SewWitty

I read about this book here – it sounded lovely, so I ordered a copy from the book depository.

Here is the blurb …

 A Knitter’s Home Companion is an illustrated collection of stories, patterns, and recipes from beloved knitter and essayist Michelle Edwards. This heartwarming title will appeal to knitters interested in not only stitches, yarn, and patterns, but also in the lives of other knitters, the lessons that can be learned from their craft, the ways knitting helps knitters cope during difficult times, and the role of knitting in family life. “Let [this book] keep you company when you need another knitter’s voice beside you,” Edwards writes in her introduction.

Like a good friend, A Knitter’s Home Companion will inspire readers to laugh, cry, remember, be thoughtful, cook, and, of course, pick up their needles—sometimes to soothe, sometimes to celebrate, and sometimes to just pass the time. Divided into four chapters—Motherhood, Home, Community, and Legacy—stories range from “But She Doesn’t Have Any Underpants,” about the challenges of knitting for family to “Home Ec Workshop and the Mystery of the Indian Slipper,” about finding community at a local yarn shop. Projects range from mittens and socks to a baby blanket and afghan.

It is a very quick and easy read full of positive stories. Interspersed amongst the stories are recipes and knitting patterns. I’m not much of a cook, so I will probably never use the recipes, but some of the knitting patterns are quite appealing. For example, the zig zag baby blanket…

or the Updated Ripple Afghan (http://afghanblanketknittingpattern.blogspot.com.au/2011/11/michelle-edwards-updated-ripple-afghan.html).

This book would make a lovely gift for any knitter, but also for people interested in community and a gentler pace of life.