[.uk] The Knit Hat Book: 25 Hats from Basic Shapes (ISBN 1561581992)

You really can't tell this book by its cover.:
If you're looking for patterns for hats with a tone similar to those on the cover, this might not be the book for you. A preponderance of the styles inside have quite a different look than those on the cover of the book and are quite fanciful; some have big, craftsy embellishments, for example. Not exactly what I have in mind for wearing to work or even for a hike in the woods. On the other hand, many of the patterns would lend themselves well to leaving off the embellishments or toning down bright colors to produce less playful hats, and the basic shapes of a lot of the hats are very attractive. It would be easy to modify these patterns to a more understated look. For me, the patterns for the two lovely, reasonable hats on the cover were worth the price of the book (considering that you can spend just about the price of this book for only a few single-page hat patterns at a yarn shop).

A Mixed Bag...:
I really love to knit hats, and this booked seemed like a treasure trove. However, as has been pointed out, the designs on the cover are really cute, but the majority of patterns inside are (to my tastes) rather unattractive. *However*, as the author herself states, play around with the patterns. Embellish them, change or adapt them. It's a wonderful book for experienced hat knitters to toy around with. Many of the patterns could easily be adapted. However, for beginning hat knitters, I would recommend Hats On! by Charlene Schurch.

Something for everyone!:
I liked this book, although I think is a tad overpriced for it's size--I don't like to see so much empty space in a book. It is a Taunton Press thing, I guess. The instructions are very clear, and I thought the inside designs for the most part (the flower basket hat--yuck--but the flower embellishments would be nice alternatives to pompoms!) were nicer than the cover designs, unlike a previous reviewer. Depending on the yarn used, you could dress up or dress down the hats. Epstein sprinkles a lot of tips throughout, some in ways that you don't even notice until you look and say "yes, that really does work better that way". This is a good book.

Uneven selection of hats.:
The selection of hats is uneven, to say the least. Some hats are very conservative (I would say boring, like the standard watch cap pattern you can get from any book or for free from the internet) but others are quite fanciful, for example, the hat with knitted acorns attached to the top with i-cord, and the pillbox hat that looks like a flower basket. Most are softly shaped as opposed to firmly structured. I myself prefer highly structured novelty hats with interesting shapes in primary colours (think Anna Zilboorg with colour blocks instead of fair isle), and for me there is not one hat in here that I care to knit. I returned the book the next day.

This book is really unique.:
Finally a book for knitters who want to go beyond the merely mundane! These designs are so creative, how does she do it? If you want to be inspired by design, BUY THIS BOOK!