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Knitlandia

A Knitter Sees the World

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Knitlandia

By: Clara Parkes
Narrated by: Clara Parkes
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About this listen

 Knitting aficionado and notable artisan Clara Parkes delves into her storied travels with this inspiring and witty New York Times bestselling memoir on a creative life enriched by her adventures around the world.

Building on the success of The Yarn Whisperer, Parkes's rich personal essays invite listeners and devoted crafters on excursions to be savored, from a guide who quickly comes to feel like a trusted confidante. In Knitlandia, she takes listeners along on 17 of her most memorable journeys across the globe over the last 15 years, with stories spanning from the fjords of Iceland to a cozy yarn shop in Paris's 13th 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 down-to-earth guide that is part personal travel narrative and part cultural history, touching the heart of what it means to live creatively. Join Parkes as she ventures to locales both foreign and familiar in chapters like:



• Chasing a Legend in Taos
• Glass, Grass, and the Power of Place: Tacoma, Washington
• A Thing for Socks and a Very Big Plan: Portland, Oregon
• Autumn on the Hudson: The New York Sheep & Wool Festival
• Cashmere Dreams and British Breeds: A Last-Minute Visit to Edinburgh, Scotland

Fans of travel writing, as well as knitters, crocheters, designers, and fiber artists alike, will enjoy the masterful narrative in these intimate tales from a life well crafted. Whether you've committed to exploring your own wanderlust or are an armchair traveler curled up in your coziest slippers, Knitlandia is sure to inspire laughter, tears, and maybe some travel plans of your own. Crafts & Hobbies Travel Writing & Commentary Women Celebrity Scotland Inspiring Witty
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I thought I wasn't going to like this after the first chapter but it grew on me. Even,if you weren't a knitter I think this gentle series of stories read wonderfully by the author would engage you. Reminded me of old fashioned Saturday night radio stories. I loved the places and people it evoked. Will listen again and again.

Slowburn

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If you are a knitter this book is for you. Clara's travels are great and give a fantastic incite to the knitting community as it has grown both in the USA and the UK. I enjoyed it tremendously.

Interesting stories

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If you are a knitter and familiar with events and Ravelry then this is a must read. In fact everyone should read this, even non knitters so they get a better understanding what the love and obsession is all about!!

Clara if you ever read this, I hope one day we will meet over a bowl of Pho or maybe a coffee and a slice of cake.

Knitters and yarny people are the best!!!

I laughed, smiled, giggled, gasped and cried

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I should begin this review with the information that I‘m German and have never been to America. That sadly also meant that a lot of this book didn’t really mean much to me at all. The author (who I had never heard of before Audible recommended this book) was/is clearly involved in a lot of the knitting culture’s keystones, such as certain festivals for example. I am sure, if you‘ve been to said festivals, you will have a lovely time recognising the atmosphere and chuckling over the description of the traditions that have developed. However, as such, the author‘s life and experiences just seemed those of a complete stranger, the descriptions not full enough for anthropological interest either.

The author was a yarn critic at the time of writing, yet beyond a detailed (and fascinating) description of Icelandic Wool and the efforts of a specific artisan in Taos, I didn’t find too much about the variations in international wools or maybe even on local fibre culture. Instead this is very much a memoir, full of how the author felt about all sorts of wool-related adventures, but without the „Yes! I know that“ factor or…the Yarnhalots laugh-out-loud wit.

Does that make it a bad book? No - not at all. This is the yarn-lovers equivalent of a nice bowl of warm chicken soup. Hobby-related enough to keep you engaged, but (for me) with very little actual substance. That is worth highlighting again: This book wasn’t FOR ME. If you are an American knitter, you‘ll likely love it. If you know the author, you might well be fascinated. Hell, if you appreciate travel diary style writing, this could be YOUR book. It just wasn’t mine.

It did however bring me from row 349 to row 358 out of 374 of the blanket I have been knitting for the last 10 months and for that, I will be eternally grateful.

PS.: Over the course of the book, the author gets the idea for an essay collection on the „boyfriend curse“ and various knitter’s experiences with it. I was very sad to find the idea declined by the end of the chapter, because that I would have seriously love to read. If any knitting-writers are reading this, searching for inspiration…well…I‘ll just leave it here.

A view behind the lid of mainly American knitting culture - kinda

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Knitlandia is slightly sentimental but was an enjoyable listen for me as a listener who might never get to the events Parkes describes. Her destinations were a mix of festivals/events, personal travel, and professional visits to teach or meet with publishers.

However, I have no idea why she decided to do the accents for people she meets along her travels. Parkes is definitely better at impressions than many, but it's extremely embarrassing and distracting to hear a bad imitation of people she's describing with respect and curiosity

Don't do the accents

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