[.ca] Shawls and Scarves: The Best of Knitter's Magazine (ISBN 0964639165)

Yes! Beauty, artistry, and challeging designs!:
This book is great! All these wonderful patterns from old issues of Knitters magazine have been reprinted together in a more durable format. My copies of the original magazines are dog-eared and not always easy to find, so this book has a definite place on my knitting bookshelf. If you're new to knitting shawls, this book is a great introduction. The patterns represent a wide variety of traditional and more modern styles. As with most pieces from Knitters, the designs are sophisticated and often challenging. Techniques are well-explained and will give you the background needed to move beyond pre-fab patterns to design your own. However, this doesn't mean that the book is only for expert knitters. I'm an intermediate knitter, but I made my first Faroese shawl from a pattern included here. It was a technical stretch at first, but not undoable. The result was one of the best, most wearable, and most satisfying pieces of knitting I've done. I'm now starting my second shawl. This is not a book to buy if you want a mindless project in stockinette. But if you want something that will expand your knitting horizons and give you something to wear on chilly winter nights, then this book is a great choice. (Oh--and did I mention that shawls tend to be forgiving if your gauge is a little off? That's always a plus in my book.)

One of my favorites:
I originally checked this book out from the local library and found that I would have to own my own copy. There are a few patterns that would be suitable for beginners, but I would definitely pay attention to the skill level rating on each pattern. My only complaint would be that the terms "laceweight" and "fingering" seem to have been used without discretion. While lace knitting is generally very forgiving in terms of gauge, it is frustrating to know that the "laceweight" yarn you purchased is not even close to the "laceweight" yarn that was used in the pattern. Patterns are included for round, triangular, faroese, shetland, and rectangular shawls. The patterns include both written instructions as well as charts to accommodate any preference. Color pictures are provided for each pattern, as well as each variation of pattern. Yarns range from mohair to cotton, and from sport weight to laceweight. A 4-page "Knitter's School" in the back of the book provides instructions for standard techniques, as well as some more advanced techniques specific to circular knitting.

*:
Beautiful designs but definitely not for beginners. It can be intimidating if you're new to lace but it's worth the effort. I'd consider myself almost an expert and there are enough patterns in here to satisfy the urge for simple designs and the challenge of something more complex.

I have used this book over and over:
I absolutely love this book! Eugen Beugler's "Lace Dream" Stole was worth buying the entire book alone. I have borrowed a few of the lace patterns to use in designing some of my own shawls, scarves, etc. This is also where I first heard of author, Myrna Stahman, whom I have met on line and consider a good friend. This book is a valuable resource to me. I highly recomend it.

Welcome back! A long lost issue of Knitters is now available:
The Lace Knitting issue (along with the Scandanavian knitting issue) are the rarest back issues of Knitters magazine you can find (issues #9 and #14) After a lot of requests to reprint the lace magazine, this book was created. One shawl in particular (a turqoise oblong oval) is stunning. Many of the other patterns are available in other forms or in improved forms in newer books (ie Faroese, Pi) But if you longed to have this issue and can't find it, this is really a good reference book to have. However, for knitting shawls, I would recommend instead, or in addition, Cheryl Oberle's book on Folk Shawls, which has far more variety.