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Yarn Harlot: The Secret Life of a Knitter
Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's deepest wish is that everyone understand that knitting is at least as fun as baseball and way cooler than the evil looped path of crochet. Every project, from a misshapen hat to the most magnificent sweater, holds a story. Yarn Harlot tells all those stories with humor, insight, and sympathy for the obsessed.
Over 50 million people in America knit. The average knitter spends between $500 and $1,700 a year on yarn, patterns, needles, and books. No longer just a fad or a hobby, knitting has advanced to a lifestyle.
Yarn The Secret Life of a Knitter moves beyond instructions and patterns into the purest elements of obsession, frustration, reflection, and fun. Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's humorous and poignant essays find humor in knitting an enormous afghan that requires a whopping 30 balls of wool, having a husband with size 13 feet who loves to wear hand-knit socks, and earns her "yarn harlot" title with her love of any new yarn--she'll quickly drop an old project for the fresh saucy look of a new interesting yarn.
Since the upsurge in knitting began in the early '90s, the number of women under 45 who knit has doubled. Knitting is no longer a hobby for just grandmothers--women and men of all ages are embracing this art. Describing its allure is best left to Stephanie who "It is a well-known fact that knitting is a sparkling form of entertainment, as spiritual as yoga, as relaxing as a massage, and as funny as Erma Bombeck trapped in a PTA meeting."
Over 50 million people in America knit. The average knitter spends between $500 and $1,700 a year on yarn, patterns, needles, and books. No longer just a fad or a hobby, knitting has advanced to a lifestyle.
Yarn The Secret Life of a Knitter moves beyond instructions and patterns into the purest elements of obsession, frustration, reflection, and fun. Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's humorous and poignant essays find humor in knitting an enormous afghan that requires a whopping 30 balls of wool, having a husband with size 13 feet who loves to wear hand-knit socks, and earns her "yarn harlot" title with her love of any new yarn--she'll quickly drop an old project for the fresh saucy look of a new interesting yarn.
Since the upsurge in knitting began in the early '90s, the number of women under 45 who knit has doubled. Knitting is no longer a hobby for just grandmothers--women and men of all ages are embracing this art. Describing its allure is best left to Stephanie who "It is a well-known fact that knitting is a sparkling form of entertainment, as spiritual as yoga, as relaxing as a massage, and as funny as Erma Bombeck trapped in a PTA meeting."
219 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2005
166 people are currently reading
1916 people want to read
About the author
Stephanie Pearl-McPhee
9 books567 followersStephanie Pearl-McPhee (better known as the Yarn Harlot) is a prolific knitter, writer and blogger known for her humorous but always insightful anecdotes and stories about knitting triumphs and tragedies.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 502 reviews
April 24, 2008
Honestly, I laughed out loud, I cried silently, I saw myself on nearly every page--and I can barely knit! This is a book about addictions--the healthy ones--that all of us find ourselves tangled up with at some point in our lives, and we find that we are suddenly obsessive/compulsive about something and just don't know how to "put it down". Since there seems to be no cure, we do our best to make the activity meaningful not only for ourselves, but also for our families and others around us. I feel that the author captured and exposed that part of the human psyche that finds fulfillment and happiness when we are engaged in something we love to do, and when one does not have any such thing, there is a hole within that longs to be filled. Hats (knitted ones, of course) off to Stephanie McPhee!
January 31, 2010
Knitting humor.
Seriously! It is fun stuff. Nearly as fun as blocking your first lace shawl or rolling around naked in your yarn stash.
Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, aka the Yarn Harlot, is a knitter, a mum (she's Canadian), a doula, the inventor of the word "kinnearing" and a super fun writer. I've been reading her blog for a few months and finally picked up one of her books. Yarn Harlot: The Secret Life of a Knitter is described as "a sort of David Sedaris-like take on knitting," but it is really so much better. Yeah, her stories are a mix of fun and touching and mostly involve hilarity at her own expense, but Pearl-McPhee seems more honest and...well she talks about yarn and knitting a lot which I can relate to much easier than say, being a gay guy in France.
