The Yarn Whisperer

The Yarn Whisperer

Author: Clara Parkes

Publisher: Abrams

Published: 2013-09-03

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781617690020

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Stockinette, ribbing, cables, even the humble yarn over can instantly evoke places, times, people, conversations, all those poignant moments that we've 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, it's only human to crave another. And another, and another."


The Knitter's Book of Yarn

The Knitter's Book of Yarn

Author: Clara Parkes

Publisher: Potter Craft

Published: 2011-02-02

Total Pages: 258

ISBN-13: 0307586987

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Not all yarns are alike. Some make our hearts and hands sing, some get the job done without much fanfare, and some cause nothing but frustration and disappointment. The gorgeous pair of socks that emerged from their first bath twice as long as when they went in. The delicate baby sweater that started pilling before it even came off the needles. The stunning colorwork scarf that you can’t wear because the yarn feels like sandpaper against your neck. If only there were a way to read a skein and know how it would behave and what it wanted to become before you invested your time, energy, and money in it. Now there is! With The Knitter’s Book of Yarn, you’ll learn how to unleash your inner yarn whisperer. In these pages, Clara Parkes provides in-depth insight into a vast selection of yarns, giving you the inside stories behind the most common fiber types, preparations, spins, and ply combinations used by large-scale manufacturers and importers, medium-sized companies, boutique dye shops, community spinneries, and old-fashioned sheep farms. And, because we learn best by doing, Parkes went to some of the most creative and inquisitive design minds of the knitting world to provide a wide assortment of patterns created to highlight the qualities (and minimize the drawbacks) of specific types of yarns. The Knitter’s Book of Yarn will teach you everything you need to know about yarn: How it’s made, who makes it, how it gets to you, and what it longs to become. The next time you pick up a skein, you won’t have to wonder what to do with it. You’ll just know–the way any yarn whisperer would.


Knitlandia

Knitlandia

Author: Clara Parkes

Publisher: Abrams

Published: 2016-02-16

Total Pages: 225

ISBN-13: 1613129394

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The renowned knitter and author of The Yarn Whisperer spins tales of a creative life enriched by world travel in this New York Times–bestselling memoir. In Knitlandia, Parkes invite readers and devoted crafters on excursions to be savored, through seventeen of her most memorable journeys across the globe. Her knitting adventures span from the fjords of Iceland to a cozy yarn shop in Paris’s thirteenth arrondissement. Also known for her PBS television appearances and hugely popular line of small-batch handcrafted yarns, Parkes weaves her personal blend of wisdom and humor into this eloquently volume that is part personal travel narrative and part cultural history, touching the heart of what it means to live creatively.


The Yarn Whisperer

The Yarn Whisperer

Author: Clara Parkes

Publisher: Abrams

Published: 2013-09-03

Total Pages: 162

ISBN-13: 1613125771

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“In this charming series of linked essays,” the renowned knitter and author explores the meaning and importance of knitting in her life (Vogue Knitting). In The Yarn Whisperer, Clara Parkes offers reflections and stories from a lifetime of knitting through twenty-two captivating, poignant, and laugh-out-loud funny essays. Recounting tales of childhood and adulthood, family, friends, adventure, privacy, disappointment, love, and celebration, Parkes hits upon the universal truths that drive knitters to create. With surprising insight and wry humor, she draws clever parallels between life’s twists and turns what knitters see on their needles. Stockinette, ribbing, cables, even the humble yarn over can instantly evoke places, times, people, conversations, all those poignant moments that we’ve tucked away in our memory banks. Over time, those stitches form a map of our lives (From the preface).


A Stash of One's Own

A Stash of One's Own

Author: Clara Parkes

Publisher: Abrams

Published: 2017-09-12

Total Pages: 182

ISBN-13: 1683351622

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In this anthology from the author of The Yarn Whisperer, twenty-one devoted knitters examine a subject that is irresistible to us all: the yarn stash. Anyone with a passion has a stash, whether it is a collection of books or enough yarn to exceed several life expectancies. With her trademark wit, Clara Parkes brings together fascinating stories from all facets of stash-keeping and knitting life—from KonMari minimalist to joyous collector, designer to dyer, spinner to social worker, scholar to sheep farmer. Whether the yarn stash is muse, memento, creative companion, career guide, or lifeline in tough times, these deeply engaging stories take a fascinating look at why we collect, what we cherish, and how we let go. Contributors include New York Times–bestselling authors Stephanie Pearl-McPhee and Debbie Stoller, Meg Swansen and Franklin Habit, Ann Shayne and Kay Gardiner, Adrienne Martini, and a host of others. Named one of the top ten lifestyle books for fall 2017 by Publisher’s Weekly.


