Knit Scarves! by Candi Jensen (2004, Hardcover)

This scarf book is the ultimate scarf book for the beginning knitter. Candi Jensen, (author of book), has done a superb job with this book. If one starts from the beginning of the book and knits every scarf, she/he will be amazed at how much they have learned and how easy these knitting steps are. Candi starts with a basic garter stitch scarf, moves into a rib scarf then into using a huge yarn, using the "mock" rib stitch. She then has you try a gorgeous cable scarf, that one will see how easy it is to cable and have a gorgeous scarf too. Candi then shows the wonderful seed stitch, added to this scarf Candi shows how to make beautiful "wired ribbon" flowers! Then comes the wonderful slip stitch scarf in five different colors and you will knit it length wise not width wise! She then shows a scarf in the "Drop Stitch" and moves into the traveling vine "LACE" pattern. Still using a "LACE" pattern, she shows the ever popular Feather and Fan lace pattern. Candi then explains how to get the Woven Knit, again using a version of the slip stitch. Candi even takes the knitter into the territory that most are afraid to try, the dreaded Fair Isle. One will see how easy it is to Fair Isle. After the Fair Isle, she shows you how to add the hole in the middle of the scarf, with just a few cast offs and cast ons, to give you that scarf that stays, when pulled, right up against your neck and you don't have to wrestle with it to get it to stay put. Candi then shows the Random Diagnols worked with scrap yarns, but you will end up knowing how to knit diagonally when done. She ends with a Diamond scarf, showing the knitter how to knit little squares, in three colors and ending up with beautiful scarves and knowing a lot about knitting. She has super tutorials with each and every scarf. You will never have to ask or wonder how to work a stitch in this book, she does such a great job of showing and writing her tutorials. Also, she shows each scarf in four different types of yarn that could be used. The only down side I found to this wonderful book is that all of the yarns, and there are many, that she uses or mentions are very pricey. Just remember the guage guage guage and you can find a lot cheaper yarns, getting the same beautiful effects for each scarf. I, actually recommend for the two lace scarves to seek other yarns to use then the ones used by Candi. The reason I say this is because, I feel, when knitting lace you should see the beautiful lace that you have knit. With the yarns that she has chosen you cannot see the lace pattern and that is a shame.
Leah4003