Knitting Yarns

Writers on Knitting

De: Ann Hood - editor

Narrado por: Ann Hood, Sam Adrain

A collection of poignant essays about the transformative power of knitting by twenty-seven extraordinary writers.

“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.

©2014 Ann Hood (P)2013 Audible Inc.

Somewhat Disconnected

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Stories were mainly interesting, but many of them were VERY loosely connected to the theme.

Worth while listen

I liked these short stories. Some brought happy tears to my eyes, others had me laughing out loud!

Heartwarming

Enjoyed each tale and the telling. Memories and shared times to relive. Loved it! Hurray

Good for bedtime.

Although the stories could be interesting, the delivery was not. It would be good for falling asleep.

I love to knit and so do these folks

If you could sum up Knitting Yarns in three words, what would they be?

I enjoyed listening to the experiences of other knitters. It reminds me that I'm not the only one who finds nirvana when I knit.

great book

loved this book. I have a long commute and the short stories were perfect for the distance I drove. highly recommend

Great short stories…

Mostly uplifting short stories centered around knitting…or the importance of in families. Pleasurable to listen to and enjoy…easily to relate to many of these heartwarming, funny and poignant moments. Thanks for collecting them!

Great book!

I fell in love with this book, very fun while I knitted up a sweater. I found the male reader though very irritating maybe it's just me but his voice really bothered me, other than that I loved the book!!

For knitters only

Serious knitters will love this. Non-knitters will be perplexed by why such a book was even written.

Sometimes raucous, sometimes inane

As a knitter, I’m bored with cutesy descriptions of wacky beginner knitting projects gone wrong. I liked best the guy who knit clothes for his dog in Provincetown, and how he wove details of his life as a gay man into his knitting story. I’m sorry but stories of hapless knitting projects were repetitive. I enjoyed the expert knitter’s stories. Barbara King solver’s story was sublime with her expert knitting images, and her acute language was accurate and spot on. The story of teaching all of the attendees at a baby shower to knit a square of a quilt was hilarious, although I wish that we had been able to hear the comments (grumbles) of the ladies at the shower who were coerced into knitting the square. What a leap of faith on the part of that hostess! Wish I had been at that shower! I learned nothing new from Jane Smiley, although her story was enjoyable but predictable, having read a number of her books,