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Book Review: On Skein of Death

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I’m not normally a mystery reader but if you add a knitting-related hook I can be persuaded.

On Skein of Death by Allie Pleiter takes place in Collinstown, Maryland, where Libby Beckett has just opened her dream yarn shop called Y.A.R.N. (she says it stands for “you’re absolutely ready now” but she invites customers to add their own acronyms).

She’s excited to welcome up-and-coming knitwear designer Perle Lonager to her shop for a weekend of knitting events, and her handsome beau Henrik coming along just adds to the fun. The town is even planning a yarn day to coincide with the events, where Perle is going to launch a new line of knitting needles.

Instead she’s found strangled by a skein of red yarn before her public lecture was set to begin, setting off a mystery that could put the future of the yarn shop at stake.

The author is both an expert knitter and a mystery writing pro, with more than 50 novels published, so you don’t have to worry that the knitting lingo is going to seem forced (or, worse, be incorrect).

I won’t reveal more but it’s a pretty quick and fun read for those who like knitting and cozy mysteries. It’s a fun one for summer (it looks from Amazon like it will be a series, too!) and available now!

About the book: 302 pages, mass-market paperback. Published 2021 by Berkley Prime Crime.

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Comments

  1. Thanks for the kind words! Yes, it will be a series, with KNIT OR DYE TRYING releasing in February. By the way, there’s a full knitting pattern for a the dog sweater mentioned in the story at the back of the book (or via pdf if you get the audiobook version). I’m glad you enjoyed it!

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Add a Little Lace to Your Knitting Patterns

If you’re new to lace knitting or just aren’t sure how to incorporate the technique into garments, check out these tops and sweaters that use lace as a decorative element.

The easiest lace out there is eyelets, and you can practice them plenty with this eyelet covered sweater from Knitcro Addict. It uses light/DK weight yarn and is worked in four pieces knit flat. It’s intended to be a little cropped and a little oversized, and includes sizes XS to XXL in the pattern.

If you’re in parts of the world where it’s getting colder as you read this, the Nora sweater from Bummbul might be a good choice. This is actually a great one for learning lace because it’s worked in super bulky yarn, which makes it easier to see what you’re doing and makes the lace super graphic. This one just comes in one size, with a 42 inch (106) cm bust, but that could fit a variety of people depending on how much ease you like.

Minimi Knit Design has a cute allover lace cardigan worked in one piece from the bottom up. It’s worked in lace weight mohair held double, which maybe isn’t the best for those new to lace (because it can be hard to rip out) but it sure is pretty. Sizes range to fit from 30 to 66 inches/76 to 168 cm bust measurements.

If you’d rather not have lace all over your sweater, you can knit the Lumi sweater from Originally Lovely, which has a chevron lace pattern on the yoke and is otherwise worked in reverse stockinette stitch. (It’s worked inside out so you don’t have to purl every stitch.) The pattern has 9 sizes from XS to 5XL and uses worsted weight yarn.

Or try the super romantic sookie blouse from Trust the mojo (available on Ravelry). This sweet top is started working flat from the bottom up and has a V-neck and I-cord edgings. The sleeves are worked separately in the round, and the pieces are all joined together to work in one piece to finish off the top. It comes in eight sizes and is available in English and French.

You can also pair lacy sleeves with an otherwise plain top, like on the Starflower Wrap from Annelise Driscoll Gingrow. This intermediate pattern makes a wrap sweater with generous lacy sleeves and a double wrap belt. The pattern has nine sizes, from XS to 5XL, and is available for free from Hobbi.