Would you be interested in a crochet pattern book featuring nothing but stylish, classic crochet hat and scarf patterns for ladies? If so, Noggins and Necks: 10 Crochet Designs is a book you’ll want to know about.
Book Details:
Author: Bonnie Barker
Publisher: Leisure Arts
ISBN 13: 978-1-57486-397-0
Book Formats:
This is a Softcover book With Stapled Binding.
Number of Pages: 20
Cover Price: $9.95 US dollars
Skill Level: The publisher has assigned a skill level rating of “Easy” to all the patterns in this book. See my comments below for more details.
The Focus of This Book:
This book exists for the purpose of giving you 10 patterns for crocheting matching hat and scarf sets. There are five sets all together, with five hat patterns and five scarf patterns included.
These are all aran-style textured designs crocheted in one color of medium-weight yarn. They’d make fantastic winter hats, and many of you will probably get significant use out of them on chilly days in the spring and fall as well — depending on your local climate.
These accessories are both stylish and classic. They look current and wearable now, especially if you pair them with trendy jackets and clothing. However, the designs are styles that won’t be outdated quickly.
This is a lovely crochet book. If you want to work on crocheting one-color textured hat and scarf patterns suitable for wearing in cold weather, it’s hard to go wrong with this book.
Projects Included in This Book:
- Basket Weave Hat and Scarf Set — You can crochet this scarf and hat set using back and front post double crochet stitches to form a classic basketweave texture.
- Woven Stitch Hat and Scarf Set — This is an absolutely gorgeous aran-style hat and scarf set made using basic stitches including treble crochet, double crochet, single crochet and an interesting stitch pattern called “woven stitch.”
I crocheted one repeat of the hat pattern to test the project instructions, and I found them to be clear and workable. However, I’m not convinced this pattern deserves its assigned skill level rating of “easy.” When I was a new crocheter, if I had chosen this set as a second, third or fourth crochet project, it would have caused me significant frustration. I’d only recommend this pattern to crocheters who have mastered their basic crochet stitches completely and are working at an even tension at all times. - Two Stitch Hat and Scarf Set — I found this to be the easiest set included in the book. If I had been tasked with assigning skill level ratings to this set, I would have given the scarf a skill level rating of “beginner” rather than its assigned level of “easy”; I think it would be fine as a first or second project for a new crocheter. The simple stitch pattern creates a satisfying, appealing texture that’s likely to keep more experienced crocheters interested in working the design as well.
The hat deserves its skill level rating of easy; as far as hat patterns go, this one is simple, straightforward and doable.
Overall, this is a great pattern to have in your library. - Fisherman Hat and Scarf Set — You can crochet this innovative, interesting aran-style set using popcorn stitches and cable stitches. The pattern instructions include several diagrams which show you in detail how to work the cables.
- Braided Hat and Scarf Set — This set is crocheted using a combination of popcorns, post stitches and textured stitches to give you another aran-style duo.
The Best Things About This Book:
- The instructions are clear, concise and straightforward.
- The design work is outstanding. For the most part, these are wearable designs that would appeal to a majority of crafters.
- The color photography is clear, helpful and inspiring.
- The styling in this book is outstanding. The team at Leisure Arts has done a great job of presenting these accessories in way that’s appealing and approachable. The model is wearing stylish clothing and outerwear that complements these accessories well; the clothes are typical of styles that ordinary people have in their wardrobes. The styling here makes it easy for you to determine whether each of these designs is one you’d want to add to your wardrobe.
- These are all practical patterns; if you’re careful to follow the instructions and you use suitable yarn, your finished crochet projects will be suitable for cold-weather wear.
- You’re likely to get many years’ worth of wear out of the accessories you make using these patterns.
- These projects have lots of great details, which makes them interesting projects to crochet.
Things to Be Aware of Before You Buy This Book:
- I already explained where I think the skill level ratings in this book have gone wrong. I hope that wouldn’t be a deal-breaker for you if you’re interested in this book otherwise.
- There’s not much variety in these pattern designs; they’re all quite a bit alike. This is not a bad thing if you like the look of medium-weight monochromatic textured accessories. These sets are different enough from each other that it’s worth making all of them. However, be aware that you won’t find any designs that are colorful or striped or worked in other techniques like motifs, lace or Tunisian crochet. These are all textured aran-style patterns.
- These hats are all designed to fit a head measuring 21 inches in circumference. This size should fit most adult ladies comfortably. Even if your head measurement is an inch or two larger than 21 inches, these hats should stretch enough to give you a comfortable fit. However, if your head is a significantly different size, you might need to adjust the patterns a bit. There are no instructions for how to do this, but it would be a matter of finding a place in the design where you can either add a stitch repeat or take one out without it being too noticeable. If necessary, this sort of adjustment could be easily accomplished with several of these hat designs.
Conclusion:
This is a pattern book I feel comfortable recommending to any crocheter who wants to make a ladies’ hat or scarf; in my opinion, it’s well worth its asking price. If you’re a beginner, to avoid frustration I suggest making the two-stitch scarf before you move on to the more challenging projects in the book.
Where to Buy This Book:
Click here to shop for this book at Amazon.com.
More Crochet Books by Bonnie Barker
Bonnie Barker is one of my all-time favorite crochet pattern designers. She consistently designs top-notch, stylish classics that I enjoy crocheting and LOVE owning. This book is fantastic, and I think you’ll be enchanted by her other lovely books, too! Check ’em out:
More Cute Crochet Hat Patterns
- Crocheted Beanies and Slouchy Hats
- Check out our picks for the best crochet hat pattern books.
- Visit our main directory of crochet hat patterns.
More Pretty Crochet Scarf Patterns and Cowls
- Crochet Cowls, a lovely pattern collection by Sharon Silverman
- Click here to visit our main directory of crochet scarf patterns.
Further Reading: Find More of My Picks for the Best Crochet Books
- Click here to check out my recommendations for the best crochet stitch dictionaries.
- Click here to find the best crochet books for beginners
- Click here to find the best crochet baby pattern books
- Click here to find the best books on crochet flowers
Learn More About Crochet:
- Click Here to Learn How to Crochet; This Link Takes You to a Total Beginner’s Guide to Crochet.
- Click here to find crochet stitch tutorials and instructions.
- Click here to learn more crochet techniques.
- Click HERE to Find Fabulous Yarn for Crochet and Knitting
- Click here to learn about crochet hooks.
- Click here to find my favorite crochet project bag.
By Amy Solovay
About the Author: Amy Solovay is a real person; she is NOT a robot and does not use artificial intelligence (AI) to write articles for this website. She is a real, live, human content creator and educator who holds a bachelor’s degree with a studio art minor; she has also earned a separate degree in textile design. Amy learned to crochet as a small child, and she still enjoys crocheting all these years later. Beyond that, she enjoys introducing other crafters to the best new craft supplies, and she also loves helping crafters learn new techniques for making the most of the craft supplies they buy.
As an educator, Amy Solovay used to teach in-person college courses in trend forecasting, marketing and surface design at California Design College in Los Angeles.
Nowadays, Amy uses online platforms to teach digital courses to craft pattern designers, content creators and influencers all over the world. If you’re an artist, crafter or DIY enthusiast who is interested in earning income from your creative work, you’re invited to visit Crafterprise.com to learn more about monetizing the arts, craft(s) and / or DIY projects you do.
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This page was last updated on 10-4-2024.