Radiant Raffia: 20 Inspiring Crochet Projects Made with Natural Yarn

Raffia is a natural fiber that comes from leaf fronds of the raffia palm tree. Used historically to make woven products, it is not often considered for crochet. But crocheter Panagopoulou’s debut collection rectifies that misconception and features 20 crochet projects using the natural material. Divided into three parts—accessories, homewares, and special stitches—the book details which raffia yarns to use, which hooks to use, and the best way to care for raffia pieces. The accessory section highlights many patterns (including beach-related ones for large bags, a sun hat, belts, and more) that would be suitable for a trip to the author’s Greek island home. The homeware section features baskets and vases. The raffia that’s best for crocheting is neither commonly stocked in big-box stores nor found in many yarn shops, but Panagopoulou does include a list of sources to order raffia; only a couple are located in the U.S. Readers may find that other natural yarns, such as cotton, are a suitable substitution for some of the patterns.