Things I Learned From Knitting: ...whether I wanted to or not

Entertainment extraordinaire, with life lessons explained! How does knitting fit in today's busy busy world and do you think you might enjoy this very old pastime? Find out as you read Things I Learned from Knitting... whether I wanted to or not. This is a handy little book that will fit into a small bag. It is very very funny. I found myself laughing out loud more than once as I was reading it. The author, Stephanie Pearl-McPhee lives in Canada; she speaks and writes the Queen's English, thus the reader must often think, more than a wee bit, to extract all the meaning. That makes it all the more enjoyable. The author uses 45 old adages which illustrate life lessons and she contrasts and compares cognitive psychology to the thought processes used in knitting. That being said I think it will make a wonderful graduation present for my close friend, a young wife, mother, and knitter, who just spent the last ten years working toward her PhD in Biomedical Engineering with a speciality in Oncology. With that accomplished she now has more time to knit and to get on with life's lessons learned!!!

I've read several of Stephanie's books and love all of them. They are a great, easy read that always motivates me to finish my knitting projects. This book is great, like her others, however I was surprised by the book's physical size when I received it. It's comically small. I actually find it uncomfortable to hold in bed to read. Still a great book but I don't know what is up with the book size.

Love her writing. As a sometime knitter, I was completely sucked in. Found laugh out loud moments and thought insights that Gave me food for thought. Author is unpretentious, no ax to grind, articulate and it seems her only agenda is to share her thoughts and add some charming humor to the mix. You just about have to be a knitter to get some of the humor but you don’t have to be a good knitter...so people like me had no problem following the little stories in these writings.

I have 5 or 6 books by Pearl-McPhee and I LOVE them! I read bits of them out loud to my non-knitting Hubby. If you like/love to knit, and have even a tiny piece of a funny bone in your baby toe, you will like these books. If you have a great sense of humor, you will LOVE these books! I would love to sit with Ms. Pearl-McPhee and just listen to her while I am knitting. If only I could get Hubby to read these books out loud to me while I am knitting....

The Yarn Harlot is a funny lady with a genius for telling home truths in ways that sound fresh. I bought this book because -- okay, (a)it's McPhee, (b)I have all her other books,(c) I've never met a knitting book I didn't need to have immediately (except those that purport to be not your grandmother's something or other). Pathetic reasons, but there you are. This book divides a bunch of those home truths into brief chapterettes -- a clever way to organize the material but one which (sorry) shows off its shallowness. "Practice Makes Perfect," for instance. Oh, thanks; never thought of that. "You Can't Win Them All." Yes, well; you learn that one the first time you try to frog mohair. "Patience is a Virtue:" This little essay does raise the interesting question of whether knitting teaches patience or whether patient people become knitters. Either way, so what?My sense is that her publishers said, "Steph, it's time; you've got to get another book out there and do another tour." My stronger sense is that between the books and the tours and the blog and whatnot, this lovely knitter is becoming too much of a brand, the voice is becoming too familiar, and the same thing is being sold over and over, with diminishing returns for the reader. Excuse me; I need to attend to my own knitting.

As I lay in bed after having bought this for my Kindle/iPad, I had to say that I adore this book and I am only on the "10th" thing. Her style of writing as if she was having a conversation or freely telling a story with her own peanut gallery comments has led me to laugh louder then I should at this time of night......and I love it! I'm very green to knitting but already appreciate many stories and have really enjoyed how she relates knitting to "real life". My only negative comment is that I fear I will not get to sleep anytime soon as I want to finish it tonight. I should get back to reading...........:)

Uncontrollable laughter while you are reading a book is a pleasure, but a tad embarrassing when in a group of total strangers. Worse yet, I tried reading this book while at a conference where I was supposed to be listening to the (rather dull) speaker. Another mistake! She is hilarious. She spells out 45 lessons that she has learned from knitting. Her descriptions of flinging the knitting across the room, using words our children shouldn't be exposed to, and opening another glass of wine while reading a lace pattern, for example, are all things that most knitters can relate to. Read it and LAUGH in recognition!

I really like Stephanie Pearl McPhee's slant on life, love and knitting. She tells it in a humorous way that get you to think. I often saw myself in her stories. There are 45"life lessons" or things she learned from kitting. The thing I learned from her book is you can learn a lot about life from almost anything. I loved this book. You do not have to be a knitter to enjoy it.

This is the 4th book of the yarn harlots I have and it didn't disappoint. Yes there are some repeats of previous ideas but they are added to. Warning, don't read any of her books in public unless you don't mind people thinking you're nuts 'cos you're laughing out loud. I have often been reduced to tears and just can't stop reading out bits to my poor long suffering ( and totally uninterested husband) If you're a newbie knitter or an 'old hand' you'll find lots to laugh at and also good information. If you have a knitter friend - there's the christmas or birthday present sorted.

Love this little book - makes me smile each time I read it and I find myself agreeing with everything she says!

- writing greatly appreciated by the knitter I bought it for- to be recommended as a present to any serious knitter (or anyone becoming a serious knitter) who also has a sense of humour!PS I offered to the same person 2 more books from same author:- Yarn Harlot- At knit's end

Thoroughly enjoyed it- a short but entertaining & thought provoking read. I insisted on reading bits out, but my audience enjoyed reading it despite having heard a lot of it being read out.A great gift for knitters

If you are a knitter who enjoys hoarding/buying yarn and other knitterly activities almost as much as actually making things, you'll probably enjoy these anecdotes. If in doubt, check out the yarn harlot's blog.