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Knitting Memories: Reflections on the Knitter's Life

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Knitting is more than just a craft or the creation of something to wear. Between the knitter and yarn there is a tactile experience and a time of reflection, a chance to meditate or let the mind wander as it will. Between the knitter and the knitting is a relationship, and it is this that Lela Nargi explores in Knitting Memories: Reflections on the Knitter's Life.

This collection of sixteen essays has been written by knitters and non-knitters, givers and receivers, knitting stars (such as Lily Chin) and hospice-care workers. Here they reflection on the insights knitting has brought to their lives.

In her introduction, Nargi shares the story of her two-year-old daughter Ada's relationship with knitting. As she thought about the pieces Ada was drawn to, Nargi shares the philosophy she used to pull together the disparate elements of this collection. "These pieces of knitting...are intricate stories waiting to be unraveled, and mostly they are stories about relationships...one that has to do with history, tracing knitting's broad and narrow channels through the ages, linking knitters to ancient craftspeople or perhaps just our own mothers and grandmothers. And the story is also, sometimes, one about pure imagination--the way knitting exists in our minds as fertile territory to be plumbed, picked at, reveled in, and perhaps eventually presented to others so that they, too, may share in the imaginings."

What makes this collection more than another collection of knitters discussing their craft, is the inclusion of several essays by non-knitters. Of particular note is Cedric N. Chatterly's "Virginia," which shares the joy Virginia and her knitting have brought to his life. In "Silent Communion," Robert Bruce Cowan writes compellingly of his resentment for the activity that steals away his wife, making him feel "the house isn't big enough for the both of us." Yet he also realizes that his world is perfectly at peace when he is puttering and she is knitting.

This small hardcover is the perfect item to tuck into a knitting bag for moments stolen between projects or when the knitter needs to be reminded of their place in the larger story.

Armchair Interviews says: A little book filled with wonderful stories.

Turning string into fabric with two sticks...that's knitting. But why do we do it? Most committed knitters don't do it for the sake of the product. Anyone can buy a gorgeous scarf, blanket, baby gift. Not to save money, because the most delicious yarns can be very expensive. No, the rewards are harder to define. In this compilation by Lela Nargi, sixteen contributors--knitters and a few non-knitters--share a range of perspectives on the place knitting holds in their lives.

Although I avoid abridgements, I was tempted by this audio production from Knitting Out Loud, a company that helps knitters "avoid the agonizing conflict between reading about knitting and knitting." Their list of titles is entirely made up of audio knitting books. Talk about niche marketing! The four-CD set contains fourteen of the essays, plus the introduction.

A number of "knitting goddesses" are featured; among them designers Lily Chin and Teva Dunham, and Knitter's Review founder Clara Parkes. Hobby knitters fantasizing about doing it for a living can get the inside scoop from Chin's frantic marathon knitting-to-deadline sessions, Dunham's encounter with Hilary Swank in a knitting class, and Parkes's flight to rural Maine for a lifestyle based entirely on knitting.

The essayists run the gamut from casual knitters to women investing years in the creation of intensely personal works of art. (Note: there are no male knitters featured in this audiobook.) Several of the stories focus on a knitted garment or blanket taking its value from the relationship with the friend, mother or grandmother who knitted it--the love and caring knitted in, the blessing of tradition. This is common fare for books on craft, but the variety of these stories is exceptional. I was moved by the hospice nurse's story of spending six months caring for her dying mother, knitting to keep her stress at bay. When I sat by my mother's bed during her last weeks of life we were both happier if I was knitting: she was worried about all the time I was giving up for her, and knew that I would never be bored or expect her to entertain me if my hands were knitting. The socks I made during those precious hours will always bring back peaceful memories.

Knitters are sure to enjoy this compilation. If knitting soothes you and excites you, if you still have knitted things you wore to kindergarten, if you never go anywhere without books and yarn, this is for you. If you don't care about knitting, then I hope you feel this way about something else.

Linda Bulger, 2009

I like the yarnharlot and her blog and books and I enjoyed knitlit two, so I purchased this book as soon as it was on amazon. I was also curious to hear the stories of teva durham and lily chin. Maybe that is what is missing in the book: these women are desingers and that's what they do great, but they're not writers. that makes the book a disappointment for me. Buy 'knitting in America' of 'Knitknit' to learn more about the designing process and buy 'crazy aunt pearl' for a good story.