Book Review: Unraveling

I have seen a lot of knitters this year reading Unraveling by Peggy Orenstein, and I finally got my hands on a copy and read it recently.

It’s a great book for knitters, crafters of all sorts, women, people with parents and kids and folks trying to make sense of the world we’re living in now.

The subtitle is “What I Learned About Life While Shearing Sheep, Dyeing Wool, and Making the World’s Ugliest Sweater,” though if the picture of the sweater on the back of the book is any indication it’s probably definitely not the ugliest sweater (it is a pretty small picture, though).

Orenstein decided during the pandemic that she wanted the sheep to sweater experience, so she found someone to teach her to shear sheep, learned to spin, did numerous dyeing experiments, got help to design a sweater using her DIY yarn and ultimate knit that sweater.

There’s a lot here about the value of making things, whether that thing is yarn or a sweater or a relationship with a family member. When writing about dyeing yarn with an indigo vat (something I’ve wanted to do but am a little afraid to try in my backyard), she talks about the pride of making things without worrying too much about the result.

“I will miss the lightness of a beginner, the freedom from expectation, my sense that any result is ‘good,’: she writes. “‘These are mine,’ I say, smiling to myself, and I know that is all that matters.”

The knitting part is actually a pretty small part of the story. It’s also about the history of craft, where colors come from, fast fashion, climate change, aging and more. I want to recommend it to knitters in particular but I really want to recommend it to everyone, because I think there are insights here that most people will find interesting (not to mention some funny bits, and some sad bits, and there’s a sweater at the end, which is kind of like a happy ending).

If you read it I’d love to hear what you think!

About the book: 224 pages, hardcover, published January 2023 by Harper Collins. Suggested retail $27.99.

Get the book here: Unraveling

Next Pattern:

Blankets are a great blank slate project that you can change up in a million different ways. From color to stitch pattern to size, the possibilities are almost endless.

Jared Flood, the designer behind Brooklyn Tweed, was inspired by a log cabin quilt his mother made in 1995 to re-create that design in knitting, which led to more blankets and ultimate Brooklyn Tweed’s Knit and Crochet Blankets, which includes 25 patterns from an array of designers using different skills and techniques to make cozy, pretty blankets.

The patterns are divided into three aesthetic themes: traditions, minimalism and colorplay. The patterns are rated on a scale of one to five, with one being the easiest, and there aren’t any pieces rated five. Two blankets are rated one, 14 are two, eight are three and one is four.

In addition, three of the 25 patterns are crocheted, but they either use single crochet or granny stitch, so they are pretty easy even if you don’t do a lot of crochet. You can see all the patterns on Ravelry.

Some of my favorites include Rattan by Rastus Hsu, a chunky blanket worked in knits and purls with simple crossing stitches to make a raised woven look; Homewood by Seth Richardson, covers in dramatic, loopy cables; Ainur Berkimbayeva’s Tessellate, one of the beginner projects that doesn’t really look beginner but is totally worked in knit and purl stitches; Warp + Weft by Aist? Butkevi?ien?, which is mostly knits and purls but makes a fun woven look fabric that blew my mind a little bit; and the same designer’s Canyonland, a multicolored blanket with wavy stripes.

The patterns tell you how to resize them for different dimensions and include information on pattern repeats where it is possible to make a totally custom size.

Many different techniques are included here such as cables, lace, shadow knitting, intarsia and other colorwork techniques, as well as modular knitting and lots of sewing pieces together. The patterns are all presented with charts, but there are line by line written instructions available on the Brooklyn Tweed website if you need them.

The book ends with a deep dive into log cabin knitting, telling the story of the quilt Jared’s mom made and how he made it in knitting, as well as the multitude of variations you can make if you want your own log cabin style design.

The back of the book includes a little written information about some of the special techniques needed, but there are no photos.

This is a lovely book full of inspiration for knitting and crochet blankets for any skill level. If you like to make blankets as gifts or aspire to have a handmade blanket in every room of the house, these designs would be a great place to start.

About the book: 192 pages, paperback, 25 patterns. Published 2024 by Abrams Books, suggested retail price $24.99.

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