Review: Knitting New Scarves
I will be the first to admit it. I’m addicted to techniques. Fair Isle leaves me cold, and intarsia is just . . . well, ya know. But give me a gansey with armpit gussets, or an aran with a tree of life running up the middle, and you’ve got me.
This book has got me. In spades.
Lynne Barr starts us off with a bang, with Aria. It’s a ruffled scarf, but the ruffles are on the long edges. How are the ruffles made? Short rows!
There are a number of different patterns, in all kinds of shapes, where the stitches are manipulated in ways that you just might not think knitting could go. Her inspirations are awe-inspiring, such as the Infinity Tower in Dubai. This is definitely architectural knitting.
My favorite in this book is Linked Rib, where the entire scarf looks like a chain, where the only holes are where the previous and later links pierce. There are no holes in this scarf, but the architecture and shaping behind it are amazing.
All the special techniques are in the back of the book, to keep the size down, but each new technique is easily memorized. If you really have issues, the author even recommends photocopying them until you are comfortable with them.
If twisting & turning shapes make you shiver, and unusual shapes thrill you in a Bordhiesque kind of way, this book is definitely for you. It’s not a beginner’s book, by any means (there are no how-to-knit sections), but if you’re looking for a challenge, this is your book.
Go get twisted!
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Robin Says:
I agree. This is the first book that actually got me excited about knitting a scarf. I plan on knitting Cocoons first. I’m trying a gray-blue Hempathy since the Habu is no longer available. Originally I was going to be wild and use orange roving for the cocoons but I’ve chickened out and bought some roving that matches the yarn.
Maybe I’ll do one orange cocoon.
Posted on December 7th, 2007 at 2:34 pm