Knitting tome debunks myths about practice of ancient craft Instructions, patterns joined by essays on philosophy

THE JOY OF KNITTING, by Lisa R. Myers, Running Press, 2001, 167 pages, $18.95

I like to be seduced by needlework books. I want big pages with a glossy finish, artsy photos of gorgeous handmade sweaters, lengthy lists of fiber sources and plenty of easy instructions for making the patterns of my choice.

“The Joy of Knitting” has none of those things. In fact, when I first saw the book, I didn’t have great hopes for it. Well, I was wrong. Author Lisa Myers has an abiding love and respect for the craft of knitting, and that attitude informs every page of her book. She begins by debunking the persistent myth of the grandmotherly knitter. She writes that most women (and a few men) who come to classes at the yarn store she owns in Philadelphia are in their 20s and 30s. Knitting, she adds, has attracted the interest of Hollywood stars – Julia Roberts, Cameron Diaz and Hilary Swank. She tells us why: “Because the feel of yarn and needles in the hands is a deep and sensual pleasure. Because it calms … and reduces stress. Because it connects them to where they come from and to knitters everywhere.”

“The Joy of Knitting” is, at heart, a collection of essays reflecting the author’s philosophy of knitting which, in turn, reflects her philosophy of life. Myers believes in connectedness, that all things are interrelated, and knitting is for her a concrete, living metaphor for that belief.

After each essay, Myers presents the reader with a knitting pattern. The patterns progress from easy at the beginning of the book to more difficult at the end. She includes a Mobius scarf, mittens, socks and watch cap. The instructions are clear and easy to follow, and each project is illustrated by a line drawing.

In the chapter titled”A Feminist History of Knitting,” one of my favorite parts of the book, Myers says knitting has been, for centuries, work a woman could do while nursing her baby or tending her housekeeping. It was a way to make valuable and necessary fabric from something as basic as a strand of wool with the simplest of equipment – two smooth, pointed sticks. And one that could be done indoors or outdoors. Reading that chapter made me want to reread “No Idle Hands: The Social History of American Knitting” by Anne L. Macdonald, which isn’t listed in the bibliography and, in my opinion, ought to be.

In the chapter “Knitting in the Global Village,” Myers writes about the ethnic traditions of knitting. Latvian knitters use thinly spun yarns to produce intricately patterned, multicolored mittens. Turkish knitters make socks with one pattern on the legs and another on the soles. In the Balkan states, socks are knit from toe to ankle instead of the other way around. Andean men and boys knit pointed hats in bright colors. These and many other knitting traditions, Myers says, are in danger of dying out. She urges knitters everywhere to learn those traditions and to teach them to others, which is the only way to preserve them.

Myers includes a chapter on the technical aspects of knitting, especially the all-important gauge (if you don’t knit the right number of stitches to the inch, your piece will be either too big or too small, never just right). This is the longest chapter in the book and it made my eyes glaze over somewhat because of the math involved, but I learned a lot from reading it and will keep a calculator handy when next I knit something ambitious, such as a sweater. Other chapters talk about fibers, color, and design, hitting the high points and leaving lots of room for the reader to do further study.

“The Joy of Knitting,” as the author is quick to point out, isn’t the book you need if you want to learn to knit. The best way to learn is from someone else. But it is a wonderful book for sparking interest in the ageless craft of knitting. Indeed, after reading several chapters, I went off to Bangor’s downtown knitting shop and bought some wool worsted in a lovely mustard yellow with a black fuzzy fleck; I’m knitting mittens (without a calculator handy) – the good old plain kind my mother and grandmother used to knit.

Reading Myers’ book prompted me to do a Web search for yarn sources and that brought me to the Maine businesses that produce knitting yarns. The three that interest me most are Jaggerspun, a wool and mohair blend made in Springvale, which Myers mentions in “The Joy of Knitting”; Bartlettyarns, rough, earthy skeins spun in Harmony; and Peace Fleece, spun from the blended wool of Russian and American sheep and made in Porter.

One last thing about “The Joy of Knitting.” It measures 6 by 8 inches, small enough to tuck into a backpack – or knitting bag – and easy to carry with you as you go about the busy routines of work and family. It won’t dazzle you with design or lavish photographs, but it will provide you with good reading, interesting information, and inspiration. It may even prompt you to say to a knitter, “Teach me to knit.”