The Little Box of Scarves II

I bought this after my aunt shared it with me. I love the cards--in fact I had several family members go through them to pick scarves that they wanted me to make for them. It's true that many yarns are discontinued, but there are plenty of Web sites that offer substitutes for yarns, so you'll get pretty darn close. Even if you don't love every pattern, it's not a lot of money for a lot of variety.

I first off have to say that I'm a touch in awe of Melissa Mathay. She used to own a shop in Manhattan and I went in almost every day to see what she was wearing. Somehow she was able to knit up a new top or accessory at the touch of her needles. She is an awesome pattern maker; as I think that the beauty of the yarn comes first with her. That said, you can be sure that any pattern in any book that Melissa has designed will be simple but with a twist. I am so glad that she has started this 'In a Box' series. Some of the patterns are familiar to me from 20 years ago, so you know that they are also timeless. I hope that she does vests, cardis,etc. I'm really looking forward to 'Baby Items in a box' because nobody does a baby sweater like her. Her boys were the best dressed babies in Manhattan. If you live in Minnesota she's got a yarn store there and boy am I jealous. So please get all of her books, I love them. Melissa - we need you!

This box of scarves has something for everyone -- all knitting levels, dressy and casual and funky, and the yarns are to die for! If you're looking for a gift for the knitter in your life, this would be perfect. I love small knitting projects that I can take on the road with me, or work on while I'm waiting for whatever. One of the beauties of this box of scarf patterns is I can just grab the pattern card I'm working on and stash it in the bag with the yarn -- I don't need to take the whole book or magazine. My Christmas list of gifts to buy just got much smaller and a lot more fun -- folks are going to be getting beautiful scarves made by moi! Happy knitting!!