Knitting the Threads of Time: Casting Back to the Heart of Our Craft [Paperback]

Nora Murphy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 10, 2009

In an era of global warming, war, escalating expenses, declining income, and drugs and violence in schools, many mothers feel they have little control over their families or their worlds. Nora Murphy eloquently demonstrates that many women do control one tiny thing: their next stitch.

While tracing the frustrations and joys of knitting a sweater for her son through the course of one cold, dark Minnesota winter, Murphy eloquently brings to life the traditions and cultures of women from many backgrounds, including Hmong, American Indian, Mexican, African, and Irish. Murphy’s personal stories — about her struggles to understand esoteric knitting patterns, her help from the shaman of the knit shop, and her challenges sticking with an often vexing project — will appeal to knitters as well as everyone else who has labored to create something from scratch.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

“Each stitch matters” is one sentence from Minnesota author (of the short story collection Twelve Branches, 2003) Murphy’s ruminations on personal and historical knitting, and it sums up this comforting book. Whether novice or professional knitter, or simply an admirer of handcrafted textiles, the reader will understand and warm to the included stories: the progression of a project, of the seasons, and, yes, of life. The book begins with her son Evan’s request for a sweater and the starts and stops, mishaps and wonders, of knitting a multicolored flame-designed garment. The narrative is interwoven with historical notes, from tales of the Hmong people from Vietnam and their pa ndau embroidery to the various natives of Africa with pieced, stitched, dyed, and appliquéd cloths. Her personal stories also act as the warp of the book, introducing artist friends Betty and Janet, her work as a grant writer, and family activities during holidays—with happy and disappointed moments chronicled. A sweet, unassuming memoir that’s quietly inspiring. --Barbara Jacobs

Review

“A sweet, unassuming memoir that's quietly inspiring.”
— Booklist

“A richly textured exploration of the knitting craft — as a source of warmth, a sign of love shared, and a tangible link to the fiber artists who precede us.”
— Bernadette Murphy, author of Zen and the Art of Knitting

“Knitting a sweater is challenging, frustrating, exhilarating, and immensely satisfying, and Nora Murphy captures all of that and much more in her gem of a book. The journey of this one sweater makes stops in many knitting cultures as well as the geography of the human condition. A lovely book!”
— Ann Hood, author of The Knitting Circle
 
“For every knitter who was ever asked, ‘Why bother knitting when you can buy it at Wal-Mart?’ Murphy gives an answer. We have a deep spiritual connection to our craft and its past. Yes, I could buy a sweater at Wal-Mart. But I couldn’t buy this sweater. Murphy compels us to consider the importance of one garment: to the knitter, to the recipient, and possibly to our entire global economy.”
— Elizabeth Morrison, knitting designer

Product Details

• Paperback: 197 pages
• Publisher: New World Library (February 10, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1577316576
• ISBN-13: 978-1577316572
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #130,990 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Winter Time Read..., March 29, 2009

By 

Absolutely Gorgeous "absolutely gorgeous" (Montana United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Knitting the Threads of Time: Casting Back to the Heart of Our Craft (Paperback)

I chose this book, while on a search for knitting patterns and knitted items to inspire me. While this book isn't not one of stitches, or yarn, or patterns - it is all of that from the beginning place of culture. The desire to create. I have read Olga Soffer and Janet Spector's books that are archaeological/anthropological but yet draw you into the mythic origins of fiber and art and practicality. The importance yet commonality of the arts of women and also men, who find creativity and economy in the siren call of twisting, turning, spinning, knotting threads of all kinds.

Ms Murphy also explained in as respectful manner as I have seen yet, the arts and myth of the Native American. From her writing, I could sense her respect and knowledge, and I knew she was not one of those notorious 'fluff bunnies' who dramatize their own romantic garbage as some 'mysterious' cultural insight. That drove me to write this. Scholarship yet wise and based in the very real world of buying yarn in a world that exploits economically challenged people.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Knitting the Threads of Time, February 20, 2009

By 

Laura Whitley (Midwest USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Knitting the Threads of Time: Casting Back to the Heart of Our Craft (Paperback)

From the first stitch to cutting the last strand of yarn, Nora Murphy managed to completely enthrall me with this well written, engaging and informative tale. I was captivated by the evocative imagery that drew me into cosy scenes of her own life, and delighted to discover how this craft has evolved over time around the world. This book satisfies on so many levels, it appeals to the woman, the mother, and the needle artist in me. I highly recommend it, it deserves reading and rereading.

13 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Where are the men?, February 25, 2009

By 

C. Freeman (Somerville, Massachusetts) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Knitting the Threads of Time: Casting Back to the Heart of Our Craft (Paperback)

This is as amateurish a history of knitting as its author is an amateur knitter. Has she never heard of Kaffe Fassett, Martin Storey, Brandon Mably, or Eugene Bourgeois? Does she not know that the medieval knitting guilds were exclusively male? Or that men knit in, among other places, Peru and Jamaica? Or that both boys and girls are taught to knit in Waldorf schools? Has she not seen the photographs of men and boys knitting socks, mittens, and other warm wool garments for servicemen during World War II?
I commend to her the DVD Real Men Knit and Richard Rutt's A History of Hand Knitting, among other items. If she checks out the many knitting blogs on the Web, she will see that a number of them are written by men--men who knit. Or if she types "men who knit" into Google, she'll find plenty of resources on the subject.
As a knitter for more than 50 years, I cannot bring myself to feel kinship only with knitters of my own gender. All knitters, from the newest novice to the oldest or most professional, share a history--and a craft.