In Knitting Yarns, twenty-seven writers share how knitting healed, challenged, or helped them grow. There are twenty-six short stories, one poem, and five original patterns in this book, and I enjoyed almost every single one. They run the gamut from serious to light-hearted, and it's certainly possible to cry while reading one story only to laugh at the next.
My favorites? Sue Grafton's "Teaching a Child to Knit," Elinor Lipman's "I Bought This Pattern Book Last Spring," "The Clothes Make the Dog" by Taylor M. Polites, and "Knitted Goods: Notes from a Nervous Knitter" by Elizabeth Searles.
As a solitary knitter, I felt connected to these writers as I read their various relationships with yarn and needles. I also came away with several quotes that touched me, like this one from Andre Dubus III's "Blood, Root, Knit, Purl": "...I felt joined to all the men and women across cultures down through the ages who'd done something useful with their hands."
In the case of previous generations of women in my family, making things-- whether it be by sewing, crocheting, or knitting-- was often a matter of have to, not want to. But these busy women who cooked, cleaned, washed, ironed, birthed and raised children, and helped their husbands farm the land often found time to make something that's main purpose was purely decorative. They needed something pretty in their lives. Reading the stories in Knitting Yarns reconnected me with my roots and made me feel satisfied with the work of my own hands.
This is a good anthology for those who love to make things, and for those who don't who just might want to know what the fascination is all about.
My favorites? Sue Grafton's "Teaching a Child to Knit," Elinor Lipman's "I Bought This Pattern Book Last Spring," "The Clothes Make the Dog" by Taylor M. Polites, and "Knitted Goods: Notes from a Nervous Knitter" by Elizabeth Searles.
As a solitary knitter, I felt connected to these writers as I read their various relationships with yarn and needles. I also came away with several quotes that touched me, like this one from Andre Dubus III's "Blood, Root, Knit, Purl": "...I felt joined to all the men and women across cultures down through the ages who'd done something useful with their hands."
In the case of previous generations of women in my family, making things-- whether it be by sewing, crocheting, or knitting-- was often a matter of have to, not want to. But these busy women who cooked, cleaned, washed, ironed, birthed and raised children, and helped their husbands farm the land often found time to make something that's main purpose was purely decorative. They needed something pretty in their lives. Reading the stories in Knitting Yarns reconnected me with my roots and made me feel satisfied with the work of my own hands.
This is a good anthology for those who love to make things, and for those who don't who just might want to know what the fascination is all about.
Pithy, well developed essays, mostly anecdotal and memoir-ish, about stitchery (most knitting, but a few crochet) in the authors' lives. I ordered the book after reading a library copy; wanting to own it even though my bookshelves are over-flowing. The cover/title are a lovely pun, and reflect the kind of thought that went into assembling this collection.
There's great variety in the depth and disclosure by individual authors, but all are intriguing, some are witty, a few are heart-breaking. If handicrafts are any part of your life or work, it's likely at least some of these essays will engage you or lead you to a new voice to cherish. I liked almost all of them, loved a few, 2 sent me to Wikipedia to learn more about an author and 1 sent me to buy a book by an author I had never heard of before. It was well worth my time.
There's great variety in the depth and disclosure by individual authors, but all are intriguing, some are witty, a few are heart-breaking. If handicrafts are any part of your life or work, it's likely at least some of these essays will engage you or lead you to a new voice to cherish. I liked almost all of them, loved a few, 2 sent me to Wikipedia to learn more about an author and 1 sent me to buy a book by an author I had never heard of before. It was well worth my time.
Maybe I was missing something, but I found this book depressing.
Knitting Yarns is a book of essays and one poem from twenty seven authors who are also knitters. They speak about the power of knitting as a craft, of the impact the craft has had on their lives, of lessons learned, and of special people and special memories. The book also includes some knitting patterns. The book can be read from end to end, or flipped open to read just one essay.
Read my complete review at: http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2014/05/knitting-yarns.html
Read my complete review at: http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2014/05/knitting-yarns.html
