Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus, because this is a book of knitting patterns inspired by classic literature. We have a cap for the Ancient Mariner, a mobius hood for the mad woman in the attic, and (knitting project of all knitting projects) Madame Defarge's revolutionary shroud, encoded with secret messages. To state the obvious, this is a seriously cool book of patterns -- one providing some much-needed inspiration for me to move beyond my namby pamby beginner knits toward the world of knitting charts, lace, cables, and secret codes.

WWMDFK is more than a collection of knitting patterns, though. It's also a book of essays, as knitters contemplate the role of loneliness in Frankenstein, the binary opposition of good and evil in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and the revolutionary-inspired blood-lust of Madame Defarge herself. Lest you assume essays appearing in a book of knitting patterns are probably for casual readers only, please note that the book's first appendix is a concordance cross-referencing Jane Eyre's need for a shawl with important turning points in the novel.

So this book is for the bookish, to help feed our text-inspired fiber-lust. The best of times, yes.