Clara Parkes - The Yarn Whisperer: My Unexpected Life in Knitting
Here you can read online Clara Parkes - The Yarn Whisperer: My Unexpected Life in Knitting full text of the book (entire story) in english for free. Download pdf and epub, get meaning, cover and reviews about this ebook. year: 2013, publisher: Stewart, Tabori and Chang, genre: Art. Description of the work, (preface) as well as reviews are available. Best literature library LitArk.com created for fans of good reading and offers a wide selection of genres:
Romance novel
Science fiction
Adventure
Detective
Science
History
Home and family
Prose
Art
Politics
Computer
Non-fiction
Religion
Business
Children
Humor
Choose a favorite category and find really read worthwhile books. Enjoy immersion in the world of imagination, feel the emotions of the characters or learn something new for yourself, make an fascinating discovery.
- Book:The Yarn Whisperer: My Unexpected Life in Knitting
- Author:
- Publisher:Stewart, Tabori and Chang
- Genre:
- Year:2013
- Rating:3 / 5
- Favourites:Add to favourites
- Your mark:
The Yarn Whisperer: My Unexpected Life in Knitting: summary, description and annotation
We offer to read an annotation, description, summary or preface (depends on what the author of the book "The Yarn Whisperer: My Unexpected Life in Knitting" wrote himself). If you haven't found the necessary information about the book — write in the comments, we will try to find it.
Stockinette, ribbing, cables, even the humble yarn over can instantly evoke places, times, people, conversations, all those poignant moments that weve tucked away in our memory banks. Over time, those stitches form a map of our lives.
From the preface
In The Yarn Whisperer: Reflections on a Life in Knitting, renowned knitter and author Clara Parkes ponders the roles knitting plays in her life via 22 captivating, poignant, and laugh-out-loud funny essays. Recounting tales of childhood and adulthood, family, friends, adventure, privacy, disappointment, love, and celebration, she hits upon the universal truths that drive knitters to create and explores the ways in which knitting can be looked at as a metaphor for so many other things. Put simply, No matter how perfect any one sweater may be, its only human to crave another. And another, and another.
Praise for The Yarn Whisperer:
Clara Parkes: The Yarn Seer. Interweave Knits magazine
If you are a knitter, or even if you are not, read this book for the sheer joy of her writing, for the way she strings ideas together and brings you into her world . . . I would compare her to Mark Twain because of her dry humor. Honestly, shes that good. New Jersey Courier News In Sticthes blog
Read this book to be reminded of how special it is to be a part of this warm and fuzzy community. About.com
I see a lot of yarn books in this gig, and Whisperer is not only the best Ive seen this year, its one of my all-time faves. Seriously, its that good. The Oregonian
I dont want to stop reading. Each chapter is a little jewel. KnitCircus.com
Parkes has a poets appreciation for the interconnectivity of seemingly disparate aspects of life . . . I have a sense of affinity with the metaphors she chooses, which are drawn from music, gardening, baking, and of course, knitting. Her language dances and gallops, chuckles and sings. Kangath Knits blog
The Yarn Whisperer weaves together knitting anecdotes and life experiences of the author in a way that I think we can all relate to. Kelbourne Woolens blog
Its a fun book for curling up on a cool day with a cup of tea, knitting nearby, of course. CraftGossip.com
It is seriously the best book about knitting experiences ever. I absolutely LOVED it! Sweetly Made
If you havent read The Yarn Whisperer yet, you should. Its sweet, funny and full of moments youll recognize or aspire to. I recommend you get a copy. Moth Heaven
In this charming series of linked essays, Parkes metaphorically puts the fast whorl on her wheel and spins something entirely new, showing that shes not just a good writer but a great one. Funny, sweet, and trenchant and offered in twenty-two digestible bits, this book is not only the quintessential sampler afghan of knit lit, it is also the It gift of the season. Buy a stack to stuff inside the handmade stockings of your knitting-circle friends. Vogue Knitting
The creator of Knitters Review has created a collection of stories of her life of knitting, yarn, baking and overall appreciation for all things beautiful, and has woven them together like afghan squares with charm, grace and hilarity. Petite Purls
Her writing is incredibly clever . . . this book will be dear to your heart. Knit the Hell Out
Its my favorite new knitting book of the year. DallasNews.com
From the preface
In The Yarn Whisperer: Reflections on a Life in Knitting, renowned knitter and author Clara Parkes ponders the roles knitting plays in her life via 22 captivating, poignant, and laugh-out-loud funny essays. Recounting tales of childhood and adulthood, family, friends, adventure, privacy, disappointment, love, and celebration, she hits upon the universal truths that drive knitters to create and explores the ways in which knitting can be looked at as a metaphor for so many other things. Put simply, No matter how perfect any one sweater may be, its only human to crave another. And another, and another.
