Book Review: Knitting the Threads of Time

Knitting the Threads of Time
Nora Murphy
Adult
Non-Fiction
Memoir

I'm always up for knitting-themed literature, and the genre has exploded in the last 9 years or so since 9/11 spawned a knitting boom that continues to this day. There are thousands of knitting books out there now, both technical-for learning and executing the craft and literary-for pondering and discussing the craft. In both categories, some are really wonderful, some are really terrible, and some are in between.

For me, this one was near the wonderful side of the continuum. I really liked the author's framework of the knitting of a single sweater, from choosing the yarn all the way to completion, as a way to examine her life at that moment. I, like her, find knitting tremendously meaningful and metaphorical and really like to infuse my knitting journey with meaning that goes beyond just making stuff. By the end of this little book, I cared about the author and her experiences with her family, and admired her honesty about both her knitting and her life. I liked the way she looked at different traditions through the lens of art and craft. I'm not sure how accessible this book would be to non-knitters, because I live and breathe through two sticks and a string, but I would be interested to find out from some of my non-knitting reading friends if it would be a possibility. The writing is introspective and careful, with lots of interior landscapes carefully constructed. I liked that visual aspect of things and could really almost see through her eyes. Overall, it was a nice way to combine two of my greatest loves-knitting and reading.