Vanishing Fleece

Vanishing Fleece
Author: Clara Parkes
Publisher: Abrams
Total Pages: 216
Release: 2019-10-01
Genre: Crafts & Hobbies
ISBN: 1683356829

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.

Knitlandia

Knitlandia
Author: Clara Parkes
Publisher: Abrams
Total Pages: 225
Release: 2016-02-16
Genre: Crafts & Hobbies
ISBN: 1613129394

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.

A Stash of One's Own

A Stash of One's Own
Author: Clara Parkes
Publisher: Abrams
Total Pages: 182
Release: 2017-09-12
Genre: Crafts & Hobbies
ISBN: 1683351622

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.

Spider Woman's Children

Spider Woman's Children
Author: Barbara Teller Ornelas
Publisher: Thrums Books
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2018
Genre: Crafts & Hobbies
ISBN: 9780999051757

Navajo rugs set the gold standard for handwoven textiles in the U.S. But what about the people who create these treasures? Spider Woman's Children is the inside story, told by two women who are both deeply embedded in their own culture and considered among the very most skillful and artistic of Navajo weavers today. Barbara Teller Ornelas and Lynda Teller Pete are fifth-generation weavers who grew up at the fabled Two Grey Hills trading post. Their family and clan connections give them rare insight, as this volume takes readers into traditional hogans, remote trading posts, reservation housing neighborhoods, and urban apartments to meet weavers who follow the paths of their ancestors, who innovate with new designs and techniques, and who uphold time-honored standards of excellence. Throughout the text are beautifully depicted examples of the finest, most mindful weaving this rich tradition has to offer.

My Dad, Yogi

My Dad, Yogi
Author: Dale Berra
Publisher: Hachette Books
Total Pages: 220
Release: 2019-05-07
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0316525464

A candid and nostalgic father-son memoir by Dale Berra, providing a unique perspective on his legendary Hall of Fame dad, the inimitable and highly quotable Yogi Berra. Everyone knows Yogi Berra. The American icon was the backbone of the New York Yankees through ten World Series Championships, managed the National League Champion New York Mets in 1973, and had an ingenious way with words that remains an indelible part of our lexicon. But no one knew him like his family did. My Dad, Yogi is Dale Berra's chronicle of his unshakeable bond with his father, as well as an intimate portrait of one of the great sports figures of the 20th Century. When Yogi wasn't playing or coaching, or otherwise in the public eye, he was home in the New Jersey suburbs, spending time with his beloved wife, Carmen, and his three boys, Larry, Tim, and Dale. Dale presents -- as only a son could -- his family's history, his parents' enduring relationship, and his dad's storied career. Throughout Dale's youth, he had a firsthand look at the Major Leagues, often by his dad's side during Yogi's years as a coach and manager. The Berra's lifelong family friends included Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, and Whitey Ford. It's no coincidence that all three Berra sons were inspired to play sports constantly, and that all three became professional athletes, following in their dad's footsteps. Dale came up with the Pittsburgh Pirates, contributing to their 1979 championship season and emerging as one of baseball's most talented young players. After three strong seasons, Dale was traded to New York, briefly united with his dad in the Yankee dugout. But there was also an extraordinary challenge developing. Dale was implicated in a major cocaine scandal involving some of the biggest names in the sport, and his promising career was ultimately cut short by his drug problem. Yogi supported his son all along, eventually staging the intervention that would save Dale's life, and draw the entire family even closer. My Dad, Yogi is Dale's tribute to his dad -- a treat for baseball fans and a poignant story for fathers and sons everywhere.

This Golden Fleece

This Golden Fleece
Author: Esther Rutter
Publisher: Granta Books
Total Pages: 352
Release: 2020-06
Genre: Crafts & Hobbies
ISBN: 9781783784363

A history of Britain's long love affair with wool, told through a year of knitting garments from around the British Isles.

Knit Happy with Self-Striping Yarn

Knit Happy with Self-Striping Yarn
Author: Stephanie Lotven
Publisher: Page Street Publishing
Total Pages: 482
Release: 2021-01-19
Genre: Crafts & Hobbies
ISBN: 1645671836

Add Joyful Color to Your Knits the Easy Way! Make the most of your favorite self-striping yarn with 20 bright and brilliant patterns from Stephanie Lotven, of Tellybean Knits. Every skein of self-striping yarn contains a whole palette of exciting colors, so you can create eye-catching rainbow details without needing to keep track of several yarns or weave in all those ends when your project is complete. Stephanie’s spectacular designs go way beyond traditional striped socks, covering new and exciting ways to showcase these beautiful yarns in sweaters, hats, cowls and more. Whether you’re building your knitting skills or looking for fresh inspiration, selfstriping yarn is truly your secret weapon for knitting garments that shine. The Rainbow Adventure Fingerless Mitts are a quick, satisfying project with big impact and the Indicator Shawl has a chic, geometric design that’s a blast to knit. Statement sweaters like the Sock Arms Cardigan knit up unexpectedly quickly with so many exciting colors to hold your interest. This collection includes a wide range of sizes for adults, as well as adorable variations for kids. Designed to surprise and delight, these unique patterns will brighten up your hand-knit wardrobe and make cheerful gifts for family and friends.

Three Bags Full

Three Bags Full
Author: Leonie Swann
Publisher: Anchor Canada
Total Pages: 369
Release: 2010-10-29
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0385673795

A witty philosophical murder mystery with a charming twist: the crack detectives are sheep determined to discover who killed their beloved shepherd. On a hillside near the cozy Irish village of Glennkill, a flock of sheep gathers around their shepherd, George, whose body lies pinned to the ground with a spade. George has cared devotedly for the flock, even reading them books every night. Led by Miss Maple, the smartest sheep in Glennkill (and possibly the world), they set out to find George’s killer. The A-team of investigators includes Othello, the “bad-boy” black ram; Mopple the Whale, a Merino who eats a lot and remembers everything; and Zora, a pensive black-faced ewe with a weakness for abysses. Joined by other members of the richly talented flock, they engage in nightlong discussions about the crime, wild metaphysical speculations, and embark on reconnaissance missions into the village, where they encounter some likely suspects. Along the way, the sheep confront their own all-too-human struggles with guilt, misdeeds, and unrequited love. Funny, fresh, and endearing, it introduces a wonderful new breed of detectives to Canadian readers.

The Knitter's Book of Yarn

The Knitter's Book of Yarn
Author: Clara Parkes
Publisher: Potter Craft
Total Pages: 258
Release: 2011-02-02
Genre: Crafts & Hobbies
ISBN: 0307586987

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.