Are you enchanted by the look of the latest trendy infinity scarves and cowls? Would you like to learn how to crochet these fascinating accessories to incorporate into your own wardrobe — or to give as gifts to your stylish girlfriends and family members? If so, Crochet Cowls: 15 Bold and Beautiful Designs is a book you’re definitely going to want to check out.
What You Need to Know About This Crochet Pattern Book:
Author: Sharon Hernes Silverman
Publisher: Stackpole Books
Copyright Date: 2016
ISBN 13: 978-0811716741
ISBN 10: 0811716740
Book Formats:
This book is available in multiple formats:
- Softcover / Trade Paperback
- Digital Download: Kindle E-book
Number of Pages: 112
Cover Price: $21.95 US dollars
Skill Level: The scarves included in this book range from easy to experienced:
- 4 of these cowls are rated as easy or easy+ patterns.
- 8 of these cowls are rated as intermediate or intermediate+ level patterns.
- 3 of these cowls are rated as being patterns for experienced crochet enthusiasts.
If you need a refresher course on how to crochet your basic stitches, there are helpful photo tutorials included.
The Focus of This Book:
Crochet Cowls is all about giving you a variety of stylish, eye-catching cowl patterns you can crochet. You could make each of these trendy wardrobe pieces and not worry one bit about getting bored with your experience, considering the cowls are designed using bunches of different crochet techniques, stitch patterns, fibers and colors. Crochet techniques you’ll explore in this book include chevrons, Tunisian crochet, mosaic crochet, bead crochet, shell stitches and crochet lace.
Don’t worry if you’ve never tried the techniques mentioned above; the book includes photo tutorials and international symbol crochet charts that will help you visualize how to work these patterns — plus clear instructions that will give you the guidance you need to achieve success with each pattern.
Crochet Projects Included in This Book:
“Art Deco Skyline” Crochet Cowl
Have you ever attended outdoor parties or events where you didn’t dress as warmly as you should have because you didn’t want to spoil the look of your party clothes with clunky outerwear? Here’s your answer to that dilemma: a dressy beaded cowl you can wear instead of a necklace when you need a touch of warmth plus some sparkle too.
If you live in southern California, or any area where winter evenings are chilly but not frigid, you’ll be able to wear a scarf like this one when you go out for Christmas parties, New Year’s Eve parties, outdoor concerts and nights out on the town. If you live in an area with harsh winters, this design is likely better suited to wearing out in the spring or fall. Either way, you may also wish to make one of these for each of your “social butterfly” girlfriends, sisters or colleagues, because it’s a wearable design regardless of where you live.
This glamorous design is surprisingly affordable to crochet. Would you believe the yarn component of this project is only one skein of crochet thread — and the suggested thread is Aunt Lydia’s by Red Heart? For real! So don’t let the expensive look of this project fool you; even if you’re working with a tight yarn budget, you could likely manage to make these as gifts.
The “Chepstow” Crochet Cowl
You can make this cowl using a quick-to-crochet stitch pattern — and since the pattern instructs you to double up on the yarn, the crochet work moves along even more quickly. This is an excellent pattern to have in your stash if you crochet the presents you make for others; this could become one of your go-to patterns to reach for at times when you’re in need of last-minute gifts.
This is one of the easiest designs in this pattern collection, and it’s also one of the most versatile designs. You can wear this cowl with just about anything.
This is another design that’s likely to appeal to those of you who have to keep careful tabs on your yarn budgets. This is a two-skein project, and the suggested yarn is made by Red Heart — so making these cowls as gifts for your inner circle isn’t likely to break the bank.
Chunky Lime Cowl
If you’ve ever wished your crochet looked like knitting, try making yourself one of these chunky, hefty cowls. This design is crocheted, but it looks like one of the thick, bulky knits that are so popular with crafters right now.
This is a one-skein project made using an affordable baby yarn by Bernat. It’s not only a trendy design, it’s also an easy project that works up fast and doesn’t cost much — making it an outstanding candidate for gift-giving and charity crochet projects.
The “Atlantic Ice” Crochet Cowl
This gorgeous lace crochet cowl is featured on the front cover of the book. Rowan’s Kidsilk Haze, a mohair / silk blend, is the suggested yarn for this pattern. Along with the pattern, Sharon gives you some helpful tips for working with mohair yarns such as this one.
