Knitting

by Anne Bartlett

When two very different women stop to help a stranger in trouble, the two women are drawn together by their love of knitting, and the two women help each other overcome grief and loss as their friendship grows. A first novel. 25,000 first printing.

Genres: Fiction, Knitting, Chick Lit, Australia, Contemporary, Crafts, Audiobook

272 pages, Hardcover

First published April 16, 2005

Reviews

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to LOVE this book; it combines two of my favorite hobbies; knitting and reading.

This book had a lot of potential, but ultimately both the characters and the plot felt under-developed. I never felt overly connected with any of the characters. They felt like cliches; Sandra as the uptight, prudish grieving widow who will be enlighted by the eccentric, odd-ball but very sweet and child-like Martha. I finished this book, but with great difficulty.

[Anne Hamilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

To read Knitting is to be caught up in a weaving of words as cloud-soft as angora, as shimmering as silk, as tingling as mohair.

After her husband’s death, Sandra finds herself in a skin-tight prison of glass, unable to grieve. Reminded of her own desperation during her husband’s last illness by the fleeting look of a woman kneeling over an unconscious body on the street, she is drawn into the lives of Martha and Cliff.

Martha is rosedown warmth to Sandra’s brittleglass cold. A gifted knitter, she inspires Sandra to invite her to collaborate in a textile exhibition. But Martha’s generosity and her fragile hold on sanity, coupled with the escalating scale of Sandra’s ambition, begin the unravelling of their blossoming friendship.

Knitting threads together themes of friendship, grief and grace—at least so the cover tells me. True, the resolution of Martha’s obsession with carrying around every mistake she ever made is beautiful. Yet the most exquisite theme of all is folded in with it. The symbol of the rose subtly runs through Knitting until it suddenly unfolds to be revealed as the major theme: the roseheart dress Martha is secretly knitting, the roses she scatters at the Easter service and the fire of roses she sees in hospital as she teeters on the edge of death. Signifying healing and purity, forgiveness and new beginning, the rose is the design at the heart of Knitting. The fire of roses harks back to the nineteenth century and George MacDonald’s eerily similar imagery in The Princess and Curdie. Bartlett brings it into the twenty-first century without losing any of its otherworldly numinosity:

And then she saw the cleaner at the foot of the bed. His appearance had altered, but she knew who he was, all right. Through her feverish eyes he was as hot and burning as she was, but it was different for him, he wasn’t burning up, he was just burning, white-hot, a steady flame that she wouldn’t normally look at because it was light to burn your eyes out. But they were burning anyhow, and what the heck, she might as well get it over with. As he came closer she could smell his fire; it was hot and sweet and roses somehow, ashes of roses. He was even hotter than she was, his heat was crackling her up inside and out, burning her senses, her common sense, her sensibility, to big black cinders. This was it, then. This was the end. With a huge sigh of relief she gave herself up to whatever was coming next. He leaned over her. She felt the incandescence crackle into her hair, face, body, her dry hands fluttering on the sheet like autumn leaves. Breathe it in, breathe it in, breathe it in. Fire to consume everything. With his kiss, the whole room exploded into flames.

I really loved this book—but then "fire of roses" is one of my favourite motifs. I can forgive a writer almost anything if he or she gets that right.

[Kerry · Rating 2 out of 5]

For a book entitled "Knitting," this novel was more about two women trying desperately not to unravel than their efforts to create anything. Neither Sandra (coping with the aftermath of her husband's illness and death and with her own rigid nature) nor Martha (battling against Obsessive Compulsive issues and literally unable to let go of her mistakes) find any joy in knitting or in their friendship. Instead, Martha's knitting and the academic exhibit Sandra plans to showcase it are used more like sandbags against a flood of panic, grief and loss of control.

I found the two pseudo-mystical epiphanies / turning points in the book.... Martha's encounter with "the cleaner" and Sandra's breakdown in the church after Martha baptises the congregation with rose petals to be odd and out of place and resolved too much of the character's mental state in a vague, arbitrary way.

