First, the facts:
Title: All Wound Up: The Yarn Harlot Writes for a Spin
Author: Stephanie Pearl-McPhee
Published by: Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2011
Pages: 235
Type: Knitting Humor.
Chapters:
No chapters, exactly, just essays
The In-Depth Look:
I’ve been a fan of Stephanie-the-Yarn-Harlot for years. I’ve been reading her blog since long before her first bookbookbook was published, have bought and read every one of her books, and generally find her writing style and sense of humor (not to mention her love of knitting) an enchanting combination.
There’s nothing I like better, though, than when she sits down to tell a story, and this book is basically a collection of them. I count 29 in the table of contents and have stretched reading the book over weeks because I don’t want them to end.
The blurb on the cover says, “With the trademark humor and wit that have sustained her through thick and thin, including a few misshapen sweaters and an indoor water balloon fight among her otherwise darling daughters, Pearl-McPhee deftly examines knitting, parenting, friendship, and–gasp!–even crocheting in essays that are at times touching, often hilarious, and always entertaining.”
It’s true. Some of these stories made me laugh out loud. Watching Stephanie try to justify her right to closet space for her yarn stash, or explaining how she sent her daughters to bed in the middle of the afternoon one memorable day is simply funny. Listening to her tell about her husband getting his truck stuck in the snow is just as funny now as it was when I read it on her blog, and the tribute to Sir Washie brought tears to my eyes. (Well, maybe not outright tears, but you know what I mean.)
Because yes, a couple of these essays are “repeats” that might be familiar if you’re a long-time blog reader, but who cares? They’re pure entertainment gold–well worth making the book last. As good and helpful as Stephanie’s books on knitting technique or tips might be, her true talent lies in her own specific niche–her self-invented genre of Knitting-Humor Writer. Nobody does it better, and this book is one of her best.
If you’re looking for an entertaining read, you’ll want to check this one out.
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