Audiobook Review: The Yarn Whisperer: My Unexpected Life in Knitting by Clara Parkes

Listening to The Yarn Whisperer feels a bit like sitting down for tea with your favorite knitting friend—the one who can turn a tangle of yarn (or life) into something comforting and meaningful. Clara Parkes doesn’t just write about knitting; she speaks it, and hearing her tell her own stories brings a warmth and intimacy that the printed page can’t quite capture.

Her voice is calm, expressive, and familiar—like she’s reading aloud from her heart rather than a script. Each essay unfolds with gentle humor and insight, connecting everyday moments to the quiet rhythm of knitting. She talks about dropped stitches and lost love, about finding patience in fiber and peace in imperfection. There’s something wonderfully meditative about listening to her words while your hands are busy with your own project.

Unlike most craft books, this isn’t about patterns or technique—it’s about the soul of the knitter. Parkes explores how yarn connects us to memory, creativity, and resilience. Her phrasing and pacing are spot-on for audio; you can easily drift along with her storytelling while folding laundry, commuting, or settling into your favorite chair with needles in hand.

The production is clean and simple—no dramatics, no background distractions—just Parkes and her storytelling. It feels personal, genuine, and deeply human, like a one-on-one chat in the corner of a cozy yarn shop.

Verdict:
An audiobook that wraps around you like a hand-knit shawl—warm, thoughtful, and beautifully spoken. Ideal for knitters who love to pair storytelling with stitching.

5 out of 5 – The perfect companion for quiet evenings, long car rides, or hours lost in yarn.

If your family is the sort to do a turkey trot for Thanksgiving, or even just to take family pictures, you’ll want to get started knitting up some Turkey Sack Hats with this pattern from Underground Crafter.

The pattern uses super bulky yarn and is rated easy. It’s knit flat but there are a few skills in here around the shaping of the eyes, which includes changing colors, working bobbles and doing a wicked purl 3 together decrease. Twice.

But that’s all in one row, and the rest of it is pretty simple. The beak is worked separately and sewn on, and the side of the hat is stitched up to make it into a hat.

What’s great about this one is that it comes in 10 sizes, ranging from newborn to adult large, so you really can make one for everyone in the family. And because it uses super bulky yarn you can knit a bunch pretty quickly if that’s a thing you’d like to do.

It’s also fun because you could use this base pattern to make different animals or for different holidays. Make it all in orange and stitch on a jack o’lantern face for Halloween, or make a white one that’s a snowman, for example.

In any style this would also be a fun gag gift for that person in your life who has everything or doesn’t want gifts, or if you do a secret Santa or white elephant gift exchange at work or elsewhere.

And make sure whether you’re making it a turkey or some other character that you include the pom poms at the top! They’re just so cure and a great way to add a bit more color to the project, and they’re easy to make. (See also: ways to make a pompom with yarn.)

You can grab the free pattern at the Underground Crafter website.

[Photo: Underground Crafter]

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