Knitting In Fiction Grows in Leaps and Bounds
Love to read? Love to knit? Why not check out knitting in fiction?
We all know about instructional knitting handbooks, but what about knitting in fiction? Lately, dozens of books have appeared that not only involve but feature everyone's favorite hobby! In fact, Kate Jacobs' The Friday Night Knitting Club is all set to become a Hollywood movie starring Julia Roberts.
Hopefully that will spur the imagination of all the knitters out there and drive them to check out some of the great knitting in fiction on their local bookshelves. Here are a few to start you out!
1. The Friday Night Knitting Club
As I just said, Kate Jacobs' book is all set to become a movie, which in and of itself should attract hordes of readers. This is about as knitting-centric as fiction comes: the protagonist works in a yarn store and draws support from her staff and her weekly knitting circle. A poignant tale for all knitters!
2. The Knitting Circle
Anne Hood learned to knit while mourning the death of her daughter, an experience she channels in writing The Knitting Circle. In this story, a woman who loses her daughter discovers the healing and transforming power of knitting. Not only does this story highlight knitting in fiction, it provides a realistic, powerful approach to the grief of a mother mourning her child -- not to mention the other knitters' tragedies Hood's protagonist unravels (no pun intended) as she goes along.
3. Died In The Wool
This is the first in Mary Kruger's series of Knitting Mysteries, featuring a yarn shop owner forced to moonlight as a detective when she discovers a customer strangled in her shop -- and with her best homespun yarn, no less! Died in the Wool is a fast-paced, fun, and pun-filled adventure. If you like mysteries and love knitting, you'll -- dare I say? -- die to read it.
4. Knit One, Kill Two
All right, it's the second murder mystery on my list, but something about involving knitting brings a whole new meaning to the term "cozy!" My favorite instances of knitting in fiction are clever mysteries, such as this novel by Maggie Sefton. Follow the adventures of Kelly Flynn as she learns to knit and unravels some mysteries besides.
Whatever else you say about knitting, it certainly lends itself to puns -- as many of these authors have discovered. If you just can't get enough of your craft, check out the many instances of knitting in fiction to uncover a whole new side of your yarn!
