Scarf Style

September 1, 2004
More than 30 knitwear designers have contributed their innovative patterns to this impressive collection, which features gorgeous, full-color photographs of various scarves, capes, capelets and stoles. Because of their quick construction, editor Allen (co-author of Knitting for Dummies) calls scarves the"comfort food of knitting," likening them to, of all things, pasta."Like pasta, scarves can be created with little effort and few basic materials," she writes. While this is true, the patterns found here are largely for intermediate and advanced knitters, though all knitters will appreciate the beauty and complexity of these designs. Kathleen Power Johnson's Lady Eleanor Entrelac Stole is an elegant creation of hand-dyed tweed yarns woven together in a vaguely medieval style, making it a cozy addition to any woman's wardrobe. And designers Debbie Bliss, Norah Gaughan and Lily Chin offer ideas for children, women and men that utilize color-work, beading, crochet and other innovative techniques. From Lisa Daniels's cabled Vintage Velvet stunner to Teva Durham's whimsical Blue Collar capelet to Amanda Blair Brown's chic, spiral scarf (aptly called Ruffles), this book has plenty of patterns to inspire creativity, as well a Design Notebook section for those who want to craft their own unique scarves.

December 1, 2004
This would appear to be the year of the scarf, to judge by the number of knitted scarf pattern books published in recent months. Scarf Style is by far the best of the bunch-a pattern book for knitters who wish to go beyond the boring "cast on 20 stitches and knit one row after another for 60 inches" type of pattern. Allen, editor of Interweave Knits magazine, has collected 31 very diverse scarf designs-27 knitted, four crocheted-from a who's who of the best-known knitwear designers on the planet, including Debbie Bliss, Lily Chin, Sally Melville, Nancy Bush, Nicky Epstein, Sasha Kagan, and more. Intermediate and experienced knitters will want to make many of these eye-catching scarves, which include a color-on-color scarf so versatile in design that you can wear it as a shawl or wrap it around your neck or waist. Highly recommended for large and even small public libraries where demand warrants.

Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.