be the basic beginner, strickly baby or strickly afghans and that is not what I want. I want more of a mix of patterns in a book. Maybe I am just to picky in my patterns...

 

The kind of books that I am looking for are like the Leisure Arts Publications that I already have. I have the 4 that I know of, Crochet Collection, Crochet for Today, At Home with Crochet and In Love with Crochet. I even have The Crochet Yearbooks Vol. I & II by The American School of Needlework Publications. I also have The Big Book of Crochet. They are actual pattern books with the technique refreshers in the last few pages of the books. I have a few of the smaller books too and ALOT of magazines, but those are far and few inbetween at the stores. I am anxious for the new Crochet Fantasy to come out. Does anyone know when the winter issue is suppose to be out. I'm wondering if I missed the Fall issue... I really don't like the change to a quarterly mag, although I do like their new look. I have been checking often for it.

 

I did get the Pattern-a-Day Crochet calendar at Barnes & Noble, but it was difficult to find there. I was pretty put out and almost gave up. They had out on the front table, by the door and check-out an huge table with the desktop calanders. They had alot of the Knitting, Quilting, Scrapbooking, Cross stitch and beadwork pattern calendars, but no crochet. I walked around a bit more and found another table farther into the store and found a few almost buried by other calendars. *sigh*

 

I then went to JoAnn's with my 40% coupon and picked up The Little Box of Crochet Bags.

 

So, I guess my shopping trip wasn't a total bust, but it was very frusterating.

 

 

Ok...rant over. Thank you for reading.

[darski]

I am with you Jenn. It is nice that you got something but it should not be that hard. Crocheters have as much money as knitters generally and there are more of us as we proved recently

 

Who do we tell about this? Who can make change happen on this?

 

Or are we crocheters just so self-sufficient that people expect us to make do?

[cbear713]

I noticed the same thing at my local barnes and noble. I foolishly thought that if they listed the book on their website they might actually have it in the store! The employees there are very helpful though, and will order any book they list on their website and have it shipped to the store. They will call you when it comes in, and that way you don't have to pay shipping and handling charges. I did this with a book for my son, they first sent an e-mail to let me know it was in, then called to remind me. So, even though they don't have it on-hand, you can get it...eventually:)

[Iowa yarns]

I'll have to admit that I don't go to bookstores but I joined a book club several years ago. So every 3 months or so, I get a new crochet book in the mail (if I don't want it, I just have to send it back but I haven't returned one yet ). I confess that it does cost a little bit more but I like the convenience and the "surprise" in the mail. For small books, my local craft store has a small but good variety of booklets.

[JCB]

It was very frusterating. I don't need more books where the first 1/3 of the book is dedicated to the "How to" of crochet, I want patterns and the patterns that I was seeing in all of the books that they had (which I must repeat weren't many) were all basically the same things, or just very similar, but with different yarn or things that I just am not interested in making.

 

Boy do I hear you on that! That is one of my pet peeves about crochet books. I feel like I'm paying for the same thing over and over again! Particularly when they really start with the most basic of basics... how to make a chain, a single crochet, etc.

 

About once a month or so I take myself to the local Barnes & Noble. Ours has a small cafe section, and I catch up on new books and magazines with a cup of coffee. I always wind up buying something! I also try to see if our public library has a book I might be interested in, but our library has had lots of budget crises, and doesn't have a lot of new books.

 

Joan

[moonspinners]

Borders, Books and Music has very little inventory on crochet pattern books, too. It's not worth getting frustrated over though. I just go to Ebay and find tons of patterns that I can pick up for a real low price and it's patterns that I want without stuff I don't want. Gotta satisfy my PAS addiction, don't ya know?

[Starr]

Thanks for reading everyone.

 

 

I really wish that I could do mail order or online ordering, but I can't.

I am a very poor SAHM without a checking account or credit card *sigh*

My DH is really weird about online shopping...

 

I have ordered from B&N before, but I am horrible at waiting, I am definanetly an instant gratification type gal and when I do have the money in my hand to get something, I want it now and I don't want to wait for it to come in because, by that time, I most likely won't have the money to pay for it.

[StitchinCindi]

Notify the store manager at all the stores you go to. Tell him/her that you would really love to spend more money at their store, but that their stock is very limited as to crochet books/magazines. Also, tell them that you know that they will order almst any book you want, but that it takes too much time to get back to the store after already making one trip.

 

Another note, you can call your local Barnes and Noble if you see a book online. Ask them if they can get it in to their store by such and such a date, that the time you specify is when you would be in their area again. They will really try to help you.

[Starr]

Thank you Cindi, that is a really go idea. I think that I am going to have to get ono the B&N website and see what is there.

[PoisonApple]

LOL...I so feel you Starr! I can only go to wal-mart...and that means the same 4 crochet books over and over.

[WendyLee]

I get my crochet books from Amazon. They are affiliated with Borders and quite frankly cheaper even with shipping sometimes than Barnes & Noble. I have B&N close to work and I walk over there to check things out then order the books from Amazon or Borders. If you have a local Borders you can have it sent to the bookstore and avoid shipping if you order it directly from the Borders web site or in the store itself.

