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Warm Up With Scarves and Cowls – Book Review

I have received a sample copy of this book for review from Leisure Arts. I am not financially compensated for my blog post and am under no obligation to give a favorable review. Any conclusions and statements about the book are my own. If you do choose to purchase the book, I receive a small commission (at no extra cost to you), and you are helping support Goddess Crochet, allowing me to create more free patterns for you. It’s a win-win!

Whenever I get a new knitting or crochet book, the first thing I do (other than smile and go “eeeeee!”), is read it through, like a regular book, really. Seeing how each item is made gives you a good idea on if a project is too ambitious for you (right now), or just ambitious enough that it makes you want to learn a new skill. I consider myself perhaps an intermediate knitter – so when there’s an opportunity to learn something new, I get excited! In “Warm Up With Scarves and Cowls”, there were several new knitting techniques I learned, all while making some beautiful scarves that are going to make perfect holiday gifts. You know it’s never too early to start making those, right?!

The “Lace Cowl” is SO pretty, so my jaw literally dropped open when I saw how beautifully simple the pattern was. It’s the first pattern I jumped into – regardless of my 3 other projects that need finishing! With a lighter yarn and larger needles, this cowl works up very light and lofty. Yarn choice is a big factor in how your finished cowl will drape. I used the suggested needle size and Lion Brand Shawl in a Ball, or a Cake I think they’re doing now. It took a couple of tries to not get the cast on to be insanely tight. My advice is use the long tail or some other stretchy cast on and keep it loose! Also, you might want to cast on to a 16” circular and then move up to the 24” after your cowl is established a little bit. Once you get going (and keep track of your rows properly), it is smooth sailing. This is a really good project for someone wanting to try lace for the first time. You could practice in worsted weight first if you wanted, but I urge anyone to make this cowl. Like I said – just beautifully simple.

After finishing the first Lace Cowl, I was so happy with how it came out, I cast another one on right away. The Shawl in a Ball yarn really hit the spot for this project, too. So pretty!

Prior to the “Short Row Scarf” with the little triangles, I had never done short rows with the proper wrap and turn before. This scarf was the perfect introduction to short rows, even being a left handed knitter I was able to figure it out quite easily with the written instructions. The pattern itself is quite simple, you just need to keep track carefully of what row you are on. Several triangles into the scarf, I knew the fate of this fabric would not be a scarf, but instead, a cowl. Why? One word. Tails. So…many…tails. If you follow the pattern and cut colors at every triangle, you will be weaving in some crazy number of tails. So, I made a very short scarf and seamed the ends together. As a cowl, it had a reasonable amount of ends to weave in. One modification if I do make this scarf in the future would be to use a self striping yarn. It would be really interesting to see how the yarn would work up, and I wouldn’t have a ton of tails to weave in.

Next I started on the “Geometric Stripe Cowl”. To be honest, I was a slightly aprehensive to tackle this pattern because it looked a little advanced for me. It has you adding new rows vertically while simultaneously binding off your horizontal rows. But, after reading through the pattern a few times I decided to give it a go. And guess what? It wasn’t that hard! There was some casting on in the middle of a row (only one time), and picking up and knitting stitches along an edge (both of which I have very limited experience in), but I got through it successfully – and I’ll bet you can too! Yay for learning new techniques!

The pattern calls for light weight yarn (3), but I didn’t have any of that on hand, so I used worsted weight (4). In hindsight, I should have went up in needle size but I was worried about it being too big since I was already using worsted. Next time, if I use worsted weight yarn, I think I’ll try a size 9 needle to get a little more drape. The middle section was a little narrow for my tastes, so next time I would cast on more stitches for that section. Also, how amazing would this cowl look in a self striping yarn!? I may have to make one soon!

There are several other patterns in the book I want to make and just haven’t gotten to yet. So many patterns, so little time! Next on my list is the “Textured Scarf”. It looks so cozy, and even though it looks great with fringe, I could totally see it as an infinity scarf.

If you are looking for some cozy knitting patterns for gift making this holiday season, “Warm Up With Scarves and Cowls” is sure to have something to please everyone on your list. When your holiday gifting is checked off the list, don’t forget to make something beautiful for yourself! The book is available in both paperback and digital PDF download, so you could literally be knitting one of these delightful scarves or cowls today!

Giveaway Info:

To enter to win a copy of “Warm Up With Scarves and Cowls”, simply leave a comment in the comment box below, saying what your favorite thing to knit in the Autumn is. Comment must be received by November 18th, 2018, and a winner will be chosen at random on November 19th. You will need to enter your email address to comment (I’m the only one who sees it). This is the email address I will contact you if you win. If you don’t already have one, you’ll need to set up an account at Leisure Arts (it’s free), and the good people at Leisure Arts will put a copy in your digital bookshelf, which you can access and download whenever you need! Good luck everyone!