The Knitter's Book of Yarn

Every so often, I like to pick up a rather complex reference book and learn all there is to know about a very specific topic. When I saw this book about yarn, I thought it would be perfect for me since I love to knit (and could definitely stand to learn more about choosing yarn for my projects.) Plus, since it was available as a digital book from my library's collection, I was able to download it and read on my Kindle for free!

Sadly, I found the book to be less informative than the title might suggest. This book is basically divided into three different sections: types of fiber used in making yarn; different methods of making yarn from those fibers; and a large section of patterns.

Although the sections on types of fibers and yarn production were informative, it really wasn't that spectacular (I felt like a large amount of the "fiber" content was stuff most beginning-knitter would already know.) Throughout the book, the author kept hinting at more in-depth discussions, but I felt she failed to deliver on those promises. It also seemed as though the majority of the book offered more insight into actual yarn production rather than how the finished yarn should best be used.

I was also a little disappointed in the selection of patterns. First, the patterns were arranged by the number of ply in the yarn; I would have found it more useful if the patterns were listed by material type or yarn weight rather than ply. I also found it odd that NONE of the patterns were appropriate for a man - not even the basic hat/scarf combo or uni-sex sweater that most knitting publications generally include.

Finally, I was also a little put-off by the number of simple typos I found within the text of this work (I noticed at least two instances where sentences didn't even begin with a capital letter (one of them being the word "i'm.") While I might accept and even expect that on a blog or online forum (I know I've made my share of mistakes - there are probably even some in this paragraph), I expect a little better from a published knitting book. If they can't remember to capitalize "I'm", I would be more than a little concerned about the accuracy of their actual knitting patterns!

The Beach Street Knitting Society and Yarn Club

I know it's been ages since I've posted anything here...the only excuse that I have is that my reasoning that "not even the desert heat can stop my clacking needles" was an erroneous statement! For some reason, I just haven't felt much like sitting with an afghan draped across my lap when it's 115 outside! Perhaps the lesson learned is that it's not wise to begin large projects right as you're approaching the hottest part of the year! Oh well, I'm coming along slowly but surely and hope to finish in the coming weeks.

In the mean time, my lack of knitting as allowed me to keep up with my reading. The other day, I discovered The Beach Street Knitting Society and Yarn Club by Gil McNeil and thought it looked worth the read. Although the book is an enjoyable read, I was quite surprised how little the book had to do with the actual knitting club.

The main plot of the story is that a young divorced woman moved away from her busy London life to raise her two children in a smaller seaside town, all while managing her grandmother's yarn shop. While the story does revolve around knitting, the actual knitting group is almost non-existence (appearing on perhaps 10 the 400 pages!) Still, even though the plot was completely unoriginal - the book, like a good romantic comedy, provided a pleasurable escape!

Knit Two

Although I read the Friday Night Knitting Club last year, I was a little hesitate to read the sequel. Although I enjoyed the first book, I found it to be extremely predictable and rather formulaic. Therefore, when I heard Kate Jacobs had written a sequel, I didn't expect much (and took my time getting around to reading it.) Fortunately, I was delightfully surprised by this book! The plot of Knit Two was much more interesting, and the characters so much more developed. I highly recommend this book and hope Ms. Jacobs writes a third.