Yarn Harlot: The Secret Life of a Knitter (Paperback)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: core stash, dear designer, sock yarn, The Red Wool of Courage, Dangerous Liaisons, Yarn Can Be Addictive (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Over 50 million people in America knit. The average knitter spends between $500 and $1,700 a year on yarn, patterns, needles, and books. No longer just a fad or a hobby, knitting has advanced to a lifestyle.

Yarn Harlot: The Secret Life of a Knitter moves beyond instructions and patterns into the purest elements of knitting: obsession, frustration, reflection, and fun. Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's humorous and poignant essays find humor in knitting an enormous afghan that requires a whopping 30 balls of wool, having a husband with size 13 feet who loves to wear hand-knit socks, and earns her "yarn harlot" title with her love of any new yarn-she'll quickly drop an old project for the fresh saucy look of a new interesting yarn.

Since the upsurge in knitting began in the early '90s, the number of women under 45 who knit has doubled. Knitting is no longer a hobby for just grandmothers-women and men of all ages are embracing this art. Describing its allure is best left to Stephanie who explains: "It is a well-known fact that knitting is a sparkling form of entertainment, as spiritual as yoga, as relaxing as a massage, and as funny as Erma Bombeck trapped in a PTA meeting."

About the Author

A knitter for 30 years, Stephanie Pearl-McPhee is also a writer of some celebrity known for her unique take on knitting voiced daily on her humorous blog www.yarnharlot.ca. She is the author of At Knit's End: Meditations for Women Who Knit Too Much. Her home is in Toronto where her best yarn is hidden in the basement deep freeze.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing (September 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0740750372
• ISBN-13: 978-0740750373
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (51 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #80,158 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

50 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Funny, poignant..., September 28, 2005

By	Martha Hesselein (Mobile, AL USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

It's true--longtime readers of Stephanie's blog will recognize some of the material here, but it's like greeting old friends. You know, like a "Best Of" CD by your favorite artist. And the new comic pieces are very funny, and in her inimicable style that both understands/pokes gentle fun at all of us obsessive knitters.

The poignant pieces are very moving; one made me sniffle late into the night. If you've had the experience written about in this essay, you will be tearing up over your merino, too.

The knitting essay is a lovely art; like knitting, it can be picked up for just a few moments and you feel satisfied. Stephanie does it the best!

33 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Laugh-out-loud funny, September 25, 2005

By	Christine Monaco "Knitter and English major" (New York) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Stephanie Pearl-McPhee has been a source of entertainment for years on her blog, and I'm happy to have her wisdom and obsession at my fingertips in not one, but two volumes, with the publication of this book. I actually laughed out loud over the story of the green afghan, and the DPN incident. I don't know if I could explain the stories to someone who isn't a Knitter, but for those who are, well, this book is for you.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Should be mandatory reading for Knitters Anonymous, August 22, 2006

By	A. Reader (Boise, Idaho United States) - See all my reviews

If you have more than one knitting project started and have something small in your purse to knit while waiting at traffic lights or in doctor's offices, this book is for you. If you don't knit, I can't imagine why this book would attract you unless you have somehow wildly misinterpreted the "harlot" part of the title.

Ms. Pearl-McPhee is a dedicated (obsessed?) knitter who is not afraid to admit to her reading public that she might have "stash" issues and that "Marital relations" do cut into her knitting time. Anyone who has been knitting for a while will recognize her lace shawl experience, coveting yarn that will probably never leave the "core stash," and the wild exuberance that makes one think that one can complete knitted gifts for their entire family if one starts in November. Nothing deep here, but provides lots of chuckles for the knitting addict.