Also, to limit the Harlot's writing to a "take on knitting" is too narrow. She isn't a knitter who writes. She is a strong, self-aware, interesting woman who knows how to tell a good story and also spends a lot of time knitting.
In case you didn't know, by the way, knitting is, like REALLY cool right now. There has been a huge resurgence of fun young people learning to knit and Pearl-McPhee has been very much involved. The Secret Life of a Knitter is a collection of tales of her 30-something years as a knitter.
She gets it. She knows why people knit and she tells a good story that knitters can related to...the insanity of finishing knitted gifts hours before Christmas Day, running out of discontinued yarn with half a sleeve left to knit on your first sweater, convincing friends that wool is God's gift to people and really not at all scratchy, and explaining to your spouse why that lost double-pointed needle MUST be found even though it only cost $1 and there are a bazillion more at the store. When Pearl-McPhee described the overwhelming joy in blocking her first lace shawl, I had to put on my first shawl and restrain myself from shouting at the book "I know! Isn't it amazing?!"
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Seriously! It is fun stuff. Nearly as fun as blocking your first lace shawl or rolling around naked in your yarn stash.
Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, aka the Yarn Harlot, is a knitter, a mum (she's Canadian), a doula, the inventor of the word "kinnearing" and a super fun writer. I've been reading her blog for a few months and finally picked up one of her books. Yarn Harlot: The Secret Life of a Knitter is described as "a sort of David Sedaris-like take on knitting," but it is really so much better. Yeah, her stories are a mix of fun and touching and mostly involve hilarity at her own expense, but Pearl-McPhee seems more honest and...well she talks about yarn and knitting a lot which I can relate to much easier than say, being a gay guy in France.
Also, to limit the Harlot's writing to a "take on knitting" is too narrow. She isn't a knitter who writes. She is a strong, self-aware, interesting woman who knows how to tell a good story and also spends a lot of time knitting.
In case you didn't know, by the way, knitting is, like REALLY cool right now. There has been a huge resurgence of fun young people learning to knit and Pearl-McPhee has been very much involved. The Secret Life of a Knitter is a collection of tales of her 30-something years as a knitter.
She gets it. She knows why people knit and she tells a good story that knitters can related to...the insanity of finishing knitted gifts hours before Christmas Day, running out of discontinued yarn with half a sleeve left to knit on your first sweater, convincing friends that wool is God's gift to people and really not at all scratchy, and explaining to your spouse why that lost double-pointed needle MUST be found even though it only cost $1 and there are a bazillion more at the store. When Pearl-McPhee described the overwhelming joy in blocking her first lace shawl, I had to put on my first shawl and restrain myself from shouting at the book "I know! Isn't it amazing?!"
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The Harlot's best stories evoke honest emotions felt by all people, even if they aren't cool enough to be knitters - like the comforting an ill friend or reveling in the success of a new skill and conquering a challenging project. I loved her description of her nana - "a hard woman to love." She doesn't sugarcoat her childhood but relates honestly that, even though we love our family, sometimes it's darn hard to figure out why or how.
She's also very funny. On her teenage daughter who declared that knitting was "boring" and that she didn't want to do it:
I fear for her future. I really do. If knitting is "boring" then what's it going to take to hold her interest? Hitchhiking? Spearheading a revolution? Dropping acid? (Do kids still drop acid? That's something I should probably find out, now that my very own flesh and blood is talking about not knitting.) It's a slippery slope, I tell you. First you tell your mother that knitting is "boring" and next something horrible has happened, like drug addiction, not folding your laundry, or (God forbid!) declaring wool is "itchy."Mostly I enjoy Pearl-McPhee because we share the same passion. She gets geeky over the same little things that I love about knitting - heels in socks ("that miracle, the cunning three-dimensional heel"), capturing bits of your life in a project ("I know it looks just like a hat, but really, it's four hours at the hospital, six hours on the bus, two hours alone at four in the morning when I couldn't sleep because I tend to worry"), and the wonder of wool.
