In the Loop: Knitting Now [Paperback]

In the Loop: Knitting Now by Jessica Hemmings takes a serious and contemporary look at knitting through a collection of essays, statements, and photographs from a variety of contributors ranging from artist to historian. Engaging and thought-provoking, this book recognizes that there are various approaches to knitting and that a richness of understanding (and, therefore, appreciation) is formed when these different perspectives converge. Highlights include resurgence, tradition, perfectionism, feminism, literature, time-keeping, gesture, fiction, activism, technology, and code. The message is clear: knitting is complex; knitting is dynamic; knitting is beyond hobby. Anyone failing to see the potential of knitting (or craft in general) needs to feast their eyes on this intellectual banquet.

In the Loop: Knitting Now is a fascinating book about "the meaning and potential of knitting'. It is not a book of knitting patterns. In fact, I don't believe that there is one pattern included in the book. However, it is a book edited by Jessica Hemmings that originates from a conference called 'In the Loop' that was held in Great Britain in 2008. The writings and photographs included in the unusual and wonderful book are about "the meaning and potential of knitting".

In the words of the editor, " the contributors to this book have written and illustrated from a number of perspectives and borrow from a variety of conventions". Some provide rich images accompanied by brief statements. Others have elected to write at length about their practice, using the format of the illustrated essay to move equally between word and image. At the opposite extreme are essays that consider knitting in fiction and address the identity of knitting as it appears in print".

"Academic, artist, historian, librarian and poet are all to be found in these pages". The book is written in no particular chronology and the reader can skip around at their own choosing to read a chapter that may be of interest to them. The editor is looking for a diverse dialog about knitting, one that provokes debate and "contributes to a more broadly considered definition of knitting in the future".

Knitting has seen a resurgence in interest. There is no longer a practical need for knitting but rather it is now a pastime that is for art, enjoyment, craft, political statement that "appears in unexpected guises with intentions and meanings that stray far outside the realm of the domestic and utilitarian."

The essays are provocative, entertaining, educating and above all, interesting. The essay by Clio Padovani and Paul Whittaker "proposes an elaboration in thinking about what we have come to know as the act of knitting". It also is about contemporary art that "unconventionally makes use of the practices of knitting". I was fascinated by the way this essay discussed knitting and psychoanalysis and how it incorporated the works of contemporary art into the meaning of knitting. Of especial interest was their portrayal of Louise Bourgeois, one of the most influential artists living today, the the relationship of her work to knitting. Psychoanalytically, they refer to the work of Jacques Lacan.

As an avid reader, I was drawn to the essays of knitting and literature. The section on 'Narrative Knits' drew me in right away. It has essays on how "knitting appears in written and oral narrative traditions, from cultures with a lengthy history of the craft, such as the Scottish Islands of Shetland, as well as those with an imported history of knitting, such as Zimbabwe. Curiously knitting is not, as we might expect, always cast in a positive light when it appears in fiction and folklore. It is as often used to navigate grief, disappointment or loss, as it does a romantic return to the soothing rhythms of working with our hands". I was especially interested in the essay 'Knitting in Southern African Fiction'.

There are also sections on 'Rethinking Knitting', 'Narrative Knits', 'Site and Sight: Activist Knitting', and 'Progress: Looking Back'. The book is erudite and entertaining. It is philosophical, historical and futuristic. The photographs are wonderful and are strewn throughout the text. It is a GREAT book for readers who love knitting. I highly recommend it.

Bonnie Brody May 18, 2010

As I read the book, I kept finding myself constructing this review in my head. It became long, precise, dry and academic with sub-chapters listed and content identified, beginning with an abstract...exactly how almost all of the essays read throughout.

It appears to me that knitting is secondary to the primary theme, knitting being the mode to express whatever social platform the writer feels in personally relevant to him or her. This is not a book about knitting, the craft of learning to knit, the frustrations involved, the rising popularity and why, where, and how. Although seemingly addressed, the essays circumnavigate their way around these topics to really present the author's stance on some social topic, often revolving around gender or culture.

If you like performance art, you'll love the photos and content in this book. However, if you're looking to see beautifully knit garments, run as fast as you can. Do you like hot pink knitted chain link fences with accompanying razor wire coiled above, all knit to perfection? Well, you'll love the photos in this book! I made the mistake of not examining the photos above that showed a few of the pages of the book. If I had, perhaps I would have saved myself some money.

Briefly, the book is written in the style required for academic submissions for professional journals. The writing keeps the reader and author at a distance and presents content very objectively. It makes for a very sterile read. Themes revolves around social issues with knitting secondary to the writer's personal cause, although on the surface, it appears knitting is primary. The photos might be interesting at times and thought-provoking, but they are not typical of what one might expect in a book about knitting. However, the presentation is gorgeous, one of the best lay-outs I've ever seen. I loved the book itself, the pages, the fonts, the page numbering, the chapter headings. The book is a joy to flip through because it's so well designed, easy for the reader to navigate. It's very welcoming, for wont of a better word. If only the content embraced me with such warmth!

My sense is that this book will be pure joy, a 5+ rated book for a very small number of people because for performance artists and their ilk, this book is a genuinely exquisite read. A bit higher percentage will find it intriguing, a few won't care one way or the other, and at least 50% will find it utter crap. I'm still looking for a book on knitting that goes beyond the Stitch and Bitch and Stephanie Pearl-McPhee genre, a book that perhaps includes humor, but addresses knitting in its place in contemporary society and who exactly is embracing it, a book that goes into the psychology of who takes up knitting and why it's touched the souls of so many, especially in recent times. Although I found value in both the authors just mentioned, I wanted something deeper, something in between "In the Loop" and "Stitch and Bitch."