Magenta Mosaic Cowl
This is a two-color cowl that you can work using the mosaic crochet technique. This design repeats in a predictable way that isn’t too complicated — yet the project is interesting to work on. I think most crafters will find this to be a satisfying project, especially since the end result is a chic and lovely statement piece.
The “Maritime Chevrons” Cowl
Crochet enthusiasts have been fascinated with working chevron stitch patterns for as long as I can remember — but these days, chevrons have gone mainstream. They’re a huge thing as far as current fashion trends go, and chevrons have even been showing up in home décor as well.
This take on the chevron is a nice balance between classic and trendy. It’s a versatile cowl that pairs well with both casual clothing and tailored career wear.
While I love the original colorway Sharon used for crocheting this cowl, my wardrobe consists of mostly black clothing — so I want to re-color this design to make it integrate better into my own closet. I’ve been messing around with swatching various combinations of black, gray, khaki, white, and tan to see which color variation would work best given both my wardrobe and the yarns I have stashed. Once I can manage to figure that out, I’ll be excited to add this chic cowl to my wardrobe.
The “Boxy Loxy” Crochet Cowl
Bright primary-colored boxes are the focal point of this eye-catching crocheted cowl design. The boxes are crocheted using relief stitches that add a spectacular textural element to the already-interesting pattern.
The “Double Strand Delight” Crochet Cowl
This lovely infinity scarf incorporates the kind of colorwork I really enjoy doing. When I was in design school, I machine knitted an entire dress using a similar concept — with two strands of yarn held together throughout the project, changing colors to achieve interesting color gradations. I found the process fascinating, and I think this pattern would be similarly intriguing. If you find it interesting to see how multiple colors look when combined in different ways, this is a project you’re likely to enjoy crocheting — especially since interesting textures are also part of the mix in this design.
Sharon’s original cowl colorway is a fall-friendly combination of orange, navy blue and gold. While that’s a great colorway that I’m sure many of you will want to try, it looks to me like this scarf would also lend itself well to being re-colored in zillions of other ways.
For starters, I know many of you are Halloween fans; it would be a no-brainer to re-color this design keeping the orange as originally designed but using black instead of navy blue and using off-white instead of the mustard-y gold color. This would result in a Halloween scarf you could wear when you don’t feel like getting dressed up in costume for Halloween. Or you could wear it as part of your Halloween costume. Of course, you aren’t limited to wearing these colors only on Halloween; this is a color combination that’s wearable just about any time.
For my own wardrobe I’m eyeing some bright pink, light gray and black yarn I have stashed. I’m thinking that perhaps the pink could take the place of the original orange color, the light gray could take the place of the gold, and the black could replace the navy blue. I think this would be a gorgeous combination that would work well for livening up my mostly-black wardrobe.
The “Green Fields Capelet” Crochet Cowl
This is a versatile garment that you could wear in different ways — around your neck like a cowl, or around your shoulders, like a close-fitting wrap. You use the Tunisian crochet technique to work this pattern.
The “Intarsia Arrows” Crochet Cowl
This is a striking Tunisian crochet design worked in three different colors of yarn for maximum visual impact.
Fur-Trimmed Hooded Crochet Cowl
This sleek cowl has a playful yet sophisticated look, thanks to the furry yarn that’s used as a finishing touch to complete it.
The “Purly Grapes” Crochet Cowl
If you crochet this cowl in the yarns Sharon used to design it, you’ll pair a solid yarn with an interesting variegated print. The end result is an eye-catching textured stripe that would complement a variety of fashionable ensembles. This design is also easy to re-color, so you can try using your favorite colors to make the piece your own.
The”Loopy Boa”
Sharon has designed this dramatic cowl using three different yarn colors and an interesting loopy crochet stitch pattern.
“Firelight Turtleneck”
How do you feel when you wear something fabulous, and people stare at you as a result? Be aware that could easily happen with this design. If you love that feeling, the original colorway is the perfect choice for crocheting this piece; this cowl is a colorful conversation-starter when it’s worked up in Sharon’s original choice of yarns.
