[.ca] 45 Fine & Fanciful Hats to Knit (ISBN 1579900097)

From Amazon.com:
Anna Zilboorg is the kind of artist and craftswoman who comes along only rarely. Her previous book, Fancy Feet, integrated a unique color creativity with traditional fiber folk traditions of Turkey. In 45 Fine and Fanciful Hats to Knit, she presents nine basic hat shapes, from a fairly standard (but colorfully interpreted) beret to amazing geometric structures such as an onion dome and a six-pointed star (knitted in two layers). Enjoy breaking the constraints of knitting "normal" hats and set yourself free. For those who really want to follow directions, Zilboorg's charts are unusually clear and her directions are brief and uncomplicated.

You'd better like fair isle knitting...:
I bought this book for its variety of hat shapes and was hoping to knit them in solid blocks of colour rather than in stranded fair isle. Zilboorg states that if you are going to knit these designs with one colour per row (rather than the two colours that are charted), you need to increase the number of rounds, however, she does not give the reader specific instructions or charts - not even a calculation - for how to do this.

I LOVE This Book!:
This is one of my very favorite knitting books! The colors and designs are gorgeous, the format is pleasing, and I just love to look at the pictures for color inspiration. I am a somewhat experienced knitter, I love knitting in the round (no seams to sew after the project is finished!) and I love to make colorful hats, which I sell at crafts fairs, so for me it's a perfect book. All the designs use worsted weight yarn and #7 or 8 needles, so the hats knit up fast. I agree however that it's not ideal for knitting beginners, although with hands-on help from a more experienced knitter it should be possible. I have come across some minor errors - another reason it's more appropriate for non-beginners. But otherwise I highly recommend it to anyone looking for fun, colorful, fast knitting projects. I make them for my friends, who love them. As Anna says in her introduction, you're doing the world a favor when you make these hats, because they make people smile!

Highly recommended if...:
-You love to work in the round in multiple colors -if you are looking to practice your fairisle technique on small projects -are comfortable working entirely from a chart -are happy to choose your own colors without any specific recommendations These hats are sized to fit a medium adult woman, made on a circular size 7 or so needle with worsted weight yarn. Size adjustments are recommended by changing the size of yarn and/or needles or for extremely large, adding repeats. The techniques required aren't overly difficult- two color work, simple increases and decreases. If you like Anna Zilboorg's other works, for example Simply Socks, do yourself a favor and buy this book!

Gorgeous colors, fantastic shapes, something for everyone:
I love this hat book above all the others I own. The shapes are really special--everything from a simple beret, to a domed tam-o-shanter, a pentagonal tam and a wild and silly eared model that is inspired by those goofy polar fleece ski hats. Anna Zilboorg loves the colors and patterns of Turkish knitting, where positive and negative shapes intermingle in an eye-teasing way. Her color sense is wonderful--she knows how to take the richest shades and create stunning results. Her use of bobbles to add texture can be employed for other types of knitting, so this book is instructive for anyone who designs their own sweaters, mittens, gloves or even afghans. I never get tired of looking at this book, and the hats make some of the best gifts you can imagine. A must-have for hat knitters.

Fun, and not too hard, even for me:
I used to knit a lot, but then I quit. Now I've just picked up knitting needles for the first time in 30 years. First I made a scarf (duh), then I made an afghan with a scallop pattern. Then I bought this book and made a couple of hats. If I can do it, so can you. They're fun, fanciful, and not too hard for an average knitter.