Scarves and Cowls

Quite some time ago I received "Scarves and Cowls, 36 Quick and Stylish Knits" by Fiona Goble to review. I looked through it at the time, amused and entertained by the vibrantly colorful, fun, and unusually playful photography. Unfortunately it fell rather flat from there and, intending to review it when I had more time, I set it aside and forgot about it. I unearthed it today while sorting through a pile of "to do" items.

To be fair, this would probably be a fun pattern book for a very beginning knitter as there are projects that take you from the absolute newbie knitter project, scarves done solely in garter stitch, through those with very simple shaping or textured stitches, on to beginning lace patterns or more complex shaping. So for a new knitter there is the potential for growth at least.

So, how did it fall flat? Well, as a more experienced knitter I was disappointed by the selection of patterns, most of which are very simple and rely heavily on the yarn itself for interest, or are a variation of similar designs readily available for free on Ravelry. There is not much there that really interests me enough to bother digging through my stash and casting on.

This book has merit as a resource for new knitters wanting to knit up some simple yet popular scarf styles with which to show off their newly emerging skills. More experienced knitters will likely enjoy the playful, well done photography, chuckle, and put it back on the shelf.