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Review on Discover the Art of Modern ๐Ÿงฃ Scarf Knitting: 27 Unique and Stylish Designs by Kelly Caballes

Revainrating 5 out of 5

If you like Debbie New and Teva Durham.

You'll love Lynn Barr's imaginative, curious and creative approach to scarves. In many ways, this is an architectural approach, not a decorative one. If you're looking for intricate stitch patterns and color effects, look elsewhere. These scarves are knitted using the simplest stitches - garter stitch and rib. But Lynn Barr transforms them into three-dimensional forms that curve, wobble and bubble in unexpected patterns. I don't find all of them equally wonderful: some made me smile; others seemed funny. (And a few very derivative ones.) Goodies include: a shawl made from a string of black "pearls"; a chic (and warm) combination of shawl collar and scarf; two-tone i-cord scarf; Ribs, transforming into three-dimensional waves. It seems that Barr's creativity knows no bounds and her experiments succeed more often than they fail. A few words about the production that other readers have already mentioned. This is a heavyweight photo book with full page shots of finished scarves. Each brief introduction to the design takes up another full page. The margins are wide and the font is very small. But the type is well placed and the patterns aren't overloaded with words, so even with two cataracts, a corneal transplant, and strong reading glasses, I have no trouble reading. The instructional photos, which often illustrate Barr's unusual multi-needle techniques, are among the clearest I've seen. I'm less happy with large photographs of finished objects. Tylee Barbosa is described as a food and food photographer. As a creative director and former editor, I would hire her any day. The style is beautiful and memorable, the lighting is excellent. But this is a photo of a rope: the reader working on a project for weeks wants to see what the whole piece looks like, not an elaborately cut or folded version.

Pros
  • This is great
Cons
  • Some mistakes