Award-winning novelist Karin Erlandsson was a teenager when she decided to make her dream come true and knit a striped jumper for herself without using any instructions. A deep and life-long love was born.
Erlandsson weaves together a nonfiction book, in which personal memories expand into sharp observations about the effects of knitting on the knitter themselves, those close to them, and society at large. The colors of the yarn, new knitting patterns, and as yet unattempted dreams drive the author forward almost compulsively. Knitting is presented not only in terms of clothing and preserving tradition, but also as a means of creating something new. As the world around us grows more complex, it can be a way to survive – or to break the ranks. For those who are stressed, it can be a means of recovering and finding balance.
Knitters have always been part of a long, somewhat invisible tradition, which has especially been upheld by women from one century to the next. Knitting has also been a way to network within communities, to earn a living, and to take a personal stance in many societal issues.
This is a warm, inspiring book about the magic of knitting and its invisible history in different parts of the world – also perfect for first-time knitters, no matter what your experience.
Original title: Det blå garnet. Schildts & Söderströms 2022, 183 pp.
Foreign rights: Helsinki Literary Agency, helsinkiagency.fi
