“Susan has placed the history of knitting within the context of American history, so we can clearly see how knitting is intertwined with such subjects as geography, migration, politics, economics, female emancipation, and evolving social mores. She has traced how a melting pot of knitting traditions found their way into American culture via vast waves of immigration, expanded opportunity for travel, and technology.” —Melanie Falick This is the history that Knitting America celebrates. Beautifully illustrated with vintage pattern booklets, posters, postcards, black-and-white historical photographs, and contemporary color photographs of knitted pieces in private collections and in museums, this book is an exquisite view of America through the handiwork of its knitters.

“Fascinating . . . What is remarkable about this book is that a history of knitting can function so well as a survey of the changes in women’s rolse over time.”—The New York Times Book Review An historian and lifelong knitter, Anne Macdonald expertly guides readers on a revealing tour of the history of knitting in America. In No Idle Hands, Macdonald considers how the necessity—and the pleasure—of knitting has shaped women’s lives. Here is the Colonial woman for whom idleness was a sin, and her Victorian counterpart, who enjoyed the pleasure of knitting while visiting with friends; the war wife eager to provide her man with warmth and comfort, and the modern woman busy creating fashionable handknits for herself and her family. Macdonald examines each phase of American history and gives us a clear and compelling look at life, then and now. And through it all, we see how knitting has played an important part in the way society has viewed women—and how women have viewed themselves. Assembled from articles in magazines, knitting brochures, newspaper clippings and other primary sources, and featuring reproductions of advertisements, illustrations, and photographs from each period, No Idle Hands capture the texture of women’s domestic lives throughout history with great wit and insight. “Colorful and revealing . . . vivid . . . This book will intrigue needlewomen and students of domestic history alike.”—The Washington Post Book World

This book teaches creative knitting. Sweaters are knit in one piece — no seams! — to the knitter's own set of measurements, enabling knitters to use even hand-spun yarns that never seem to fit a predetermined gauge. The Sweater Workshop provides an alternative for those who wish to knit sweaters of their own designs. The rewards are well-fitting, perfectly constructed seamless sweaters knit from any yarn.

One surviving cotton sock tells us that the Egyptians were knitting as long ago as the first millennium AD. Tenderly preserved shawls and sweaters bespeak our great-grandmothers handiwork. And colorful strands of yarn escaping from a basket in the corner show that the tradition lives on with us. That tradition, celebrated in the stories and essays in this book, knits together a world of warmth and memory, wisdom and camaraderie. These writings--sometimes amusing, sometimes moving, always entertaining--comprise a charming scrapbook reflecting the myriad cultural and historical aspects of knitting. Ranging from the days of World War II to our own time, they include offerings by Jamaica Kincaid, Melanie Falick, Elizabeth Zimmermann, Meg Swansen, Susan Gordon Lydon, Pam Allen, Lela Nargi, Perri Klass, Teva Durham, and many others. Artwork by Solveig Hisdal, fiber artists Debbie New and Karen Searle, and photographer Chris Hartlove, along with historical photographs, vintage advertising, and pattern booklets, brings the color and textures of these stories to vibrant life. Whether you ply knitting needles yourself or simply appreciate the art, this collection will enfold you in all the softness, warmth, and beauty of knitting today and yesterday.