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: Brooklyn Tweed’s Knit & Crochet Blankets

Blankets are a great blank slate project that you can change up in a million different ways. From color to stitch pattern to size, the possibilities are almost endless.

Jared Flood, the designer behind Brooklyn Tweed, was inspired by a log cabin quilt his mother made in 1995 to re-create that design in knitting, which led to more blankets and ultimate Brooklyn Tweed’s Knit and Crochet Blankets, which includes 25 patterns from an array of designers using different skills and techniques to make cozy, pretty blankets.

The patterns are divided into three aesthetic themes: traditions, minimalism and colorplay. The patterns are rated on a scale of one to five, with one being the easiest, and there aren’t any pieces rated five. Two blankets are rated one, 14 are two, eight are three and one is four.

In addition, three of the 25 patterns are crocheted, but they either use single crochet or granny stitch, so they are pretty easy even if you don’t do a lot of crochet. You can see all the patterns on Ravelry.

Some of my favorites include Rattan by Rastus Hsu, a chunky blanket worked in knits and purls with simple crossing stitches to make a raised woven look; Homewood by Seth Richardson, covers in dramatic, loopy cables; Ainur Berkimbayeva’s Tessellate, one of the beginner projects that doesn’t really look beginner but is totally worked in knit and purl stitches; Warp + Weft by Aist? Butkevi?ien?, which is mostly knits and purls but makes a fun woven look fabric that blew my mind a little bit; and the same designer’s Canyonland, a multicolored blanket with wavy stripes.

The patterns tell you how to resize them for different dimensions and include information on pattern repeats where it is possible to make a totally custom size.

Many different techniques are included here such as cables, lace, shadow knitting, intarsia and other colorwork techniques, as well as modular knitting and lots of sewing pieces together. The patterns are all presented with charts, but there are line by line written instructions available on the Brooklyn Tweed website if you need them.

The book ends with a deep dive into log cabin knitting, telling the story of the quilt Jared’s mom made and how he made it in knitting, as well as the multitude of variations you can make if you want your own log cabin style design.

The back of the book includes a little written information about some of the special techniques needed, but there are no photos.

This is a lovely book full of inspiration for knitting and crochet blankets for any skill level. If you like to make blankets as gifts or aspire to have a handmade blanket in every room of the house, these designs would be a great place to start.

About the book: 192 pages, paperback, 25 patterns. Published 2024 by Abrams Books, suggested retail price $24.99.

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