The world has come a long way, and astonishing and intriguing machines arrive every day, but there is still not a machine on this earth that will shear a sheep. Every ball of wool starts with some man or woman somewhere in the world...holding fast to a pissed-off sheep while cutting its fleece free. Every ball of wool you and I have ever knit, all the balls of wool in the world in every country in the whole history of the world thus far, came from the sweat and grit of a person wrestling a hot, dirty, furious sheep.And now that wool is on my (and the Yarn Harlot's) feet. Very cool.
February 9, 2012
I crochet. I already have a yarn stash which is defying the laws of physics, and making my housemates a little nervous. I've taught my best friend to crochet, and one of my housemates is in the process of learning. (We're incredibly proud of a very, very long row of chain stitches, which are going to become -- eventually -- a scarf for my teddy bear.)
My girlfriend knits. I own a full length replica of the scarf Tom Baker wore as the Eighth Doctor, on Doctor Who, knitted for me by her. I have a knitted Clanger, an owl with a graduation hat, an elephant, sheep, a host of little aliens...
It's fair to say that I think I understand Stephanie Pearl-McPhee a little bit. "IT" happened to me when crocheting Christmas presents this year. I've continued crocheting a gift at the dinner table at a friend's birthday, with my housemate providing a screen in the form of a menu, to get it finished in time. I woke up at five AM on Christmas Day to frantically complete my sister's present, did "just one extra", and then refused to let people go downstairs and open presents until I was done. Possibly the most restful Christmas morning my parents have ever had, but my little sister (for all her eighteen years) was wild with impatience.
Suffice it to say that I found myself in this -- aside from the pointed comments about crochet, and I'm just going to take the higher ground here and avoid responding, as a crocheter should -- and laughed quite a lot. It's sort of fluffy (hah), but fun for those Thursday mornings when you don't have class...
My girlfriend knits. I own a full length replica of the scarf Tom Baker wore as the Eighth Doctor, on Doctor Who, knitted for me by her. I have a knitted Clanger, an owl with a graduation hat, an elephant, sheep, a host of little aliens...
It's fair to say that I think I understand Stephanie Pearl-McPhee a little bit. "IT" happened to me when crocheting Christmas presents this year. I've continued crocheting a gift at the dinner table at a friend's birthday, with my housemate providing a screen in the form of a menu, to get it finished in time. I woke up at five AM on Christmas Day to frantically complete my sister's present, did "just one extra", and then refused to let people go downstairs and open presents until I was done. Possibly the most restful Christmas morning my parents have ever had, but my little sister (for all her eighteen years) was wild with impatience.
Suffice it to say that I found myself in this -- aside from the pointed comments about crochet, and I'm just going to take the higher ground here and avoid responding, as a crocheter should -- and laughed quite a lot. It's sort of fluffy (hah), but fun for those Thursday mornings when you don't have class...
April 17, 2015
I had to stop reading this book after the chapter in which she describes trying to convince her wool-allergic friend that her allergy is all in her head by knitting several items for her out of various types of wool. I'm sure there are some creative liberties taken for the sake of humor with this story as well as most of the other stories in this book, but I really didn't find it funny. I think that a story about tricking your wool-allergic friend into trying out wool socks you knitted for them by lying and saying they're cotton is just lousy. Sorry. Just knit them non-wool socks then. I also did not find the stories about stashing yarn all over the house in places like coat sleeves and inside the piano to be funny either, although I'm sure I was supposed to and again I'm sure some creative liberties and exaggerations were made in order to get a laugh. Still don't find it amusing. I also don't find the references to blowing the budget or (again probably humorous / exaggerated) allusions to secretly spending money on yarn that nobody has to know about funny either. I guess I don't think it's funny to joke about behaving in certain ways that seem really inconsiderate to the other people you live with.
March 2, 2024
I loved, loved, loved this book.
It made me laugh at my own knitting projects that have not quite worked out.
It made me feel a kinship to all of the other folks around the world still knitting and crocheting.
Mostly, it helped me forget the stress and worries of the day. And isn't that what good books are supposed to do?
Recommend for anyone who enjoys crafting.
It made me laugh at my own knitting projects that have not quite worked out.
It made me feel a kinship to all of the other folks around the world still knitting and crocheting.
Mostly, it helped me forget the stress and worries of the day. And isn't that what good books are supposed to do?
Recommend for anyone who enjoys crafting.
