Knitting Ephemera
Knitting Ephemera: A Compendium of Articles, Useful and Otherwise, for the Edification and Amusement of the Handknitter by Carol J. Sulcoski is a delightful little gift book that’s perfect for knitters, crocheters, and fiber enthusiasts. It’s basically what I refer to as a “bathroom book,” a book made up of small tidbits of information that I’m more inclined to peruse for a few minutes at a time and then put down, rather than reading straight through.
Sulcoski offers factoids about the history of knitting and spinning yarns, the science behind wool-related animal husbandry, knitting in popular culture and literature, and all kinds of other tidbits. There’s a copy of a letter Sarah Phelps of Groton, NH, sent to President Lincoln along with a pair of hand-knit socks and her deepest wishes to see slavery abolished. There are also helpful explanations of knitting acronyms and terms. There’s even a list of murder mysteries featuring knitting.
Some fun little facts I pulled out of this book:
- Knitting burns 102 calories per hour.
- The most expensive yarn is vicuña at $299.95 for a one ounce ball. Vicuñas are related to llamas, but can only be shorn once every 3 years.
- The oldest surviving knitted garment are socks found in Egypt and dating back to around 1000 AD.
- The term spinster (meaning a single woman past typical marriageable age) comes from the 14th century and refers to women who preferred not to marry and made a living spinning yarn. It wasn’t always a derogatory term.
- Based on a 2013 survey, the average knitter spent $801 a year on knitting supplies.
It didn’t take me long to read so I didn’t get a lot of bang for my buck (a male rabbit is a buck–more trivia from this book), but I loved Knitting Ephemera and will be buying more copies for gifts in the future.
– Elyse
Did you know that knitting burns 102 calories per hour? Or that November is national Knit a Sweater month? Or that there are more sheep than people in New Zealand, Australia, and Iceland? These fun facts and many more make up Knitting Ephemera, a treasury of trivia for knitting enthusiasts. Containing 300 entries, this informative collection covers everything from knitting’s appearances in history, literature, folklore, and pop culture to little-known facts about wool, sheep, and fiber producers. Helpful tips and techniques are included, as well as tidbits on crochet, spinning, and weaving. With illuminating illustrations throughout, Knitting Ephemera will entertain knitters and needlecrafters everywhere.
Crafting, Nonfiction
This book is available from:
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
We also may use affiliate links in our posts, as well. Thanks!
$299.95 an ounce? That better be some fantastic and durable yarn! Still it makes me feel less guilty about the fact that I will be visiting a wool shop sale next week to add some ‘bargains’ to my stash as I know I won’t be spending even $29.99 on an ounce of anythig I buy (and yes I know I should have rounded it up, but the visual wouldn’t have been right if I had ..)