Vanishing Fleece

Vanishing Fleece

Author: Clara Parkes

Publisher: Abrams

Published: 2019-10-01

Total Pages: 216

ISBN-13: 1683356829

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The renowned knitter shares her year-long adventure through America’s colorful, fascinating—and slowly disappearing—wool industry. Join Clara Parkes as she ventures across the country to meet the shepherds, dyers, and countless workers without whom our knitting needles would be empty, our mills idle, and our feet woefully cold. Along the way, she encounters a flock of Saxon Merino sheep in upstate New York, tours a scouring plant in Texas, visits a steamy Maine dyehouse, helps sort freshly shorn wool on a working farm, and learns how wool fleece is measured, baled, shipped, and turned into skeins. In pursuit of the perfect yarn, Parkes describes a brush with the dangers of opening a bale (they can explode), and her adventures from Maine to Wisconsin (“the most knitterly state”) and back again. By the end of the book, you’ll be ready to set aside the backyard chickens and add a flock of sheep instead.


The Knitter's Book of Wool

The Knitter's Book of Wool

Author: Clara Parkes

Publisher: Random House Digital, Inc.

Published: 2009

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780307352170

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In this complete guide to wool, passionate wool expert Parkes translates the vast world of sheep and their wool into the language and context of knitting.


The Knitter's Book of Socks

The Knitter's Book of Socks

Author: Clara Parkes

Publisher: Potter Craft

Published: 2011-10-11

Total Pages: 210

ISBN-13: 0307586804

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A sock is a work of wonder. No other knitted garment has as many structural demands or endures as much wear and tear. The humble sock must defy gravity, suffer the confines of our shoes, and endure being trampled on all day long. All too often, the root cause of a sock's triumph or failure is the yarn itself. In The Knitter’s Book of Socks, Clara Parkes shows you how to knit socks from yarn up, following the sock yarn life cycle from its foundations to its final moments on a proud foot. By understanding a sock's basic needs—elasticity, strength, and moisture management—you’ll learn how to play with these tools like building blocks, confidently combining fiber, twist, ply, pattern, and clever stitch tricks to construct your perfect pair of socks. To help put these principles into practice, The Knitter’s Book of Socks also offers 20 fresh, original patterns from today’s sock-design luminaries, including Cookie A, Cat Bordhi, Ann Budd, Nancy Bush, Anne Hanson, and Melissa Morgan-Oakes. The socks presented here run the gamut from simple knit-and-purl combinations suitable for beginners to innovative designs with lush colorwork, swirling cables, and delicate lace. Understanding the elements of yarn is the first step on every successful sock knitting journey. With this book as your guide, you’ll learn how to make any sock yarn shine and love every pair of socks you knit.


Knitknacks

Knitknacks

Author: Kari Cornell

Publisher:

Published:

Total Pages: 106

ISBN-13: 9781610604321

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Taking a light-hearted approach to the art that keeps us in stitches, this nimble little book is filled with comical stories and words of wisdom, providing a humorous glimpse into the world of knitting. With laugh-out-loud tales of the allure of yarn, suggestions for the best places to knit (An ice shanty on a Minnesota lake, perhaps? Or maybe on the back of a motorcycle?), and the tell-tale signs of yarn-collecting spinning out of control, this nifty work is illustrated throughout with amusing vintage pattern booklets, advertisements, photographs, and charming artwork.


A Life in Stitches

A Life in Stitches

Author: Rachael Herron

Publisher: HGA Publishing

Published: 2021-10-03

Total Pages: 183

ISBN-13: 1940785626

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A hilarious, heartfelt romp that will bring you home to yourself. You don’t have to be a knitter to fall in love with this book—any person who’s ever made anything with their hands will dive joyfully into these pages and come back up renewed and ready to create. Tenth Anniversary Edition - This beloved bestseller is newly updated with fresh stories and extra devotion to the happiness found in everyday tools. Internationally bestselling author Rachael Herron shows that when life unravels, there’s usually a way to knit it back together again, and if there’s not, there’s still hope to be found in the simple tools of the craft. Honest, funny, and full of warmth, Herron’s tales, each inspired by something she knitted, will speak to anyone who’s ever loved (or lost). From her very first sweater (a hilarious disaster) to the yellow afghan that caused a breakup (and, ultimately, a breakthrough), every chapter has a moving story behind it. This beautifully candid collection about crafting the art of happiness through joy and grief is perfect for fans of Elizabeth Gilbert and Glennon Doyle. Click BUY now! Rachael Herron is the author of more than two dozen books, including thriller (under R.H. Herron), mainstream fiction, feminist romance, memoir, and nonfiction about writing. She received her MFA in writing from Mills College, Oakland, and she teaches writing extension workshops at both UC Berkeley and Stanford. She is a proud member of the NaNoWriMo Writer’s Board. An AmeriKiwi, she’s currently living in New Zealand.