As a knitting book, it
isn’t a comprehensive “how-to” like many of the other big name books on the
subject and the author freely admits that there are gaps in the content. For example, there is almost no discussion of
how to cast on and only a passing discussion of blocking; the reader is instead
pointed to the internet to consult online tutorials. In contrast, there are whole
sections dedicated to the technique of working a handful of different
stitches. The book goes on to cover such
topics as increasing and decreasing, binding off, the sources and properties of
various fibres, a discussion of different needles and my personal favourite, why
you should pull yarn from the middle of the ball.
One of the things I
found most interesting is that Ann taught Continental style knitting rather
than the English style (called American style in the text) which is more common
in North America. As a result, the text
and graphics around how to work the basic knit and purl stitch support this Continental
style and I think would be of limited use to the average North American,
English style knitter. That being said,
there is no reason not to learn another technique and in fact, many good
reasons to at least have a nodding acquaintance with “the other” style.
But if you already
know how to knit; if you already have a foundation in the mechanics of sticks
and string there is a surprising wealth of information in this book. In many cases, I already knew the tip being
presented. In some cases, I was aware
but hadn’t really verbalized it. Others
were totally new – something exciting for me after 13 years of knitting! There is a good section on working seams and
how to engineer the edges of your knitting to lie flat and therefore to have a
better seam, a discussion of what should be in your knitting bag and an
interesting exploration of the theme and variations of a simple basket weave
stitch.
Knitting however, is
only part of the story. A great deal of
this book is Ann’s story; her life and the events that made her who she was as
told by Reba. It isn’t a biography in
the traditional sense. There is no
examination of her childhood, though there are a few photos. There is a brief mention of her professional
life that left me wanting to know more.
This is really about Ann’s knitting life which spilled over into her
professional life and coloured everything.
The real surprise though
is what the book did for the author.
What started as a project to tell Ann’s story became a means to allow
Reba to work through some long-standing issues of her own. Sometimes painfully raw, you can see the hurt
and the healing happening. Some of what
I came to think of as “Reba’s Story” becomes repetitive but by the end of the
book, you don’t remember the repetition.
You remember a gift of healing, a gift of being seen, of being heard and
of being valued. You have a sense that
you know Ann, a gruff New Yorker with a heart of gold. Finally, there is a great sense of
peace, and you just know that your knitting is going to get better.
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Follow the Yarn will be published in paperback this fall, and will be
available at Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com
Until then, readers can get a pdf copy of Follow the Yarn by donating as
little as $5 to our Indiegogo campaign at http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/follow-the-yarn/x/3505993 (campaign ends July 9), or they can get a FREE CHAPTER of Follow
the Yarn by signing up at: http://eepurl.com/A6w8v (emails will be kept strictly confidential - they will
NEVER be given to a third party)
Last but not least, readers can learn more at http://www.RebaLinker.com
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