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Review: Magical Shetland Lace Shawls to Knit

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Magical Shetland Lace Shawls to Knit reviewSometimes 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.

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Pumpkin Knitting Patterns

There are so many great pumpkin knitting patterns out there, and it looks like I haven’t done a roundup of pumpkin knitting patterns in a few years, so it’s high time for another one.

The Lancaster Pumpkins from Cuddle Bunny Knits on Etsy are classic, made with stockinette stitch in the round and using super bulky yarn. If you’ve never knit a pumpkin before, this is a good place to start.

Jazz it up a little bit by knitting ribbing instead of straight stockinette, which gives your knit pumpkin a little more texture, too. This one is form Jessies Knits on Etsy. This one is worked flat on straight needles and there are three size options to choose from.

Or try the Pumpkin Patch pattern from Blue Sky Fibers, which is a free pattern on Ravelry. It’s worked with two strands of worsted weight yarn held together to give your pumpkins a marled look, or you can keep it solid. 

There’s another free ribbed pumpkin knitting pattern at Yarnspirations that is really cute. These are knit flat and seamed, and they come in three different sizes. You can either stack them as a centerpiece to decorate a table or you can leave them separate. Or make a whole pumpkin patch and do some of both! I love that they chose unconventional colors so you can see you don’t have to be limited to orange when you knit up your pumpkins.

Made by Devrie on Etsy has these cute pumpkins with twisted stitches (they look like cables but it’s only moving one stitch at a time) that you can make in any size with any yarn you like.

The Twisted Heart Pumpkin for Etsy seller Percival Makes Things uses cables to make a heart shape on the side of the pumpkin. It’s worked in the round and the cable pattern is charted.

And while I was really sticking to plain pumpkins here, not knit jack o’lanterns, I can’t resist sharing this beaded jack o’lantern knitting pattern from Knit Cole Studio on Etsy. The base pumpkin is simple Stockinette and you can stitch on beads in whatever design you like to make your face, or keep it plain.

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