Beyond Stitch and Bitch: Knitting as a Metaphor for Life

Scruggs's book on the deeper aspects of knitting and purling will strike a chord with crafters who find their trade to be a meditative process. For master knitter and former Cleveland Plain Dealer columnist Scruggs, counting stitches can turn into a chant, while moving her hands as she makes a hat can revive her limbs. And, if she concentrates fully on the work between her needles, she finds that her""conscious retreats"" enough so that a""divine presence can advance."" Thus, knitting can be a""spiritual practice"" that enlarges and calms the mind, or so Scrugg argues in the first of this book's 10 mini-essays. The volume's other pieces include an homage to renowned knitter Elizabeth Zimmerman (whose 1999 death garnered a New York Times obituary), a riff on Scruggs's own difficulty in parting with old skeins and a piece on the pleasure of giving a hand-knit gift. Scruggs's homey prose style should appeal to most knitters, and a few simple patterns to round out this pleasant and uplifting tome.