Praise for The Yarn Whisperer:
Clara Parkes: The Yarn Seer. Interweave Knits magazine
If you are a knitter, or even if you are not, read this book for the sheer joy of her writing, for the way she strings ideas together and brings you into her world . . . I would compare her to Mark Twain because of her dry humor. Honestly, shes that good. New Jersey Courier News In Sticthes blog
Read this book to be reminded of how special it is to be a part of this warm and fuzzy community. About.com
I see a lot of yarn books in this gig, and Whisperer is not only the best Ive seen this year, its one of my all-time faves. Seriously, its that good. The Oregonian
I dont want to stop reading. Each chapter is a little jewel. KnitCircus.com
Parkes has a poets appreciation for the interconnectivity of seemingly disparate aspects of life . . . I have a sense of affinity with the metaphors she chooses, which are drawn from music, gardening, baking, and of course, knitting. Her language dances and gallops, chuckles and sings. Kangath Knits blog
The Yarn Whisperer weaves together knitting anecdotes and life experiences of the author in a way that I think we can all relate to. Kelbourne Woolens blog
Its a fun book for curling up on a cool day with a cup of tea, knitting nearby, of course. CraftGossip.com
It is seriously the best book about knitting experiences ever. I absolutely LOVED it! Sweetly Made
If you havent read The Yarn Whisperer yet, you should. Its sweet, funny and full of moments youll recognize or aspire to. I recommend you get a copy. Moth Heaven
In this charming series of linked essays, Parkes metaphorically puts the fast whorl on her wheel and spins something entirely new, showing that shes not just a good writer but a great one. Funny, sweet, and trenchant and offered in twenty-two digestible bits, this book is not only the quintessential sampler afghan of knit lit, it is also the It gift of the season. Buy a stack to stuff inside the handmade stockings of your knitting-circle friends. Vogue Knitting
The creator of Knitters Review has created a collection of stories of her life of knitting, yarn, baking and overall appreciation for all things beautiful, and has woven them together like afghan squares with charm, grace and hilarity. Petite Purls
Her writing is incredibly clever . . . this book will be dear to your heart. Knit the Hell Out
Its my favorite new knitting book of the year. DallasNews.com
Clara Parkes: author's other books
Who wrote The Yarn Whisperer: My Unexpected Life in Knitting? Find out the surname, the name of the author of the book and a list of all author's works by series.
Clara Parkes
Stephanie Pearl-McPhee
The Yarn Whisperer: My Unexpected Life in Knitting — read online for free the complete book (whole text) full work
Below is the text of the book, divided by pages. System saving the place of the last page read, allows you to conveniently read the book "The Yarn Whisperer: My Unexpected Life in Knitting" online for free, without having to search again every time where you left off. Put a bookmark, and you can go to the page where you finished reading at any time.
Light
Font size:
↓
↑
Reset
Interval:
↓
↑
Bookmark:
Make
FOR CLARE
Published in 2013 by Stewart, Tabori & Chang
An imprint of ABRAMS
An imprint of ABRAMS
Text copyright 2013 Clara Parkes
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical, electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher.
Cataloging-in-Publication Data has been applied for and may be obtained from the Library of Congress.
ISBN: 978-1-61769-002-0
ISBN: 978-1-61769-002-0
Editor: Melanie Falick
Designer: Mary Jane Callister
Production Manager: Tina Cameron
Designer: Mary Jane Callister
Production Manager: Tina Cameron
The text of this book was composed in Sentinel and Bryant.
Stewart, Tabori & Chang books are available at special discounts when purchased in quantity for premiums and promotions as well as fundraising or educational use. Special editions can also be created to specification. For details, contact specialsales@abramsbooks.com or the address below.
115 West 18th Street
New York, NY 10011
www.abramsbooks.com
New York, NY 10011
www.abramsbooks.com
CONTENTS
PREFACE
BEING CALLED A knitting rock star is like being voted the best Pakistani restaurant by the Bangor Daily News. Its an honor, but not the kind thatll get you a last-minute table at Le Bernardin or an order of chivalry from the Queen. No doorman has ever pulled aside the velvet cord for a famous knitter. And yet after more than a decade of hard work and persistent diligence, I find myself being labeled as such. Ive been lucky.
And what does a knitting rock star look like, you ask? For starters, I intentionally reside in a town of 910, my bedtime rarely inches past 10 p.m., and my version of trashing a hotel room involves twice stealing the salt and pepper shakers from my room service traythough, in my defense, I did give a generous tip.
I can swear like a sailor, but Im a fiercely loyal friend and will do almost anything to avoid hurting someones feelings. I havent had a real day job in twelve years. I miss direct deposit and paid time off, andoh myhow I long for that posh health insurance policy.
Since turning my life over to yarn, Ive lived easily a dozen lives. Its been at times thrilling, scary, and devastating. The road has had some stunning vistas, a few steep inclines, and its share of rim-bending potholes. My inner airbags have deployed more than once. But the path has always pulled me forward. Im fortunate, and Im grateful.
