Tuesday 6 November 2007

Knitting New Scarves by Lynne Barr










I have just got a new book called Knitting New Scarves by Lynne Barr and I can't believe I have got so excited over a book that is about knitting scarves. I know that scarves are very useful especially now that November is here and they are great for Christmas presents but can be a bit *yawn* boring to knit. I saw this on Amazon and just thought it was yet another book of same old same old but the reviews alerted me to the fact that perhaps there was something a bit different going on here - and how right they were.



This book is just full of new ways of looking at construction and combining different techniques to think totally outside the box - well outside a whole stack of boxes. Many of the techniques have been inspired by architecture and involve curves and shapes made by short rows which I am familiar with but then it develops to new ideas like using several double pointed needles to pick up and move stitches and insert shapes and just go off into experimenting and finding out about shape and construction and ... oh I just love it. Most of the actual knitting stitches are simple - either garter stitch or rib - but the real skill comes with what you do with them.



I really can't recomend this book highly enough.