Scarf Style

Normally the last thing in the world I'd ever pick up to look at let alone buy is a book about scarves. The word "scarf" these days among knitters almost always translates out into some piece of mindless knitting on telephone-pole-sized needles with at least one synthetic "novelty" yarn; these things are peddled as beginner projects when both huge needles and novelty yarns are truly difficult to work with. Hence the tendency of some knitters like yrs trly to look askance at scarf pattern books; usually they're filled with the same damn garter stitch scarf in endless different combinations of "fun" (?) yarns.

How lovely to be proven wrong with this book.

Some of my favorite designers are here: Nancy Bush, Sally Melville, the incomparable Nicky Epstein, Norah Gaughan and Annie Modesitt. And the definition of "scarf" is very fluid. Inside you'll find scarves, sure, but also shawls, capes, capelets, shrugs, stoles--basically if it goes around your shoulders it's here.

I think I'm going to adapt the ideas in Amanda Blair Brown's Stripes and Bobbles scarf to use up bits of handspun, and the entrelac stole by Kathleen Power Johnson will give me a use for some blue and purple targhee I'm spinning as well as a good excuse to finally learn entrelac. You're sure to find inspiration in here too regardless of your skill level.

Lynn Siprelle, Editor