THE SUNDAY REVIEW | KNITTING YARNS & KNITTING PEARLS – ANN HOOD

   

I’ve been knitting since I was a kid, and I come from a matriarchal line who also practiced the craft. My grandmother knitted complex patterns that she held entirely in her head, and did it at lightning speed while watching TV – barely ever looking at her hands. My mother learned to knit when she was a schoolgirl because she needed to be able to make clothes for herself. She’s the one who taught me how to knit when I was, as they say, knee high to a grasshopper. I’m not anywhere near as skilled as any of my generic foremothers, but I enjoy doing it and find a particular magic in turning yarn into a wearable object, particularly if it’s one that has a little bit of style. I can’t do large or complex patterns – I’m not fast enough, nor skilled enough – but I can make scarves and hats and baby blankets, read a simple pattern and do basic textures like cabling. I’ve recently taken up crocheting because I’ve always been curious about it and wanted to give it a go. I think it’s a bit more conducive to my way of working on things – it’s faster, there are lots of small and fast projects, and I get the wonderful reward of making things for my kid that always go over well (I crocheted a doll of Hilda for Christmas that was not simple, but manageable, and it was a hit! I’ve never been so pleased with the result of any of my crafting as I was with that).

I don’t know many knitters or crafters though. I wish I had a circle of women to sit and have a natter with over yarn work, but I don’t. So I look for my fellow creators in books. These two appealed to me because not only are they (mostly) knitters talking about what knitting has meant to them and how it has helped them or served as a connection with loved ones, but they’re also anthologies with pieces written by a variety of literary and crafting figures – including the likes of Barbara Kingsolver and Diana Gabaldon.

I can’t remember many of the individual pieces of writing in these books – one I read months ago and the other I was listening to while busy – but I enjoyed every minute I spent in the company of these fellow crafters. Some knitted out of necessity, some out of loneliness, some knitted to show their love to someone, or to forge a connection with new people. Whatever the reason, knitting meant more than just the act of doing it or the resulting pieces – it held a place in their lives that meant something. It helped people through hard times, and it filled empty spaces in their lives. There’s something meditative about the type of craft that you can do with your hands while your mind is engaged elsewhere. It can be an old-school type of fidget toy, it can be a way to feel productive during down times, or it can be a way to help your mind find the space to process difficult experiences. There are knitters who will knit anything with any yarn – including unravelled second-hand sweaters, and those who are connoisseurs of the various fibres used to create yarn, the textures and weights, which are easy or difficult to work with. There are as many ways to be a knitter as there are knitters, but we all share an understanding for the particular purpose knitting serves to those who are dedicated to it.

I loved the mixture of voices in these books, and that there are knitting patters also included throughout. I liked the balance of very different experiences – from lifelong knitters to those who used to knit and have chosen never to pick up needles again. I like that there are all different types of people who have been chosen to share their experiences, and the way the pieces are set against one another makes for a thoroughly engaging reading experience from start to finish.

I don’t know if any of you are knitters, but if you are, I’d highly recommend picking up one (or both) of these books. They won’t disappoint, and they’re excellent read as audiobooks. I found it incredibly comforting to spend a few hours hanging out with this group of fellow yarn enthusiasts, and to hear all about the many ways knitting can engage knitters. I know I’ll come back to these again and again, particularly when I’m feeling a bit down or lonely and in need of a cosy and comforting reading experience.

Knitting Yarns:

“In this lovely anthology, Sue Grafton, Barbara Kingsolver, and other authors go public with their passion for knitting.” ― People (four stars) “The impressive collection of writers here have contributed essays that celebrate knitting and knitters. They share their knitting triumphs and disasters as well as their life triumphs and disasters.… These essays will break your heart. They will have you laughing out loud.” ―Ann Hood, from the introduction Why does knitting occupy a place in the hearts of so many writers? What’s so magical and transformative about yarn and needles? How does knitting help us get through life-changing events and inspire joy? In Knitting Yarns , twenty-seven writers tell stories about how knitting healed, challenged, or helped them to grow. Barbara Kingsolver describes sheering a sheep for yarn. Elizabeth Berg writes about her frustration at failing to knit. Ann Patchett traces her life through her knitting, writing about the scarf that knits together the women she’s loved and lost. Knitting a Christmas gift for his blind aunt helped Andre Dubus III knit an understanding with his girlfriend. Kaylie Jones finds the woman who used knitting to help raise her in France and heals old wounds. Sue Grafton writes about her passion for knitting. Also included are five original knitting patterns created by Helen Bingham. Poignant, funny, and moving, Knitting Yarns is sure to delight knitting enthusiasts and lovers of literature alike. – Goodreads

Knitting Pearls:

“Engaging . . . tangled stories of family relationships, expectations and traditions . . . compelling, regardless of the reader’s experience with the craft.”― Portland Press Herald In Knitting Pearls , two dozen writers write about the transformative and healing powers of knitting. Lily King remembers the year her family lived in Italy, and a knitted hat that helped her daughter adjust to her new home. Laura Lippman explores how converting to Judaism changed not only Christmas but also her mother’s gift of a knitted stocking. Jodi Picoult remembers her grandmother and how through knitting she felt that everlasting love. And Bill Roorbach remembers his freshman year in college when knitting soothed his broken heart and helped him fall in love again. Other contributors include Steve Almond, Ann Leary, Christina Baker Kline, Lee Woodruff, and knitting rock stars Jared Flood of Brooklyn Tweed and the Yarn Whisperer, Clara Parks. With knitting patterns from renowned stores such as Purl Soho, Hill Country Weavers, and Churchmouse Yarns, Knitting Pearls is by turns delightful and heartbreaking, joyous and wise. These personal stories by award-winning writers celebrate the moments of loss and love intertwined in the rhythm, ritual, and pleasure of knitting. – Goodreads