Block by block crochet - Leonie Morgan

This striking collection of colourful crocheted blocks is inspired by patchwork quilt block designs. The inspiration comes directly from the tradition of piecing together scraps of fabric and it also stems from the characteristics and stitches of crocheted pieces.

There are 49 fabulous blocks to make, which echo their stitched counterparts with names such as Flying Geese, Hourglass, Tumbling Blocks and Log Cabin - and all of them can be put together into larger designs. Whether you are building up patterns with leftover yarn or setting out with a specific colour scheme in mind, this is a wonderfully creative process of creating a larger design from lots of smaller units.

There are four beautiful projects to make: a shoulder bag, a baby blanket, a geometric cushion and a beautiful lap blanket. A useful crochet techniques section describes the various stitches used, notes on colourwork and reading patterns and charts, and there is also advice on assembling the blocks and edging them. And, once you've got to grips with all of this, you can use the lovely blocks as inspiration to create your own lovely crocheted block pieces.