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

It feels like it’s too early to be thinking about back to school, but as I write this my daughter has just a couple of weeks of summer left! So let’s get in that school and fall knitting spirit by looking at some apple knitting projects.

If you have a 22 needle circular knitting machine, knitting an apple is one of the easiest things you can do. I have an apple pattern over at Our Daily Craft that will take you just a few minutes to knit and they’re a great addition to your fall decor.

Apple hats are a classic, and whether you want to knit a hat that looks like an apple or one with apples on it, we’ve got you covered. For hats that look like apples check out the rolled brim version from Emma Crochet Design 4 U, which uses worsted weight yarn and comes in sizes for kids of all ages; and the ribbed brim version from Hand Knit Hugs. This one also calls for worsted weight yarn and comes in four kids sizes. Both include a stem and leaf.

If you’d rather have apples on your hat, try the Red Apple Hat from Little Red Window. This one is sized from newborn to 2T and calls for four colors of worsted weight yarn.

How about apple socks? You’ll find Ariel Chang’s Apple Picnic Socks as a free download on Ravelry. These use three colors of sock yarn and come in three sizes. Stone Knits also a pair of stripey apple socks that show the inside of the apple. These also have three sizes but they use six colors total, with the main color being a self-striping yarn.

If you want a little apple accessory for the house, the apple potholder from Nifty Knitter Designs is cute and a great way to practice double knitting. It uses two colors and you’ll find the colors in the reverse on the other side. The pattern only uses about 50 yards of each color of worsted weight yarn, so it’s a great use for odd balls, too.

Once you’ve got your double knitting skills sorted you can also try the double knit apple scarf from Crow and Chai Shop. The Winter Apples scarf is shown in red and gold, but you can use whatever colors you like. There are apples, stars and random stitches in the design, which calls for DK weight yarn. There’s also a matching fingerless glove pattern.

Have you read?