Book Review: Knit Scarves and Shawls Now

February 4, 2016 by Sarah White 5 Comments

I’ve been enjoying the discussion on the giveaway post this week and seeing that a lot of people are knitting a lot of cowls.

But for those who aren’t, maybe this book will prove more interesting. Knit Scarves and Shawls Now: Over 40 Designs from Classic to Trendsetting is pretty much just what it says it is: a collection of patters for shawls and scarves, many of which would be quick to knit.

By my count there are in fact 41 patterns — 3 are rated easy, 22 for intermediate knitters and 16 for those with more experience. You can see some of the patterns from the original version on Ravelry (the book is translated from German).

There are a great variety of design options, including loops and cowls, straight scarves, projects shaped by short rows, color blocked patterns, bobbles, lace, cables and tons of brioche. (By the end I was going, really? more brioche? And I like brioche.)

There’s stranded knitting, slip stitches, textured stripes, bulky lace and bobbles. Delicate shawls, chunky cowls and fuzzy scarves. There’s probably something for everyone.

Some of my favorites include a simple, circular, striped cowl worked in two color Garter Stitch in mohair blend yarn; a little caplet with a simple ladder lace pattern and an I-cord flower embellishment; a shifting brioche scarf in sunny yellow wool; a wavy rectangular shawl with a lave pattern reminiscent of water lilies; and a classic Garter Stitch shawl worked in short row wedges and a chunky multicolored yarn.

Some of the charts are at the back of the book rather than with the patterns, which could be a little annoying when working with them (it’s also kind of hard to focus on the one chart you need in a page full of charts). But that’s not a huge deal to get to make some of these fun projects.

Book specifications: 96 pages, paperback, 41 patterns. Trafalgar Square Books, published August, 2015. Suggested retail $22.95.

Looking to chat about Knitting and Patterns? Check out our Facebook Knitting page and our Facebook group dedicated to Knitting and Knitting Patterns.

Looking for more amazing shawl patterns? Check out these Knitting patterns we found on Etsy.

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Comments

Peggy R says
February 5, 2016 at 12:34 pm
This sounds like a wonderful book!! Cowls and Shawls combined. Not only would I be learning about making cowls, but from your description, I would also be learning new stitch techniques!! I’m so excited about this book, that I’m almost jumping up and down in my desk chair!! Thank you for another terrific giveaway!!
Joanne Carpenter says
February 5, 2016 at 2:18 pm
I love cowls!
Laurie Hunt says
February 8, 2016 at 12:14 pm
This looks like a great book for gifts of shawls and scarves. Thanks for the opportunity.
Kitty Oechler says
February 8, 2016 at 9:39 pm
Love to knit and the look of a cowl. Thanks for the giveaway.
Henriette says
February 9, 2016 at 9:29 pm
Love to knit shawls and cowls! Thanks for this wonderful giveaway.

Have you read?

Book Review: Viking Knits

Beautiful people and beautiful sweaters combine in Lasse L. Matberg’s Viking Knits. The book includes more than 40 Scandinavian inspired knits for men, women and children featuring textured stitches and colorwork.

Matberg is known as The Viking and has worked as a chef, naval officer, fitness instructor and model, as well as being on a couple of reality TV shows. He comes from a long line of makers and his book was first published in Norwegian in 2021 and has since come out in an English version.

The book is divided into sections including everyday sweaters, knits for the great outdoors, stylish knitwear, Norse sweaters and accessories. Some of the patterns use the same designs in different versions for men, women and children. I counted seven projects rated for beginners, 19 for intermediate knitters and 17 for experienced knitters. The more difficult patterns tend to have allover colorwork or stitch patterning.

The pattern stitches and colorwork are shown in charts, with a little bit of text to tell you how to make the garment. Most of the book is sweaters, but there are also hats (sometimes coordinating with sweaters), scarves and a couple of sitting mats.

You can check out all the patterns on Ravelry. Some of my favorites are the more basic ones, such as the Power Sweater, a close-fitting (sized for men) ribbed sweater; the Heart Sweater, a raglan with allover lice stitch; and the Midsummer Sweater, with textured stripes and a henley neckline. I also like the Breeze designs (there are versions for men, women and children) that have colorwork diamonds on them.

Sizing on the garments varies, but there are six sizes for the men’s patterns (noted as small through XXL and then Lasse sized), six for women (XS to XL) and three for children (age 2-4, 6-8 and 10-12).

The yarns used in the book aren’t available in the United States but you can find suppliers here if you want to use the same yarns. Otherwise the book gives a lot of details about yarn content and gauge so you should be able to find good substitutes wherever you live.

If you have Norwegian or Scandinavian heritage or just like the look of cozy textured or colorful sweaters, this book is a lot of fun, and the eye candy is pretty great, too.

About the book: 192 pages, hardcover, 43 patterns. Published in English in 2023 by Search Press. Suggested retail price $29.95.

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