Knit Local: Celebrating America's Homegrown Yarns [Paperback]

Tanis Gray (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2011

Knit Local showcases 30 beautiful fashion, accessory, and home décor projects made with yarns manufactured and sold right here in North America. Expert knitter Tanis Gray stresses the wisdom of preserving local businesses, protecting the environment, and treating livestock humanely while tracing the journey of her yarns “from sheep to skien.” As informative as it is inspiring, this book is above all a stunning fashion source, with gorgeous projects that will leave you feeling good and looking even better.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

A graduate of RISD, Tanis Gray lives in Washington, DC. Having worked at Martha Stewart, HBO, Focus Features, in the art department in the film and television industries, and after a 4-year career as the Yarn Editor at Vogue Knitting and co-editor of Knit.1, she has been working in the creative field for many years. Tanis has over 150 published knitting designs, and her work has been featured in many major publications and books. Her website is tanisknits.com.

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Sixth&Spring Books (November 1, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1936096188
• ISBN-13: 978-1936096183
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 8.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #122,389 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great find for an environmentally conscious, confident knitter, October 24, 2011

By 

Underground Crafter (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Knit Local: Celebrating America's Homegrown Yarns (Paperback)

Full disclosure: I received a review copy of this book through Sixth & Spring to review on my blog.

I was very excited about reviewing Knit Local: Celebrating America's Homegrown Yarns, and for the most part, my high expectations were met.

The concept of Tanis's book is great. The target audience is confident knitters in the United States who are environmentally conscious and/or interested in knowing more about how the yarns they love are produced. Tanis encourages you to learn about where your yarn comes from, and introduces the reader to U.S. based companies who produce yarn in an eco-friendly manner. By promoting these companies, Tanis aims to encourage us to be more environmentally conscious consumers, who buy products locally to reduce the carbon impact from transportation. To this end, the book is arranged regionally, and includes a profile of twenty-eight yarn companies. Each company's profile is followed by a pattern using one or more of its yarns.

What I like about this book:

As someone who has always lived in an inner-city, and who occasionally fantasizes about living on farm, producing my own super awesome yarn, I was thrilled to read about people who've actually lived this dream.

The stories of the different companies are really interesting. (Full disclosure: I find entrepreneurs and their stories interesting - if you don't, this could bore you to tears.)

It was helpful to read the business philosophies of the different companies and to know more about their products. I learned a lot about the philosophy behind some of my favorite yearns.

I enjoyed learning about new yarns, and especially about those produced by small, independent yarn companies. The profiles feel more intimate than reading about the yarn company on a website - almost like being introduced by a friend.

The resources section in the back includes information about knitting notions made in the U.S., as well as information about the yarn companies profiles in the book.

The book is graphically attractive and has excellent photographs. It definitely qualifies as "eye candy."

Unlike many books, which have no defined target audience and include beginner tutorials along with advanced patterns, this book aims squarely at the experienced knitter. Two patterns are done in crochet, and the rest are in knit. About half of the projects are advanced difficulty, with the rest being mostly intermediate. There is one easy pattern.

There is a broad range of projects by many different designers.

(Side note: My favorite knitting patterns were the Big Man on Campus Hoodie in Green Mountain Spinnery Alpaca Elegance by Josh Bennett, the Cabled Car Coat in Farmhouse Yarns Andy's Merino by Sauniell Connally, the Maritime Hat and Mittens in Swan Island Yarns Worsted by Jil Eaton, the McEnroe Diamonds Scarf in Juniper Moon Farm Fire Wool Worsted Weight by Ben Walker, Farmhouse Gloves in Solitude Romney by Kristin Nicholas, and the Winterthur Beret and Cowl Set in Hazel Knits Artisan Lively by Elspeth Kursh. It might be my crochet bias, but I really liked both crochet patterns, too: the Wildflowers Scarf in Buffalo Gold Lux by Linda Permann and the Random Harvest Afghan, photo-styled like a shawl, in Brown Sheep Company`s Lamb's Pride Worsted by Randy Caveliere.)

On the other hand...

Like some works of conceptual art, the book doesn't come together exactly as you would imagine based on hearing about the concept. For example:

After Tanis convinces us in the opening pages about all of the benefits of buying local to reduce environmental impact, the back cover flap proudly declares that the book was manufactured in China. It is hard to believe that Sixth & Spring couldn't find a location in the Western hemisphere to publish this book,

especially given the subject matter.

