“Free-Range Knitter”, by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, is a clever, brilliantly crafted set of essays about- you guessed it- knitting. Or is it? Though it may appear that way, this book is not only about knitting, but about the knitters, and how knitting is never all that it appears to be.
Each chapter begins with an essay on a knitter McPhee knows well and loves. Though McPhee delves mainly into the knitting aspect of their character, it’s unbelievable how much else the reader begins to know and love about each person simply from discovering how they knit. From a four year old tornado to a woman recovering from depression, each wildly different knitter helps break the stereotype that is far too present in the knitting world.
Some may be surprised at the extremely varied topics and emotions of each essay. McPhee jumps quickly and easily from her comical battles with well meaning customer service representatives to frustrated rants on the lack of respect for knitting without missing a beat. Others may be skeptical- are there truly enough tales about knitting to fill an entire book? Why, of course. Knitting, though in principle so simple, is revealed in this book as the entertaining, intricate sport it really is. McPhee does not skimp on the essays simply about knitting, her “Dear Designer” pieces being excellent examples of that. But there are also other stories, stories that though they fit under the label “knitting”, are really so much more than that. Stories about self-esteem, stories about parenting, and stories about friendship greet you in this book that, yes, is about knitting, but is also about so much more.
Each chapter begins with an essay on a knitter McPhee knows well and loves. Though McPhee delves mainly into the knitting aspect of their character, it’s unbelievable how much else the reader begins to know and love about each person simply from discovering how they knit. From a four year old tornado to a woman recovering from depression, each wildly different knitter helps break the stereotype that is far too present in the knitting world.
Some may be surprised at the extremely varied topics and emotions of each essay. McPhee jumps quickly and easily from her comical battles with well meaning customer service representatives to frustrated rants on the lack of respect for knitting without missing a beat. Others may be skeptical- are there truly enough tales about knitting to fill an entire book? Why, of course. Knitting, though in principle so simple, is revealed in this book as the entertaining, intricate sport it really is. McPhee does not skimp on the essays simply about knitting, her “Dear Designer” pieces being excellent examples of that. But there are also other stories, stories that though they fit under the label “knitting”, are really so much more than that. Stories about self-esteem, stories about parenting, and stories about friendship greet you in this book that, yes, is about knitting, but is also about so much more.
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