Museum of Kitschy Stitches: A Gallery of Notorious Knits [Hardcover]

Stitchy Mcyarnpants (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2006

A Fashion Tour-de-Farce!
 
Welcome to The Museum of Kitschy Stitches, the astonishingly awful collection of the finest knitting and crocheting horrors the twentieth century has to offer. From hideous hats and gender-bending sweater sets to a set of bonus patterns that will bring the kitsch home, this gallery of notorious knits delivers it all.
 
Remember, one person’s inspiration can become another’s desperation quicker than you can drop a stitch!

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Stitchy McYarnpants is the nom de plume of mild-mannered computer programmer Debbie Brisso, who is making a huge splash on the Web with her “confessions of a husband-neglecting, cat-shooing, yarn-hoarding knitaholic” blog and Web site (www.museumofkitschystitches.com). She lives in Boston and often needs to knit for warmth. 

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction
Hoodwinked: Never Trust a Homemade Hat
You Knot for Your Mama with Those Needles? Bad Girls, Worse Outfits
Your Worst Knitmare: A Horror Show of Faux Fur Monstrosities
Welcome to Polyesteryear: An Age of Unforgivable Synthetics
Dress for Suck-cess: Frocks that Shock
Glamma! Acrylic Couture for Klassy Knitters
Emasculation Nation: Menswear That Makes Men Swear
Granny Squares Everywhere: Grandma’s Sweet Revenge
It’s A Clown’s World: A Creepy Peak at the Clownterculture of Crafts
Kid-Knits: You’re Wearing It Because I Said So!
Handmade Toys: How to Put the F-U in Fun!
House of Yarn: Home is Where the Homely Is
Special Bonus Patterns
About the Author

Product Details

• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Quirk Books (June 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594741115
• ISBN-13: 978-1594741111
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 0.5 x 7.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #539,476 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Debbie Brisson, a.k.a. Stitchy McYarnpants was born to be a knitter. Her parents met at Pandora, a sweater mill set on the Merrimack River in Manchester, NH. She is powerless against knitting.

Add to that her love for all things vintage, the kitschier the better, and you've got a good look at what makes her tick. If it's goofy, mostly useless, and steeped in the irony of popular culture's most embarrassing moments, she'll take two. Stitchy is the creator and curator of the Museum of Kitschy Stitches, an online (www.yarnpants.com) and in print gallery of notorious knits.

When she isn't knitting, sewing or trying to resist the siren's call of eBay, she can be found slaving away in the software mines of Massachusetts.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Probably the funniest crafting book I've ever seen., July 18, 2006

By 

Cyndilou "Cynthia L." (Texas, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Museum of Kitschy Stitches: A Gallery of Notorious Knits (Hardcover)

Stitchy takes our favorite patterns of yesteryear and turns them into an amazing voyage of discovery...to see just what the heck we were thinking. Truth be told, most of these patterns are older than I am, so it is no wonder that they seem so dated and funny. Stitchy's commentary adds a whole new level of humor, however, as she points out designs that really are rather obviously ridiculous when you think about it. I have never laughed so hard at a book about knitting or crocheting (except perhaps when looking at some vintage patterns from the 60s...).

Disclaimer: No actual patterns are included in this book. If you really wanted the pattern for something, shame on you and re-read the commentary.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A standing ovation for Ms. McYarnpants - brava!, July 25, 2006

By 

Julie Jackson "Subversive Cross Stitch" (Dallas, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Museum of Kitschy Stitches: A Gallery of Notorious Knits (Hardcover)

This is one of the most hilarious books I've ever read. Stitchy has always had an uncanny way with words, but I haven't laughed this hard since reading Karen Finley's "Enough Is Enough". It's one of those books that's better when read aloud and passed around the room (people are going to be staring at you anyway as the tears roll down your cheeks while you try to suppress a gigglefit, so you might as well share).

She has a real talent for choosing the perfect clever words in response to deliciously tacky images while most of us are still standing there with our jaws dropped in disbelief. My favorite moments are the leopard potholder and the PTA outfit.

Well done, Stitchy! It's only July and I already know what everyone's getting for the holidays.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Perfect InterSTITCHial, September 9, 2006

By 

Rupert Pupkin (SANTA MONICA, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Museum of Kitschy Stitches: A Gallery of Notorious Knits (Hardcover)

Wouldn't it be the cat's pajamas to be able to mend your threadbare spirits inside those mini-moments between those long darn stretches of your stressful day? This book will do it. Without a word wasted, Stitchy McYarnpants will knit you a new one in no time. Each page presents photographic evidence of some disastrous pairing of good ol' 70s acrylic yarn and criminally depraved creativity. The photos alone will throw you into fits of laughter. The commentary will cause you to lose any control of bodily function. Wear a diaper!