Customer Reviews

Museum of Kitschy Stitches: A Gallery of Notorious Knits

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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.

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.

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!

I remember some of these patterns! This one will make you thankful for the "tasteful" designs of today. I use this in my knitting and crochet classes - just to illustrate what we WON'T be making! Stitchy's great sense of humor just rolls off the page - I made the mistake of reading it while getting my toenails painted - I was asked to stop reading because I was laughing so hard! Yes, there are no patterns (except for two "tastefully tacky" designs in the back) - the point is - we want to put a stop to this insanity!

Laughed out loud so often my husband asked what was so funny. Showed him the book and he even laughed out loud. Clever, witty, funny, campy and fun. Leave this book out for friends to thumb through and get a giggle - knitters or non. This book is FUN!

Subtitled: A Gallery of Notorious Knits

"...The Museum of Kitschy Stitches, a collection of the most groan-inspiring crimes against hand-crafted fashion ever to assault the senses."

Based on Stitchy McYarnpants' description of her book, it is understandable if a reader hesitates before picking up <em>The Museum of Kitschy Stitches: a Gallery of Notorious Knits</em>. McYarnpants has been delighting readers by investigating crafting's most embarrassing moments and exposing them to the world's scrutiny on her blog [...]. Hideous hats, granny squares gone mad, and more are featured in all their awful glory.

In <em>The Museum of Kitschy Stitches</em> (the book), McYarnpants has selected the best of the worst and added her own juicy descriptions to the devastating fashion choices. In her preface to the first chapter "Hoodwinked: Never Trust a Homemade Hat," McYarnpants advises: "Choose carefully, for in the turbulent waters of fashion, the fish stinks from the head down."

Many of the designs in the book are sure to induce nightmares but none as completely as the hat featured on page 17, a particularly abhorrent ski mask.

McYarnpants counters the horror with her trademark wit, inducing gales of laughter in readers, ending with this outrageous statement: "Oh, how rude of me! Let me introduce you. This is Leatherface's more sadistic cousin, Yarnface."

This is perfect coffee table reading material, a great conversation starter and the perfect cautionary tale for when good knitters go bad. As Stitchy McYarnpants says: "Remember, only use your knitting powers for good." An important lesson for us all!

Armchair Interviews says: Stitches and "schtick" all in one book!

I know nothing about knitting and belly laughed while reading this book. This is a book you should own and have laying around because anyone who picks it up will have a good laugh. The nice part is that "Stitchy" really seems to love knitting even though she is poking fun at these vintage photos. You get the sense that she has sympathy for all the work that went into making these ummmm... creations and celebrates that effort by rescuing these photos from obscurity. At the same time she seems to understand that fashion is a fickle friend and these photos remind us that we all probably have a couple of fashion-nightmare photos of ourselves that are worthy Museum of Kitchy Stitches.

I CONFESS! I did actually knit, and think adorable, the striped sweater with cross-stitched animals across the chest for my sweet little 3 year old boy. The sweater was fine wool and got tossed in the wash and shrunk to doll-size by my DH who STILL thinks the sweater is cute and looked good on the kid. He will NOT permit me to throw it away. When I suggested it as an appropriate shroud for my late cat who LOVED fine woolens my DH nixed that too and donated an old Pendleton shirt for the honor. Ah see what pleasant memories this book unleashes! I plan to give this book to my now 36-year-old son with the sweater (sweater to be tastefully matted and framed)for his next birthday. It will be a fine memento of his deformative years and should provide yet another story to tell on his chief deformer! The sweater and the cute red denim overall with the blue gingham puppy dog on the bib and the -- OMG I really did this to him -- blue gingham bone in the pocket - AKA "the puppy dog pants" probably belong in a museum of psychological torture devices. He would NOT accept them back when his son was born! They clearly explain why from age 5 he insisted on choosing his own clothes and as he got older dressed himself out of thrift store stock or the school's lost and found box rather than wear anything I thought looked good on him. Sorry son! For maximum fun read this book yourself, laugh in private - then give it to your own crafty/knitty chief deformer if she is older than 50 and watch her face turn red as she turns the pages! I bet she has her own little treasure trove of horrors. Be kind and don't howl in front of her.

This book was so funny that even my husband -- who has never knit or crocheted in his life -- was laughing, too. Whether it was making fun of the poses of the models or the items they were wearing, I laughed so hard that I could hardly get my breath. It wasn't just that some of the items were obviously from another era and therefore outdated (ooh, did we really think granny squares were that cool in the 70s? did we really wear our hair that way in the 80s?), it was that some of the items featured were so outrageously stupid that you wonder anyone would have created them in the first place! Case in point: Early in the book there is a rather nice pair of mittens with a matching hat, both knit in bold stripe patterns with jewel-tone yarns. Why did the designer decide to cover it all with little white pom-poms? I'm sure it was to emulate snow as well as to cash in on what was a current craze for pom-poms, but it still looks like (as the author writes) someone lost "the mother of all spit-ball contests."

I've shared this book with my mother, my husband, and numerous friends. Whether or not they knit, they all appreciate the humor of it.

If you lived through the 60's/70's you can appreciate the hilarity of the styles that Stitchy McYarnpants ridicules in her book. The horror is that some of us actually had to wear similar clothing... Honestly though, the photos were funny and the captions/paragraphs are even funnier!