cover image Knitting Way PB

Knitting Way PB

Linda Skolnik, Janice Macdaniels. Skylight Paths Publishing, $16.99 (192pp) ISBN 978-1-59473-079-5

Knitting is all the rage again, as is discovering the spiritual side of just about everything. This book joins Tara Jon Manning's Mindful Knitting and Izard and Jorgensen's Knitting into the Mystery in exploring what knitting and spirituality have in common. Skolnik, founder of the well-known knitting company, Patternworks, and MacDaniels, a lifelong knitter and business associate of Skolnik, view the practice of knitting as a special source of connection, particularly among women. They liken knitting to a river that flows between people in such a way that anyone who knits, whether alone or in community, becomes connected to ""all who have gone before."" For Skolnik and MacDaniels, knitting ""links us to the past, to those who knitted for their existence, who knitted for survival, who knitted for beauty and love."" Knitting is an activity rich in spiritual possibility; it is not only a doorway to spiritual community, but also a means for knowing our souls. As a meditative practice, it can center and unburden the self, opening us to the divine. By interspersing spiritual wisdom-from what yarn colors say about a person's ""true colors"" to explaining how knitting can be used to tell stories-with practical project instructions, Skolnik and MacDaniels offer experienced knitters a fresh approach to a favorite hobby.