Today, a poncho is not just a poncho, worn by 1970s hippies as fair and foul weather coverings. As Oslo based knitter and author Samson (The Cable Knitter's Guide, 2017) demonstrates, it's a multipurpose garment, serving as a shawl, sweater, neck warmer, even glamorous accessory. So her 40-plus designs include not only the over-the-head version but also accompanying accessories--scarves, headbands, boot toppers. Though billed as both classic and contemporary in design, styles lean toward the traditional-cables, stripes, Fair Isle, and the like-with muted colors the norm. There is something for everyone, ranging from novice to experienced (even though level of difficulty is not indicated); each includes at least one color photograph of the finished garment in addition to good instructions. The beginning introduces knitters (and crocheters, too) to the different poncho shapes and features abbreviations, important to distinguish in this age of transatlantic patterns (UK and U.S. -- Booklist, August 2017.