 

Much easier than hoping the Nits will have crochet books.

[krzykajun]

You can try half.com. They have some crochet books and you can get some for under a dollar and S&H is usually around $3.00. I've found a couple and they were in really good shape.

[Bellisima]

I would suggest your LYS if there's any in your area. We have 2 here & both stock knitting, crochet, spinning, bead, etc, etc....any kind of book or pattern you'd like, they carry it. Their prices are comparable to a Barnes & Noble or Chapters, etc. I know the owner of my LYS (we became friendly after I went in a time or two) and she really listens to her customers & tries to get what they want.

Good luck!

[Starr]

Again, I don't have the option of ordering online, no checking account or credit card. It makes things really difficult. If I want to buy anything, I have to ask my DH for the cash and even then, I'm limited. So, when I get the money in hand, I have to buy what I want right then.

 

My LYS supply of crochet books are very limited and they only carry books that I have already suggested to them and I already own. They are more about knitting (they are even called Neighborhood Knits), one of the owners calles me their "crochet expert" and whatever crochet items that they have, I made for them. They do have a few single crochet patterns though. It is really cool that they are trying to incorperate crochet into their store though.

 

I would love to have subscription of a couple crochet mags, but the last time I tried that, my DH would forget to pay the bill for it and I would lose the subscription.

[Gretchen]

I have often wondered why there are SOOO many beginners-only crochet books. Surely beginners become more advanced! That's what frustrates me more than anything. Is it the same with knitting books?

[Sylviaf]

I agree that everything is geared to beginners. The same thing is true of sewing and quilting and it also applies to the classes I find. I want some intermediate or even advanced things.

[Starr]

Yes! You got it Gretchen and Sylvia! That is really my point of frusteration right there!

 

I know that there are some books out there that are more for intermediate and advance, but unless you have access to online purchaces, you really can't find them anywhere without doing a special order....

 

I am just too impatient, when I want something, I want it now LOL

 

 

Actually, you know what I am really looking forward for it's release...

Couture Crochet Workshop: Mastering Fit, Fashion and Finesse by Lily Chin but that won't be out until January....I already have her Knit and Crochet with Beads book and that is a real good one.

[angelfire]

I get my crochet books from Amazon. They are affiliated with Borders and quite frankly cheaper even with shipping sometimes than Barnes & Noble. I have B&N close to work and I walk over there to check things out then order the books from Amazon or Borders. If you have a local Borders you can have it sent to the bookstore and avoid shipping if you order it directly from the Borders web site or in the store itself.

 

Much easier than hoping the Nits will have crochet books.

I just checked and can buy several of the crochet books I want from Amazon..get freeshipping and they are still less than Barnes and Noble even with my member discount.

[taligator]

I think that there just aren't as many crochet books (on the whole) as there are knitting books.

 

If a bookstore doesn't know you want crochet books then they can't know to order them so I encourage you guys to talk to your bookstores. Give them a list of books that you want to see in the store and let them do their job by keeping you happy.

 

Also, check out your local used bookstores. I've found some nice books at mine and they are fairly priced.

[Bearsgrammy]

I agree with you about Barnes and Noble. I awaited the opeining of our new mega-store with great anticipation, and loved the store, its wonderful. But I was surprised and disappointed, also, with the lack of crochet books. This store, as big as it is, did not even have the pattern calendar. I also think, if you inform the manager you get good results. I told the manager of our other bookstore to get some plastic canvas books, in, please, and sure enough, he had some in in a month or two. On the opposite side, I have curtailed purchasing some of the hardcover books. Usually there is only one or two patterns I want, and it isn't worth it to buy the entire book. I rely on magazines and the internet a lot, and have a whole load of free patterns. With plastic canvas, on the other hand, I do buy the books as patterns for pc are hard to obtain. Annie's magazine is the only one I have seen for p.c.

I do intend to tell the Barnes and Noble management to give us crocheters a break!

[PBLKNP]

I'll have to admit that I don't go to bookstores but I joined a book club several years ago. So every 3 months or so, I get a new crochet book in the mail (if I don't want it, I just have to send it back but I haven't returned one yet ). I confess that it does cost a little bit more but I like the convenience and the "surprise" in the mail. For small books, my local craft store has a small but good variety of booklets.

 

What book club is this??? Sounds awesome...

[Iowa yarns]

I got into the book club by accident but I like the books so much that I never got out of the book club. Each book I receive has a grace period so I don't have to pay up front. The books come from the House of White Birches company and the link to the crochet section is:

http://www.whitebirches.com/site/publication_pages/crochet.html

 

Good luck finding things to buy. In addition, each book that I have gotten has a wide variety of skill levels throughout and I believe each pattern is rated at the beginning of the pattern. My family just about fell over when we moved last year and I kept bringing box after box of crochet books and magazines (I kept them hid pretty well).