Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

A New York Times Bestseller

Knitting aficionado and notable artisan Clara Parkes delves into her storied travels with this inspiring and witty memoir on a creative life enriched by her adventures around the world.

Building on the success of The Yarn Whisperer, Parkes's rich personal essays invite readers and devoted crafters on excursions to be savored, from a guide who quickly comes to feel like a trusted confidante. In Knitlandia , she takes readers along on 17 of her most memorable journeys across the globe over the last 15 years, with stories spanning from the fjords of Iceland to a cozy yarn shop in Paris's 13th arrondissement.

Also known for her PBS television appearances and hugely popular line of small-batch handcrafted yarns, Parkes weaves her personal blend of wisdom and humor into this eloquently down-to-earth guide that is part personal travel narrative and part cultural history, touching the heart of what it means to live creatively. Join Parkes as she ventures to locales both foreign and familiar in chapters like:

Chasing a Legend in Taos Glass, Grass, and the Power of Place: Tacoma, Washington A Thing for Socks and a Very Big Plan: Portland, Oregon Autumn on the Hudson: The New York Sheep & Wool Festival Cashmere Dreams and British Breeds: A Last-Minute Visit to Edinburgh, Scotland
Fans of travel writing, as well as knitters, crocheters, designers, and fiber artists alike, will enjoy the masterful narrative in these intimate tales from a life well crafted. Whether you've committed to exploring your own wanderlust or are an armchair traveler curled up in your coziest slippers, Knitlandia is sure to inspire laughter, tears, and maybe some travel plans of your own.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Preface: In Motion (p. 6)
• Chasing a Legend in Taos (p. 11)
• From Baseball to Broadway: Swatching in the Big Apple (p. 21)
• Perky Skeins and Fast Cars: Los Angeles (p. 27)
• Naked Lopi: A Knitter's Journey to Iceland (p. 32)
• Big Fleece and Fried Dough: West Friendship, Maryland (p. 59)
• Lucky in Loveland: An Interweave Summons (p. 67)
• Glass, Grass, and the Power of Place: Tacoma, Washington (p. 75)
• Cloudburst over Paris (p. 89)
• A Thing for Socks and a Very Big Plan: Portland, Oregon (p. 96)
• Mighty Scoops and Pho to Go: Celebrating TNNA in Columbus (p. 103)
• On Air in Cleveland: Filming Knitting Daily TV (p. 111)
• Autumn on the Hudson: Rhinebeck, New York (p. 120)
• Merriment in Minnetonka (p. 123)
• Stash-Wrangling in the Mile-High City: Denver (p. 133)
• Cashmere Dreams and British Breeds: A Last-Minute Visit to Edinburgh, Scotland (p. 145)
• Romancing the Loons: Holderness, New Hampshire (p. 164)
• Afterword (p. 181)
• Acknowledgments (p. 185)
• A Reader's Guide (p. 186)

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

In her follow-up to 2013's The Yarn Whisperer, Parkes (The Knitter's Book of Yarn) brings knitters on a journey to some of the world's finest knitting destinations. As a sought instructor, Parkes has an insider's perspective on storied events such as the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival, the New York State Sheep and Wool -Festival (known to fiber crafters as -Rhinebeck), the Madrona Fiber Arts -Winter Retreat, and New Hampshire's Squam Art Workshops. Parkes hobnobs with knitting luminaries, including Ysolda Teague, Luisa Gelenter, Eunny Jang, and Ann Budd; pets Icelandic sheep; films a class for Craftsy and episodes of Knitting Daily TV; and meets with Interweave editors, which doesn't go quite as expected. In lesser hands, these essays could seem relentlessly self-promoting, but the author's lighthearted tone and willingness to laugh at herself make for an entertaining read. Parkes got her start as a travel writer, and it shows-she captures both a sense of place and the excitement of being part of the booming knitting/fiber arts trend. VERDICT These brief, engaging essays will give knitters a feel for some of the craft's most popular locales. © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.