It is wonderful to see a book with so many different designers represented. However, I'm not sure that any one knitter would actually be interested in making this diversity of patterns. There are baby/child garments, men's and women's clothing, all manner of accessories, a pair of socks, and a sprinkling of home decor - in quite a few different styles and using a range of techniques. The book doesn't look as cohesive as most books with a limited range of designers or a project theme. I think many people look for themes in their books - either a project type (e.g., socks) or emphasis on a certain technique (e.g., cables), so this aspect of the book may limit its appeal.

While the back cover declares "30+ Gorgeous Knits!," I keep counting and only get 30 projects. I actually think 30 projects is plenty for a book of this price - but since the back cover has me thinking there are more projects, it seems like something is missing.

I can't help but wonder why the companies with only 1 yarn produced in the U.S. are included (though their stories are just as interesting as the rest).

The verdict

I don't knit nearly as much as I crochet, and if you read myblog regularly, you know that I don't tend to follow patterns, so I'm not in the target audience of this book. However, it does stand on its own as an introduction to some of the small, independent yarn companies in the U.S. I think an environmentally conscious knitter who likes at least five of these patterns would be quite happy with the book. And it would be easy to find 5 patterns you like, since the patterns on the whole are really great and represent a variety of techniques and styles. If you are not persuaded by Tanis's case for buying local, eco-friendly yarns, you may still be swayed by the 30ish designs included in the book. I do think you are likely to rate the book higher if you are interested in the environmental issues Tanis presents, or prefer to shop local for other reasons. I would rate the book as a 4 out of 5 stars for the experienced, eco-conscious knitter. It is an attractive exploration of diverse projects with interesting, well written tales of independent yarn companies. This is not a book for a beginner knitter, and will probably have limited appeal to eco-friendly knitters outside of the U.S., or knitters who aren't particularly concerned with how their yarn is produced or its impact on the environment.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Knitting Farms and Companies in our Own Backyard, October 28, 2011

By 

Bonnie Brody "Book Lover and Knitter" (Port St. Lucie, FL) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Knit Local: Celebrating America's Homegrown Yarns (Paperback)

Knit Local: Celebrating America's Homegrown Yarns provides profiles of 28 U.S. yarn companies, has 30+ patterns for women, men, children and the home, and provides a list of fiber events and festivals around the country. It is an homage to what we have at home, in our own backyards and to the sustainability of knitting as an American craft.

The book is divided up geographically beginning with the Northeast, proceeding to the Midwest and the West. The introduction speaks to the benefits of buying locally, in other words, supporting the knitting companies we have in the United States. "Many of the companies found in this book hold their animals and the environment paramount". In this day and age where 'green' takes on a very important meaning, this type of devotion to environment and animals is a real plus.

The book proceeds with histories and vignettes about the different knitting companies found across the country. The photographs of the working farms, animals, and people are excellent. Most of the descriptions also include a pattern from the company/farm. The patterns range from sweaters to shawlettes, to hats and mittens. They are for adults and children.

I enjoyed reading about each of the entrepreneurial endeavors and the love and labor that went into each of the farms. Each is unique in its own way and I am convinvced - there is a benefit to buying local.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An inspiring tribute to American based yarn companies!, November 1, 2011

By 

Tina Sanders "peacefully knitting" (Arizona) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Knit Local: Celebrating America's Homegrown Yarns (Paperback)

Knit Local by Tanis Gray is a beautifully photographed collection of designs that showcases, and even celebrates, yarns used from across the United States. We often comment that we need to support and promote more American based companies, and this book is a wonderful reminder of how when can accomplish this, especially from the fiber side of things.

This book is broken into four sections, the Northeast, the South, the Midwest and the West, where Tanis not only focuses on American mills, but the small farms and ranches that raise sheep, alpaca and bison for fiber. The concept of this book is inspiring and I would also venture to say it's perfect for those knitters who are environmentally conscious and want to know where their yarns come from and even how they are produced.

For me personally, I truly enjoyed reading each business owner's philosophy, how they got started and loved the photos that depict their lives and their animals. I also enjoyed learning about new Indy Dyers that use base yarns from the U.S. and Canada to produce their lovely dyed yarns and fibers. While I feel this book is one I will cherish and use often, and even recommend for fiber lovers to own, it is geared more to the experienced knitter with projects ranging from intermediate to advanced.

I think Tanis has done a very good job in giving us sources of American based companies that provide yarn and fiber to those of us who want to support the small business owner, rancher and farmer. I can honestly say I did not realize a few of these companies existed and I'm very excited to give these independent yarn companies a try!