My goodness, what a sweet surprise this book was. What I expected was a book of musings on knitting, which I would've enjoyed, but probably not found memorable. What I got was a selection of poignant, funny, and well-written essays on Ms. Herron's life - with the role that her particular hobby has played in it. Make no mistake, this would be a brilliant book even without the uniting thread of stitchcraft. But through her knitting, Rachel Herron shows us how a hobby can bring incredibly disparate people together - to give friendship, comfort, and laughter.

What truly impressed me were two things:

One, these are the stories and memories of an openly bisexual woman. There's no judgement contained in these pages, just an acceptance that one might love a man and a woman at different points in one's life.

Two, Herron made me tear up twice. It's a rare book that has that effect on me, and it's never because of blatant authorial attempts to tug at one's heart-strings. It's just that some of the stories have an emotional pull beyond the text itself - the universal experience that is heart-break and starting over.

All in all, a wonderful read, and while it will resonate beautifully with knitters, I think it will do just as well in the hands of the non-crafty.