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In Review
Knitting Rules!:
The Yarn Harlot's Bag of Knitting Tricks
by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee
Reviewed By L'Tanya Durante

"wool: "A 'gateway' yarn that has the potential to lead to alpaca, quiviut, and other
natural fibers. Prolonged exposure to the loveliness of wool can also drag you
straight down the path to felting, and, in the vulnerable, spinning."

Having readers learn while laughing is an ingenious teaching method and a method Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, aka the Yarn Harlot, has mastered. Unfamiliar with the Yarn Harlot and her knit wit, I didn’t know what to expect in reading her latest book, Knitting Rules! So I was surprised at how much I laughed out loud at some of the stories and equally surprised at how much of the knitting tips I didn’t already know.

While there are chapters on gauge and yarn, much of the book’s chapter headings are on particular types of wearables, for example hats, socks, scarves and shawls, and sweaters. The way her lighthearted “10 Reasons to…” sections are sprinkled in with the tables of tips and tricks is almost like a “gotcha.” I bet you’ll learn something new in each chapter and I’ll even bet that you won’t see it coming.

You are guaranteed to see yourself or someone you know in the stories and that’s part of the book’s charm – knitters can relate. If you don’t like to knit gauge swatches, you’ll love “Denial Ain’t Just A River in Egypt” (a cautionary tale for knitters). If you’re about to make a sweater for your significant other, you may want to read about “The Sweater Curse” before you do.

After reading Knitting Rules! You come away with the feeling that no matter how much yarn is in your stash or how many times you’ve “frogged” that sweater, that everything is going to be alright. Use Knitting Rules! as a reference. Use it when you need a good laugh. This is the book for the knitter who has everything.

L'Tanya Durante is the Editor-in-Chief of Black Purl Magazine. She lives in Durham, NC with her husband, two sons and cat. She spends her quiet time beading, knitting, and crocheting, or reading about beading, knitting or crocheting.