September 8, 2007
I skimmed through this book fairly quickly since it is a bit of a guilty light-reading for me. For a non-knitter this book would probably make no sense whatsoever. For someone who has is slowly being pulled into the lure of the craft, the book is slightly amusing and mildly entertaining, reading like a series of blog entries. It consists of short stories and essays, ranging from falling in love with lace knitting, the excruciating pains of knitting gifts for Christmas, and the infamous yarn stash. I guess the more you’ve knit, the more you can relate to these stories and the more you are able to laugh when you feel the same way. Other than that, there isn’t that much solid substance to the book. It’s chatty, but doesn’t offer any theoretical, abstract or conceptual ideas about knitting…. That being said, Stephanie does make an interesting observation that people tend to think that knitting is hard. (A brain surgeon once commented to her that she would never be able to do anything as complicated as that). Knitting is actually very easy—two types of stitches and lots of practices is really all you need. Everyone knew how to knit back in the day (and cook for that matter), but somehow these historical necessities have become superfluous hobbies, that we need to have “talent” in order to practice them.
December 5, 2008
Staphanie spins a good yarn.....(get it!!!) about the secret lives of knitters.......their life of stash concealmet.............., their unrealistic goal setting.............. their frustrationa with deisgners....their wool fetishs. I laughed out loud many times as I recognized my habits of my friends ............and my own off and on again relationship with this most wonderful craft.
I had two favorite chapters. One is very serious as she is requested to take on the stash of a very dear friend who can no longer knit due illness. The other was telling the difference between knitters and crocheters........that other breed can work very, very fast and thus to support their habit they turn to less expensive materials made from petrochemicals....and as a result produce such inane obnjects as toilet seat covers.........
I had two favorite chapters. One is very serious as she is requested to take on the stash of a very dear friend who can no longer knit due illness. The other was telling the difference between knitters and crocheters........that other breed can work very, very fast and thus to support their habit they turn to less expensive materials made from petrochemicals....and as a result produce such inane obnjects as toilet seat covers.........
April 17, 2010
Stephanie Pearl-McPhee is an awesome writer who can take an ordinary story and make it sound like the funniest knitting story you have ever read. I love reading her books because they cause side-splitting laughter and that my friends, is a good thing.
June 22, 2012
I love reading about knitting. It is so inspiring to me as a fiber artist. Plus this book is very funny and relatable to knitters and non-knitters alike. There were also some very poignant and touching moments where I teared up a bit, which of course just inspired more kniiting.
December 9, 2014
2 ½ stars. Readers who knit might enjoy this. It’s not for me.
I did not laugh. There are 37 chapters. Each one is like an amusing personal essay. For example: First chapter is the author’s attempt to knit a large afghan. The project is too big, and she has trouble staying motivated. Second chapter is the author and a friend each knitting a sweater. Problems include running out of yarn and fixing the size. Third chapter is about the author knitting a cardigan for herself. I only read those three chapters and stopped.
I had wanted to buy her first book, and I thought this was it but it wasn’t. She published two books in the same year, but “At Knits End” was published five months before “Yarn Harlot.” Some reviewers said “At Knits End” was better than “Yarn Harlot.”
It’s told in 1st person which may be appropriate for personal essays, but I prefer not to read 1st person.
DATA:
Narrative mode: 1st person. Story length: 219 pages. Swearing language: none in the parts I read. Sexual content: none in the parts I read. Setting: current day. Copyright: 2005. Genre: humorous essays, knitting.
I did not laugh. There are 37 chapters. Each one is like an amusing personal essay. For example: First chapter is the author’s attempt to knit a large afghan. The project is too big, and she has trouble staying motivated. Second chapter is the author and a friend each knitting a sweater. Problems include running out of yarn and fixing the size. Third chapter is about the author knitting a cardigan for herself. I only read those three chapters and stopped.
I had wanted to buy her first book, and I thought this was it but it wasn’t. She published two books in the same year, but “At Knits End” was published five months before “Yarn Harlot.” Some reviewers said “At Knits End” was better than “Yarn Harlot.”
It’s told in 1st person which may be appropriate for personal essays, but I prefer not to read 1st person.
