Customer Reviews

The Knitting Goddess: Finding the Heart and Soul of Knitting Through Instruction, Projects, and Stories

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I was really surprised how much I liked this book. This isn't a pattern book, but a book about the craft of knitting with inspiration from women of myth and history. In fact it's three books in one: a very nicely written book on mythical and biblical women, a book on how to knit creatively, and a book with some practical garment diagrams like shrugs and turtleneck pullovers.

There are no pictures of the projects, but you can visit a website created by the author to view some of the knitted examples from the book.

I think this book would especially be good for handspinners of "designer" yarns, and also for those of us who collect odd balls of interesting yarns and fibers but aren't quite sure what to do with them. I didn't expect to like this book, but I really am impressed.

As a new knitter I was a little tentative about Bergman's approach. There weren't actual pictures, only sketches. The projects seemed complex for a beginner. It wasn't the book with the nice glossy pictures and step by step instructions with exacting instructions so I wouldn't be steered wrong.
And yet...my first project was gorgeous! Somehow her laid back but self confidence-building approach worked. The stories are interesting, and I felt the history put me in touch with what I was knitting in a very different way that a how-to book. For example, the piece she does on the color red inspired me to go for the red stole, even though I never wear red. Am I glad I did, it is beautiful!
The only thing I found a little difficult was that sometimes you have to flip around to get basic information, like weaving in or yarn substitution. But In a way, that was part of the fun. I look forward to my next project in this book.
One tip - her website does have actual pictures of most of the projects. This was helpful for me in determining if I was on the right track.

I loved patterns and the stories in this beautiful book. The illustrations are inspiring. The following review is oddly sour. I can't imagine resenting someone because they hadn't knitted long enough to write a book about it! Bergman gives the needed information and tells heavenly stories--what more could a reader ask?

This is an exceptionally intelligent book! I was one of the many who knitted a scarf ages ago, was unhappy with the outcome and thought I'd never go back. The Knitting Goddess has convinced me it will be worth my while to give it another try. After learning about the basic stitches and types of yarn, and even better, reading romantic and inspiring stories about goddesses related to the world of knitting, I'm ready to start. And I really enjoyed the website with photographs of the projects.

I enjoyed this book. It really got me thinking about what it means to be a knitter, on a personal and historical level. This might be too new-agey for some, but I'm not really a fan of new age stuff and this one didn't bother me. In general, I'd say that if the title sounds off-putting, you probably won't like it.

Each chapter of the book is centered around a theme, with a story, a lessonlet (handy but NOT comprehensive, so if you're brand new, you should get another reference) and project to illustrate the author's point. If you're looking for a pattern book, this isn't it. The real meat of this book is the themes, not the projects themselves. In my opinion, it's worth it; you should make that call yourself.

I really liked the patterns. They're illustrated in the book, but I highly recommend looking at the photos in the author's web site. They look ok in the book, but they're GORGEOUS in the pictures. The techniques, in general, are easy to intermediate level.

Things I didn't like:
- the author takes a LOT of liberties with the myths involved. (They're often entertaining liberties and they make her point well. Just be aware.)
- a lot of the yarns she calls for are pricey. However, her patterns are free-form enough that you can substitute, and she describes the yarns pretty well, so it's not impossible to find something else.

All in all, I'd say that if you're just looking for patterns, or if you're uncomfortable with new age stuff, borrow this from the library first, or read the excerpts.

I have two issues with this book. #1, no pictures - not even reasonably faithful line drawings - of the finished projects, even though there is ample illustration throughout the book. #2, no indication that a knitter can substitute for the pricey and hard-to-find (in some cases, now several years discontinued) yarns called for in the patterns. My local yarn store has had to deal with several enthusiastic newbies who demand the EXACT yarns and don't understand that novelty yarn is, like so many things, a fashion item that goes away after a season or two.

The mythology is revisionist and feel-good, which may bother those more inclined to a faithful retelling than a feminist interpretation. This is a knitting book more like _The Knitting Sutra_ than a practical guide; if you are going to give this as a gift to a neophyte knitter, bundle it with something like _The Big Book of Knitting_ or Montse Stanley's book. Three stars because it was an interesting read, but it has serious shortcomings as the pattern book it purports to be.

I am grateful to Ms. Bergman for bringing me back to an old favorite hobby. Reading a review of her book reminded me how much I enjoyed knitting in the past. I was encouraged by her apparent joy in the freedom of creating.

However, I was disappointed in the format and the content. I would have liked the stories to have been just themselves without her interpretations and philosophy mixed in. She does that at the end of each anyway.

While the knitting directions seem clear, I was surprised at the minimal diagrams of the finished garment. Her web site is much better including photographs of the finished projects on different people. I would recomend that to anyone who does like the book and the patterns.

I ordered 25 Gorgeous Sweaters for the Brand New Knitter at the same time. I LOVE that book. I was an intermediate knitter when raising children took priority over knitting. That book goes from brand new level to advanced beginner without being boring. 25 Gorgeous Sweaters has good designs and encourages the freedom to create as well. There are many of the designs I plan to use.

While Knitting Goddess is unique, it can't make up it's mind if it's about the author, new age philosphy, or knitting. It's just not the book for me.

This book is an interesting mix of craft instruction, patterns and stories related to women, spirituality and the connection with crafts. I liked the way the author gets a knitter right into making interesting garments, not just boring beginner projects. I also loved the stories - inspiring if a bit preachy and "New Agey." However, I would issue two caveats to a beginner: The instructions on how to knit are unnecessarily complicated, and show a preoccupation with left- or right-handedness that I do not understand at all. Knitting requires dexterity in both hands, and as a left-hander who has always knitted the same way that right-handers knit, I don't see the reason for the fuss. The second problem is her claim that the yarns she recommends for the projects are "readily available." That is simply untrue. I am a longtime knitter and yet I have not heard of some of these yarns, have never seen them in a yarn store, and would have to search online or through catalogs for some of them. The recommended yarns are also very expensive. Fortunately she does give an idea of the yarn type so substitution is certainly possible; in fact, it will be necessary. However, do not let these flaws put you off from a book that addresses an important subject: the connection between our hands and our hearts and minds. The more I knit, the more I realize that it's not about what we make, so much as what we do, and that the process is every bit as important as the product.

As a certifiable yarnaholic I generally read (and enjoy) almost anything about knitting. However, I struggled with reading this book and then how to rate it fairly. It isn't necessarily a medicore book; it simply isn't my "cup of tea."

Each chapter has three parts: a story from mythology or a fairy tale; a section of instruction; and a simple design loosely tied into the theme of the chapter. This is a really terrific book if you are (1)into new age spirituality and (2) a beginning knitter. Since I am neither, it just didn't do much for me.

There is a very good section on fibers and their various personalities.

Bergman provides us glimpses of knitting throughout history and ties knitting into myth. She also writes a lot about knitting in the context of myth that historically has featured weaving.

While the stories are interesting, the book's value for patterns not that strong. The main problem I have is not really being able to tell how the patterns would knit up. This has partly been alleviated by the website, ... but it would be nice to have better pictures of the garments in the book.

All in all, this is not a book for those learning to knit. It is more of a spiritual knitting companion, to feel connected to the knitting community now and throughout time.