Knitting

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Giveaway: Dress-to-Impress Knitted Scarves

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dress to impress knitted scarves giveawayThis week’s giveaway is for the girly girls, the ladies who love feminine fashion and a bit of a challenge or an interesting technique in their knitting projects.

Dress-to-Impress Knitted Scarves by Pam Powers offers 24 knit scarves, cowls, ascots, kerchiefs and other fun shapes, all with a creative touch. There are often multiple yarns, colors, stitch patterns and techniques in the same project, and she loves to pattern block a project (where one section in the center is worked in one style/yarn and the ends are worked in a different way).

The projects often have a layered look because of this, which gives you lots of options for how to wear them. These projects are unique and not like anything you’d be able to buy anywhere, but they’re also not for beginners. Of course if you love a design you’ll be more inspired to learn the techniques necessary to make it your own (and some of the special skills required are described in the book, too).

If you’d like to win a copy of this fun book, leave a comment on this post before the end of the day Monday, January 19. If you want, tell me what sort of style you like in neckwear the most: a simple rectangular scarf, a cowl, a small shawl wrapped around your neck? I love them all on different days, but I’ve been partial to a super long, warm scarf lately because it has been so cold!

Thanks for visiting and commenting, and good luck!

Comments

  1. I am a bit of a scarf slut – long scarves, short scarves, thin ones, fat ones, cowls and anything, which is why I would love to win this fabulous looking book to expand my collection o(and maybe e a few for other people if they’re very nice…)

  11. It all depends on the weather and that changes alot here in Canada but I love the short fancy ones the best

  12. My preference is for little neck warmers similar to the cover scarf. I have a super short torso and broad shoulders… I feel like adding the bulk of long, wrapped scarves makes me look dumpy.

  13. I love every type of scarf for different day different weather different occasion, as long as it’s pretty and keep me warm from the chilling weather.

  14. I love knitting and wearing cowls the most. They tend to provide maximum warmth with a shorter knit time. 😀

  17. I have been loom knitting scarves to earn a little extra money since I have only Social Security, but I would love to learn how to needle knit.

Have you read?

Book Review: Circular Knitting for Beginners and Beyond

When I discovered Kate Atherley’s book Circular Knitting for Beginners and Beyond, I wasn’t sure there was enough to say about circular knitting to fill a book. It’s a pretty short book (144 pages) and includes 10 patterns to practice working in the round on small projects, and it provides a decent introduction to the various ways of working in the round. 

The book covers using double pointed knitting needles, flexible double points and circular knitting needles with cables. It talks about working using the full circumference of a circular needle and various ways to work smaller circumference projects, such as using DPNs, magic loop and knitting with two circular knitting needles. 

In addition there’s a discussion of preventing problems like twists and ladders, swatching in the round without actually swatching in the round, grafting, blocking and weaving in ends. 

More specialized techniques likes knitting from the center out, stranded colorwork, helical knitting and jogless stripes are also explored, as well as working pieces like socks or mitts two at a time. 

There’s also some information about seamless sweaters, including the different sweater designs that can be worked seamlessly (and why you might want seams in your sweaters) and how they are worked from the top down or the bottom up. 

There are 10 patterns in the book, including a basic stockinette stitch cowl and one with a deliberate twist, wrist warmers, mitts and a pair of colorwork mittens, a hat worked in a solid color or in helical stripes, toe up and top down socks and a beret. It would have been nice to have a basic sweater pattern, too, since the book does talk about working larger garments with circular needles, but it’s still a nice collection of basic patterns worked in the round. 

If you’re already comfortable working in the round in different ways, I’m not sure there’s much for you to learn in this book, but it is a good reference for people learning circular knitting or who maybe haven’t tried all the techniques yet or need skill building projects to try. 

About the book: 144 pages, paperback, 10 patterns. Published 2026 by David & Charles. Suggested retail price $24.99.