DATA:
Narrative mode: 1st person. Story length: 219 pages. Swearing language: none in the parts I read. Sexual content: none in the parts I read. Setting: current day. Copyright: 2005. Genre: humorous essays, knitting.
July 23, 2009
I know I'm probably in the minority here, but this book just didn't do it for me, like it has [apparently:] for a lot of other knitters. I didn't even finish it, to be perfectly honest.
It wasn't awful, and some things did make me laugh or smile, so I'm not saying it is a total waste of time. It's just that I find a lot of other knitters' blogs to be more interesting, and a lot funnier than this book. Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's blog itself is often better than this book. I know it's the first one she did, so maybe if I had read it when it first was published, I would have appreciated it more.
I will likely take a look at least one of her other books, just for the sake of comparison. But honestly, I have no desire to finish this.
It wasn't awful, and some things did make me laugh or smile, so I'm not saying it is a total waste of time. It's just that I find a lot of other knitters' blogs to be more interesting, and a lot funnier than this book. Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's blog itself is often better than this book. I know it's the first one she did, so maybe if I had read it when it first was published, I would have appreciated it more.
I will likely take a look at least one of her other books, just for the sake of comparison. But honestly, I have no desire to finish this.
April 13, 2015
Really fun read! Totally justified my yarn hoarding stashing habits. I don't even usually enjoy nonfiction and flew through this laughing out loud along the way. Maybe someday I'll be a capital k Knitter too! ;)
September 13, 2012
I've almost never laughed harder. Maybe you have to be a knitter to really get it, but I don't think so. I think even those of you unfortunates who can't or won't knit will laugh out loud.
August 20, 2025
My second read of this, still as funny :)
December 23, 2025
I purchased this book sometime last year and read a few chapters and kept it aside.
Finally got to it and finished it.
Am a Crochet Artist and practice it as a hobby. Details in the profile.
Knitting was not something I pursued but this book and the humorous insights were really close to home. I enjoyed reading all of them. Almost laughing to myself.
I may not be a professional in my art but yes there are times when it can make you go crazy.
You have all the colors you require, but it's not enough. You have the patterns, the ideas, the people to gift too but there are so many other priorities and so little time.
I know it may seem like a traitor to read about knitting, but it's okay.
If you like knitting or crochet or practice any yarn related hobby, you might like to pick this up.
Finally got to it and finished it.
Am a Crochet Artist and practice it as a hobby. Details in the profile.
Knitting was not something I pursued but this book and the humorous insights were really close to home. I enjoyed reading all of them. Almost laughing to myself.
I may not be a professional in my art but yes there are times when it can make you go crazy.
You have all the colors you require, but it's not enough. You have the patterns, the ideas, the people to gift too but there are so many other priorities and so little time.
I know it may seem like a traitor to read about knitting, but it's okay.
If you like knitting or crochet or practice any yarn related hobby, you might like to pick this up.
January 4, 2018
Thank you Sprout for introducing me to this book! a great mix of comedy (when a squirrel steals her wool), drama (when she runs out of room for her stash), horror (moths!) and practical tips (to avoid all of the above, keep yarn in the freezer). Recommended for all knitters or those seeking to understand them.
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April 17, 2021I laughed out loud, and could relate to many of these stories.
December 9, 2025
This book was such a joy to read! The stories were bite sized and perfect for study breaks. It was hilarious and relatable. I’ll be looking for more like it!
July 27, 2020
Hilarious.
December 7, 2022
Clever and fun reading. Some very touching parts too, so be prepared.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 12, 2023
4.5 stars. A lovely diversion, even if I’m rarely knitting.
May 26, 2009
I loved this book! It's my favorite "Pearl-McPhee" so to speak. She at one point is beyond hilarious and the next moment she can bring you in and break your heart. Knitters and crafters alike will enjoy her insight, her humor and most of all, her passion for her craft.