At the bottom of it all is one simple fact: I love yarn. Ever since I can remember, yarn has enchanted me. When I first asked my grandmamy mothers mother, who has figured prominently in my knitting lifeto teach me how to knit, it wasnt to make anything in particular; I wanted to know how you made yarn work. I knew it had energy, that I could perform a series of actions with my hands that would bring it to life. To me, seeing those skeins of yarn was like finding a book written in a foreign language; I wanted to be able to read it.
Some need to knit to be happy. They churn through yard after yard of fabric, like lawn mowers, processing thoughts and worries as they go. Or they produce garment upon garment, careful, thorough masterpieces. Im more sporadic in my progress, more interested in the journey than the destination. But I do need yarn. For me it represents the purest essence of what is good about knitting: possibility, an open road, limitless potential. Like the soil we work and the food we eat, yarn gives life.
Years ago, I was living in San Francisco and editing a technology magazine, the contents of which I didnt really understand. Id stumbled back into knitting after years of being away, and it was a welcome source of oxygen for my increasingly stifled mind. I discovered a yarn store not too far from my office; it was my lunchtime refuge.
My stash grew wildly by the weekyarn, needles, tools, patterns, and books. Many, many books. Most were how-to books and pattern collections. I remember one in particular called Knitting in America. It had patterns, but they were all far too ornate and sophisticated for my skills. What I loved about this book was that it featured people from around the country who had figured out how to do what they love. They made their living in yarn, in raising animals, in dyeing, in designing the paths were different, but the destination was the same. I felt a kinship, as if Id finally found my people.
Fast-forward a few years. Id moved to Maine and was working as a freelancer, still in technology. My coworker and I were conjuring an editorial start-up of our own. It was going to be all about people whod found their way, who were living with their grain instead of against it. I would be the writer.
My colleague fed me names and stories he thought suitable for the project. A man whod left his family behind to sail around the world for a year. Another man whod made a fortune in investments. A third man who raced cars.
I opened up my trusty copy of Knitting in America and found my own stories. I picked Margrit Lohrer and Albrecht Pichler, the founders of Morehouse Merino, successful urban dwellers who had managed to create a meaningful parallel life in the country just north of New York City. I wrote their story, borrowing so heavily from Knitting in America that it teetered on the edge of plagiarism. The act of telling a story that resonated with methe physical process of running those words through my mind and out my fingers onto a keyboard, screen, and eventually paperenergized me. It was so easy and fluent, as if I were finally speaking my native tongue after years of speaking someone elses. I was home.
When I shared the story with my colleague, he replied, I get that you like the story, but really. Sheep?
That was all I needed to hear. I politely backed out of the project, and, just four months later, sent out the first issue of Knitters Review. Every week, Id publish thoughtful, in-depth reviews of yarns, tools, books, and events that shaped the knitting experience. That was September 2000. Its safe to say that hundreds of yarns have flowed through my fingers since then; Ive met thousands of people, written millions of words.
Stories are like buildings. You see them from the outside, you see their structure and potential, you see light in the windows and want to get inside. The writers job is to find the right door. Once you do, the rest of the journey often comes easily. Id found that door; my adventure was a gift. Today I open the pages of Knitting in America and realize that, quite by chance, many of its characters have since become personal friends. The leap from icon to friend is utterly surreal.
I remember meeting Meg Swansen in 1995, at my first Stitches West event. Already on yarn overload, I rounded a corner and came to a booth filled with books. A beautiful woman stood at the table. She turned to me and smiled that twinkly, electric smile. Time stopped as my mind connected the dots and I realized Meg Swansen was standing before methe famous teacher, designer, author, and daughter of Elizabeth Zimmermann. My heart leapt and my mouth fell open, but no words came out. Instead, I walked away as quickly as I could. Twelve years later, we were sitting together under a plum tree in Oregon after the first Sock Summit, knitting and talking. When I stripped aside all the baggage we tend to add to famous people, I was amazed to discover that I really liked Meg as a personher wisdom, humor, vulnerability, all of it.
Light
Font size:
↓
↑
Reset
Interval:
↓
↑
Bookmark:
Make
Similar books «The Yarn Whisperer: My Unexpected Life in Knitting»
Look at similar books to The Yarn Whisperer: My Unexpected Life in Knitting. We have selected literature similar in name and meaning in the hope of providing readers with more options to find new, interesting, not yet read works.
Stephanie Pearl-McPhee
Reviews about «The Yarn Whisperer: My Unexpected Life in Knitting»
Discussion, reviews of the book The Yarn Whisperer: My Unexpected Life in Knitting and just readers' own opinions. Leave your comments, write what you think about the work, its meaning or the main characters. Specify what exactly you liked and what you didn't like, and why you think so.