If you get a little uncomfortable at the thought, don’t let that stop you from making this design. You could substitute a solid yarn color instead, and it would still be completely fabulous wardrobe piece, yet not so flamboyant.
The “Zigzag Pip Stitch” Crochet Cowl
While the photography in this book is outstanding overall, the pictures don’t quite do justice to the wonderful stitch pattern used to crochet this multicolored cowl. You really have to crochet this up for yourself to fully appreciate it. I fell in love with this stitch after working the gauge swatch and testing out a new color combination. I worked my sample with black as the main color and accents of red and tan — which I really liked, but unfortunately the yarn I have stashed is too heavy for me to get the right gauge with it. I put it on my to-do list to try again with different yarn.
The Best Things About This Book
I think most crafters will agree that the crocheted cowls presented in this book are all wearable, appealing and in keeping with current fashion trends.
No matter what your yarn budget looks like, this book gives you choices you’re likely to find appealing. There are some budget-friendly projects for those of you who have to carefully monitor your spending, and some splurge-worthy projects for those of you who are in a position to prioritize buying luxury yarns.
No matter what your skill level with crochet, you’re likely to find a project that will be interesting for you to work on. If you’re a beginner, you may wish to start out by crocheting the easy but interesting Maritime Chevrons cowl. Other great choices would be the Chepstow cowl since it utilizes an ultra-simple crochet stitch pattern, and the quick, easy chunky lime cowl.
These projects would all make great gifts. If there are any stylish ladies on your holiday gift list, this is definitely a crochet pattern book you’re going to want to own. Since cowls and infinity scarves have been popular lately, these projects are all right on-trend — yet many of these designs are also workable wardrobe choices for ladies whose tastes are more classic and conservative.
The team at Stackpole books didn’t skimp on the photography in this book. Each cowl is presented in full color with crisp, saturated images. You also get step-by-step photo tutorials for many of the crochet stitches and techniques presented in the book.
The styling in the book is done well. Each cowl accessorizes an outfit that’s wearable and practical.
Whether you prefer to work from written instructions or international symbol crochet charts, you’re covered either way. Symbol crochet charts are included in these pattern instructions, making it easy and intuitive to understand how to crochet each cowl presented in the book.
The team at Stackpole Books has really put together a lovely book. It’s a pleasure to browse through it; the projects and the models wearing them are beautiful, the graphic design is compelling, the fonts are appealing and right on-trend, and the book is organized logically.
Conclusion
This is a book I’d recommend to any crochet enthusiast who would enjoy making ladies’ cowls, infinity scarves or neck warmers. I think this book is an excellent value for its asking price.
Where to Buy This Book:
More Crochet Books and Classes by Sharon Hernes Silverman
Sharon is one of my favorite crochet pattern designers. She’s adept at designing projects for a variety of purposes, including baby projects, home décor projects, clothing and accessories. If you like the design work you saw featured on this page, you’ll definitely want to learn about her other crochet books and classes, too. Here are links to a couple of Sharon’s other crochet resources I’ve reviewed and posted about:
- Delicate Crochet Pattern Book
- Tunisian Crochet for Baby
- Tunisian Crochet Baby Blankets
- Crochet Ripples Class by Sharon Hernes Silverman
Learn More About Crochet Books:
- Best Crochet Hat Pattern Books
- Best Crochet Womenswear Pattern Books
- The Best Crochet Stitch Dictionaries
- The Best Books on Crochet Flowers
- The Best Crochet Books for Beginners
- The Best Crochet Baby Pattern Books
- The Best Crochet Blanket Pattern Books
- The Best Crochet Edging Pattern Books
Learn More About Crochet:
- Wondering what’s the best size to make your crocheted scarf? Click or tap HERE to find our readers’ recommendations for the best scarf sizes.
- 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.
Learn About Other Needlework Techniques: Knitting, Embroidery, Cross Stitch, Sewing, Quilting and More
- Click here to get updated on the latest craft supplies.
- Click here to learn about knitting.
- You can find my picks for the best knitting books HERE.
- Click here to find our beginner’s guide to knitting needles.
- Click here to find outstanding craft project ideas.
Posted By: Amy Solovay
Page last updated on 8-5-2023. Thanks for visiting!