I think it's not secret that I'm pretty passionate about knitting. It's something that I do that I honestly feel truely happy while doing it... even when I'm fucking up brilliantly or struggling with the shame of an unfinished project. I love knitting. I love knitting while I watch tv, I love knitting while I watch movies, I really love knitting with friends, (especially those who share the same passion), I love knitting in silence, I love talking about knitting, I really love using knitting jargon. I struggle with going anywhere without taking my needles with me and there have been a lot of "nights out" that in the back of my head I think to myself "I'd rather be knitting." I am in a word, obsessed.
Thankfully Stephanie Pearl-McPhee gets that completely. Pearl-McPhee's book Yarn Harlot... the Secret Life of a Knitter should be required reading for those who love knitting and for those who love people who love knitting. Short essays, (where I understand most have been derived from her blog) that extoll her love for knitting and the silliness that we knitters engage in, all in the name of love for our passion. Steph manages to make me feel more sane knowing I'm not alone with my obsessions, and while we are very different knitters, (she would be appalled at my unholy love of acrylic and my "MUST. FINISH. PROJECT" attitude), we are bonded forever for our love of the knit and purl stitch.
Often hilarious, sometimes frustrated and at times, heartbreaking, her essays truely delve into what it's like to be passionate about knitting. It also discusses how her knitting rolls over into her everyday life and at so many times I was nodding my head in absolute understanding. I loved reading this book, because it was like talking to a friend about something we're both passionate about. If you're not a knitter- you're not going to get to get this book- but if you are- consider this required reading... along with the Vogue Knitting Bible. I give this book 10/10- I could not put it down.
I think it's not secret that I'm pretty passionate about knitting. It's something that I do that I honestly feel truely happy while doing it... even when I'm fucking up brilliantly or struggling with the shame of an unfinished project. I love knitting. I love knitting while I watch tv, I love knitting while I watch movies, I really love knitting with friends, (especially those who share the same passion), I love knitting in silence, I love talking about knitting, I really love using knitting jargon. I struggle with going anywhere without taking my needles with me and there have been a lot of "nights out" that in the back of my head I think to myself "I'd rather be knitting." I am in a word, obsessed.
Thankfully Stephanie Pearl-McPhee gets that completely. Pearl-McPhee's book Yarn Harlot... the Secret Life of a Knitter should be required reading for those who love knitting and for those who love people who love knitting. Short essays, (where I understand most have been derived from her blog) that extoll her love for knitting and the silliness that we knitters engage in, all in the name of love for our passion. Steph manages to make me feel more sane knowing I'm not alone with my obsessions, and while we are very different knitters, (she would be appalled at my unholy love of acrylic and my "MUST. FINISH. PROJECT" attitude), we are bonded forever for our love of the knit and purl stitch.
Often hilarious, sometimes frustrated and at times, heartbreaking, her essays truely delve into what it's like to be passionate about knitting. It also discusses how her knitting rolls over into her everyday life and at so many times I was nodding my head in absolute understanding. I loved reading this book, because it was like talking to a friend about something we're both passionate about. If you're not a knitter- you're not going to get to get this book- but if you are- consider this required reading... along with the Vogue Knitting Bible. I give this book 10/10- I could not put it down.
September 9, 2011
Thoroughly comforting and totally entertaining. Perfect for my post-root canal mood (read cranky, irritable and a little sore, but still resisting the Vicodin)
My favorite was the list of 10 ways that parenting and knitting are alike (especially 1, 2, 5 and 7. I know nothing about 3, but I believe it):
1. You have to work on something for a really long time before you know if it's going to be okay.
2. They both involve an act of creation involving common materials, easily found around the home.
3. Both knitting and parenting are more pleasant if you have the occasional glass of wine, but go right down the drain if you start up with a lot of tequila or shooters.
4. With either one, you can start with all the right materials, use all the best reference books available, really apply yourself and still get completely unexpected results.
5. No matter whether you decided to become a parent of a knitter, you are still going to end up with something you have to hand wash.
6. Parents and knitters both have to learn new things all the time, mostly so they can give someone else something.
7. Both activities are about tension. In knitting, the knitter has control of the amount of tension on the object in progress. In parenting, the opposite is true.
8. No matter how much time you spend at knitting or parenting, you are still going to wish you could spend all your time at it. Which is odd, since both activities are occasionally frustrating enough that you want to gnaw your own arm off.
