I find it difficult to believe that I've never knit a single scarf from this book, but I have to admit that it's true.  I bought it because I lusted after several of the scarves inside, and I pick it up often and flip through to sigh over the scarves that I love.  But I've never actually had the time, the yarn, and the inclination all together at once to actually cast on for one.  Isn't that sad?  That's sad.

Scarf Style is one in a series of "X Style" books put out by Interweave Press, where X = any given knit item.  We also have Wrap Style, Lace Style, and several others.  I like those books, but not as much as I like Scarf Style.

I believe that most (if not all) of the patterns in this book are original, and not simply reprints from Interweave Knits.  Flipping through the title pages seems to bear this out as well.  What this means is that Interweave commissioned a relatively mind-boggling 31 patterns from today's hottest designers for their book, which is quite a feat.

The Interweave Knits aesthetic is a good one, and Scarf Style is no exception.  Most of the scarves are timeless beautiful classics that would go with a variety of wardrobe styles and occasions.  But there are a few curveballs, too, perhaps serving as reminders that you can do a lot with scarves.  A lot more than most of us think of on a day to day basis!

The funny thing about the "inexplicable" patterns is that I probably spend more time poring over them than the others.  A great example of this is Shippo, which is knit with that wacky stainless steel "yarn" from Habu Textiles.  The scarf is so small, and oddly shaped!  

Furthermore, Shippo is made with stainless steel wire wrapped in paper!  And yet there is something compelling about it.  I see that 45 people have made this pattern in Ravelry, and it looks like most of them have used the specified "yarn."  Maybe because this is probably the only knitting pattern in the world that calls for it.

Nicky Epstein's Nasty Dog Dragon Scarf is another oddity.  The scarf is fairly massive, with a colorful intarsia dragon at one end, and it has to be lined with fabric because otherwise the stockinette will curl like crazy.  But it's so beautiful!  And I've literally never seen anything like it.

Of course, the real hits from this book are a lot more conventional.  I've seen the Lady Eleanor Entrelac Stole, Forbes Forest, Ene's Scarf, and Misty Garden scarf in person, and they are all beautiful.  (I particularly lust after the Lady Eleanor stole.)

If there is anything to object to in Scarf Style, it's that the pictures tend to be more artistic than descriptive. This has long been a problem with Interweave publications, it's just part of the aesthetic.  For most of the scarves you can get a pretty good idea what's going on.  But for some, like Annie ModesItt's Backyard Leaves, you really have no idea what the finish scarf actually looks like.  Beautiful, I'm sure, and isn't that sort of thing why we love Ravelry so much?  Still though, it's something to keep in mind.