Review: Magical Shetland Lace Shawls to Knit

Sometimes books fall through the cracks for me a little bit and it takes me longer than it should to review them. I might lose the book somewhere in my office (happens more than I’d like to admit) or I may hesitate because it’s about a style of knitting that I don’t do myself.

That’s probably why it’s taken me so long to get to Magical Shetland Lace Shawls to Knit by Elizabeth Lovick. I’m not into big lace knitting projects, though I can definitely see the appeal for people who are.

And if you are, you’ll probably want to check out this book.

In includes a look at the history of Shetland knitting and is great for knitters without a lot of intricate lace experience because it includes five “apprentice” projects, mini shawls that help you learn the basic shapes and techniques before you tackle a full-sized shawl.

The 15 other patterns are ranked on a skill level of one to three and there are five of each, so you have some choices right away no matter what level you are on. Most of the projects (see them all on Ravelry) are large shawls, but there are also some baby things, a couple of smaller shawls and a scarf.

There’s also a section on core techniques covering tools, yarn, chart reading, keeping your place, adding in yarn, adding borders, fixing mistakes and dressing (aka blocking) your project.

There are also a lot of examples for different ways to wear a shawl, which is helpful.

If you’re into the classic look of Shetland lace projects, you’ll want to give this book a peek. If you’ve knit something from it or have it on your shelf, I’d love to know what you think.

About the book: 144 pages, paperback, 15 patterns. Published September 2105, St. Martin’s Griffin. Suggested retail $24.99.

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

Over the years I have shared a lot of pumpkin knitting patterns, and I’ve knit and crocheted a lot of pumpkins myself. But it feels like there are always more fun things to try with knit pumpkins, so this year I wanted to look a little more beyond basic stockinette or ribbed pumpkins and share some pumpkin patterns with cables, bobbles and colorwork.

In the cable collection we’ve got these cute little basic cable and ribbed pumpkins from Elly Bear Knits. There are two sizes that make a wide, flat pumpkin and a taller round pumpkin. Both are worked in the round as a tube that’s cinched top and bottom when you’re done, and they use bulky weight yarn.

Another cute cable pumpkin knitting pattern comes from Gray Bear Akswokrat. This one is knit flat and it looks like a chunky yarn but you could use other weights to make pumpkins of different sizes. This one also has an I-cord stem and uses yarn to cinch up the sections of the pumpkin, giving it a more natural look.

Add some bobbles to your pumpkins with this design from Autumn Shelter Makes. Also worked in the round in a tube, it features a repeating pattern of bobbles and uses yarn wrapped around the outside to make segments. This one looks like worsted weight yarn to me.

Of course there’s nothing that says your pumpkin has to be a single color, so let’s throw in some colorwork. I love the look of the Cozy Fall Pumpkin knitting pattern from South Stitch Girls. The little leather loop adds a rustic touch but you could also just add a stick. These pumpkins have five colorwork options and are worked in worsted weight yarn in the round.

There’s also the Autumn Fair Isle Trio pumpkins pattern from Equestriann Style, which has three different sizes of pumpkins with four colorwork designs. They are worked in super bulky yarn in the round and look good with high contrast or more muted color combinations.

Have you read?