9. Knitting and parenting are both about endurance. Most of the time it's just mundane repetitive labor, until one day, you realize you're actually making something sort of neat.
10.One day, you will wake up and realize that you are spending hours and hours working at something that is costing you a fortune, won't ever pay the bills, creates laundry and clutters up your house,and won't ever really be finished...and the only thing you will think about is that you can't wait to get home and do more.
and this:
Knitting is like a marriage and you don't just trash the whole thing because there are bad moments.
My favorite was the list of 10 ways that parenting and knitting are alike (especially 1, 2, 5 and 7. I know nothing about 3, but I believe it):
1. You have to work on something for a really long time before you know if it's going to be okay.
2. They both involve an act of creation involving common materials, easily found around the home.
3. Both knitting and parenting are more pleasant if you have the occasional glass of wine, but go right down the drain if you start up with a lot of tequila or shooters.
4. With either one, you can start with all the right materials, use all the best reference books available, really apply yourself and still get completely unexpected results.
5. No matter whether you decided to become a parent of a knitter, you are still going to end up with something you have to hand wash.
6. Parents and knitters both have to learn new things all the time, mostly so they can give someone else something.
7. Both activities are about tension. In knitting, the knitter has control of the amount of tension on the object in progress. In parenting, the opposite is true.
8. No matter how much time you spend at knitting or parenting, you are still going to wish you could spend all your time at it. Which is odd, since both activities are occasionally frustrating enough that you want to gnaw your own arm off.
9. Knitting and parenting are both about endurance. Most of the time it's just mundane repetitive labor, until one day, you realize you're actually making something sort of neat.
10.One day, you will wake up and realize that you are spending hours and hours working at something that is costing you a fortune, won't ever pay the bills, creates laundry and clutters up your house,and won't ever really be finished...and the only thing you will think about is that you can't wait to get home and do more.
and this:
Knitting is like a marriage and you don't just trash the whole thing because there are bad moments.
July 23, 2015
Cute and funny. This book taught me a lot about superwash yarn, the trials of big, green afghans, the dedication of becoming a Knitter instead of a knitter, and the limited color pallets of men of Newfoundland.
I laughed out loud many times, and identified in several places. I think that anyone who knits or crochets will probably see themselves at least once in this book.
However I don’t know any members of TAKE, but that may be because my mother crochets, as does my grandmother, and my cousin knits and crochets (like I, she is a “Double Agent”). Also the men in my life that I have not ended up teaching to knit (I taught my brother, he makes scarves) are artistic men in some way or another, and are very understanding of creative obsessions.
This book was helpful in making me feel pretty good with my own stash of yarn. After reading about yarn stashes that have made their way into freezers, into pianos, and up the sleeves of coats, my three plastic bins, hatbox, and wicker basket don’t seem so bad after all.
I do identify with the oh-so-many-works-in-progress syndrome, which I have recently tried to get a hold of. Only three works in progress . . . . . .er, if you don’t count a mantel I haven’t worked on in years and a cable blanket that has been hibernating for six months.
I found myself disagreeing with Joe through most of the book, but when I came to the last story DPN, I found myself agreeing with him just this once. All in all, this book was a fun, fast read.
I laughed out loud many times, and identified in several places. I think that anyone who knits or crochets will probably see themselves at least once in this book.
However I don’t know any members of TAKE, but that may be because my mother crochets, as does my grandmother, and my cousin knits and crochets (like I, she is a “Double Agent”). Also the men in my life that I have not ended up teaching to knit (I taught my brother, he makes scarves) are artistic men in some way or another, and are very understanding of creative obsessions.
This book was helpful in making me feel pretty good with my own stash of yarn. After reading about yarn stashes that have made their way into freezers, into pianos, and up the sleeves of coats, my three plastic bins, hatbox, and wicker basket don’t seem so bad after all.
I do identify with the oh-so-many-works-in-progress syndrome, which I have recently tried to get a hold of. Only three works in progress . . . . . .er, if you don’t count a mantel I haven’t worked on in years and a cable blanket that has been hibernating for six months.
I found myself disagreeing with Joe through most of the book, but when I came to the last story DPN, I found myself agreeing with him just this once. All in all, this book was a fun, fast read.
