Six books down, 46 to go! I'm keeping up with this relatively well, though I may be a smidge behind right now. I know I'll catch up with a couple of the softer books I have waiting for me! I'm not going to go through a review of each book, you can friend me on Goodreads for that, but I did want to review Knitting the Threads of Time since I got a review copy in the mail!
Upon reading the description, I wasn't sure if I would like this book, but it did intrigue me. I tend to read either mysteries or chic lit (serious or fluff), and this one doesn't fit in either of those genres, but I ending up liking it.
First, the stuff I didn't like. The book is the story of a sweater's progression, and in this progression, the author shares a lot of stories about women of different cultures. Not just about knitting in different cultures, but she relates lots of different cultural stories back to the knitting of the sweater. I enjoyed learning about these cultures, but sometimes I just wanted to hear about the sweater or about her life, not so much about a historical group of people. She also makes sure that a non-knitter or new knitter reading the book would understand it, but since I understand what stockinette stitch is, the descriptions kind of wore on me.
What I did like...the stories about the yarn shop where she got help with her pattern and about her life with her family. I tend to read to dive into other people's lives, so ultimately, I wanted to know about her and about her experience knitting the sweater. Like Rachael, I tend to like the memoir part of the book better than the history. But, I appreciated what I learned after I read it. So, all in all, I would recommend this book not only to knitters, but also to people who are interested in learning about different cultures and about some aspects of women's history.
Now, what to read next. I've kind of started a nice light read, "Can You Keep a Secret?" by Sophie Kinsella, so maybe I'll go with that. I need something light since my upcoming knitting will not be - I'm almost to the point of finishing on Salina!
Can You Keep A Secret is soooo good! I read it a few years ago, but I just remember loving it and finishing it in a weekend. Enjoy!
Posted by: Chelsea Townsend | February 21, 2009 at 09:21 PM