July 20, 2012
Let me start out by saying that I would have pushed this to three and a half stars if that were possible here, but I just couldn't push it to a four.
Stephanie Pearl-McPhee is a knitting blogger. Yarn Harlot is, I'm guessing, scraped from blog content. That's not necessarily a bad thing; there are books of that type that I've loved, and that have introduced me to blogs that I now follow and am a huge fan of. But I wasn't expecting it with this book, and for some reason, the disjointed nature of the blog posts turned into book chapters bothered me here and there.
Aside from that, this book is actually really funny. I snorted in bed with laughter loudly enough one night to wake up a snoring husband and earn myself a dirty look. If you're a non-knitter or into multiple crafts, there's a few digs here and there; McPhee is a capital-K Knitter and doesn't abide those who crochet.
Or those who are allergic to wool, unfortunately. I wonder what she'd think of me, as I can't wear or work with the stuff!!
At any rate, it was funny. The chapters are short, and unconnected, which makes this a great book to pick up and put down in between other reads. Or during TV commercial breaks. Or when in the bathroom. Not that I did any of that, honest. It's a fast read, fairly short, and does have some great funny moments that other crafty types will relate to.
Stephanie Pearl-McPhee is a knitting blogger. Yarn Harlot is, I'm guessing, scraped from blog content. That's not necessarily a bad thing; there are books of that type that I've loved, and that have introduced me to blogs that I now follow and am a huge fan of. But I wasn't expecting it with this book, and for some reason, the disjointed nature of the blog posts turned into book chapters bothered me here and there.
Aside from that, this book is actually really funny. I snorted in bed with laughter loudly enough one night to wake up a snoring husband and earn myself a dirty look. If you're a non-knitter or into multiple crafts, there's a few digs here and there; McPhee is a capital-K Knitter and doesn't abide those who crochet.
Or those who are allergic to wool, unfortunately. I wonder what she'd think of me, as I can't wear or work with the stuff!!
At any rate, it was funny. The chapters are short, and unconnected, which makes this a great book to pick up and put down in between other reads. Or during TV commercial breaks. Or when in the bathroom. Not that I did any of that, honest. It's a fast read, fairly short, and does have some great funny moments that other crafty types will relate to.
Read
May 22, 2009I don't know if you have to be a knitter to enjoy this book, but being a knitter I laughed, I cried, and I recognized myself in the pages. I read some sections aloud to my husband who also laughed, but probably in sympathy to the author's husband who knows what it is like to live with someone who covers every room in the house with works in progress. If you have a knitter in your life you should read this to better understand the way their brain works, or it would make an excellent gift for said knitter. I can't wait to collect up the rest of her books, much the same way that I have 3 sweaters, 2 baby blankets and a pair of socks on the needles and still have to resist mightily each week at my knit night from purchasing more yarn and starting something new...
May 28, 2014
I'm only a knitter, not a Knitter as the Yarn Harlot defines it, but still I found this pretty funny. Especially loved the essays on her stash. Someone lent this to me as inspiration since I was feeling stuck with my current project, to show that even experienced, expert knitters go through the same angst. It did help nudge me along and was an enjoyable read into the bargain.
February 20, 2016
Hello. My name is Kim. I am addicted to knitting. Seriously, I am. I had my husband wait to go out, just so I could finish reading. And I finished chuckling. The way this book ends is the way I want to leave this world. I love the down to earth stories about living the life of a knitter. I can identify.
June 28, 2017
Regrettably, even though I tried to read really really really slow I just finished the Yarn Harlot. I laughed hard at Stephanie and at myself. Now the dilemma... Do I horde the book along with my yarn or pass it along to another Knitter?
Thanks Ketti for the fun read. It was a great birthday gift.
Thanks Ketti for the fun read. It was a great birthday gift.
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March 28, 2018McPhee is a knitting humorist, and this book is a collection of various knitting anecdotes, varying from squirrels stealing dyed wool to compulsive habits in yarn stashing. Though the subject matter may not appeal to all, her style is very witty. I have also seen her speak, and she is quite eloquent.
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