This is not a book about or for knitters. While the author uses knitting as a plot device, you could easily insert any other hobby / coping strategy in its place and get the same results. And while Knitting does manage to avoid a lot of the knit lit cliches, it lacks warmth, creativity and community. And so my quest for a knitterly version of the Elm Creek Quilts series, something that celebrates the craft and the community of knitting without veering into melodrama or cliche continues.

[Marina · Rating 2 out of 5]

I started reading this book for a real-life book club that decided to meet through Zoom during ‘lockdown’. Although there were some interesting and well-written bits (I liked the idea of the knitted horse), I just couldn’t believe in the characters or care what they did.
Spending hours a day, at home, in online meetings for my work , I came to the conclusion that I didn’t really want to do online meetings in my leisure time too. And as I wasn’t going to attend the book club meeting, the book was ditched.

[Connie N. · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars for sure, just not quite a 5-star read. This is a book about the accidental relationship and unlikely friendship between 2 very different women who meet because they both stopped to help a man who fell on the sidewalk. Martha is an older woman who is rather disheveled and plain but who knits like a dream...creative and beautifully and from the heart. Sandra is brittle and rigid and mourning the recent death of her husband but who is creative in her own right although with words. Knitting with words. A feel-good story despite the fact that there are struggles and hurt feelings and misunderstandings. I loved the development of the relationship and the feeling that each woman could gain and grow from the friendship. There are little moments that turn out to be significant if they (and the reader) would only stop and recognize them.

Favorite quote by Sandra of Martha: "She did not appear to own much, or earn much. She must have had her own griefs and disappointments. How did she travel so lightly and laugh so easily?"

Also describing Martha: "...you could hardly walk into her place without her trying to tidy up your shadow."

Some wisdom from Martha thinking of herself when she was seeing a psychiatrist, "...it's still a good plate. Quite pretty, really. You didn't even see the crack at first. You only saw the food on it...see, if you concentrate on the crack, you'd never use it. You might even chuck it in the bin. But it's still pretty, and it's still useful. And anyway, the crack means it's got a story to tell."

Interesting that Sandra seems to be the main character of the story, but the quotes I remember the most are those from Martha...

[Marsha · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I first started this book, I expected it to be a fluff book about knitters and their romantic problems. I was surprised to find that it took place in Southeastern Australia - interesting - and the the main characters were Martha, an expert knitter who had a life history of mental problems and dragged her mistakes around with her - literally - in three big bags. They were her knitting mistakes masquerading as her life problems. She gave new meaning to someone having a lot of baggage. The other main character was Sandra, a rigid academic and newly widowed woman who was unable to form ties without becoming cold and controlling. Neither were the stereotypical middle-aged women that I thought to find in a novel titled Knitting.
The growth of the relationship between Sandra and Martha was the heart of what I found to be a very appealing book. Kudos to Anne Bartlett, the first-time novelist for her portrayal of two interesting, mature women. And thanks also for the description of Martha's knitting process. As an avid knitter, I loved hearing about the garments and other items that weighed down Martha's life and psyche. Oh, and I loved the horse.

[Kathryn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I listened to this as an audiobook (sometimes while crocheting my own work!) and enjoyed parts of it, and I love to sit and crochet with friends or on my own, however reading about working with yarn needs something else in the story to add some interest. The interaction between Sandra and Martha had some elements that I was curious to see resolved, but wasn’t enough really to keep me engrossed. I liked that it was set in Adelaide (I’ve never been there, and haven’t read many books set there), although for some reason, I kept feeling like it was set somewhere in Britain. 2.5★

[Sari Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful story! Who would ever have suspected a friendship would form between two such different people?! I loved how the author used knitting as a metaphor! Poor Martha, lugging her mistakes around with her, unable to let them go! And poor Sandra, unable to express her grief at the loss her husband, and totally unaware of her own tendency to run roughshod over other people. I'm eagerly awaiting the next book by Dr. Bartlett...

[Bonny · Rating 3 out of 5]

As an avid knitter and reader, I had high hopes for this novel. I really wanted to enjoy it, but sadly, I can only muster 3 stars for it. The only reason I can even give it 3 is because it is about knitting. For me, one of the major downfalls of this novel is the whining, rude main character, Sandra. She's sad and full of grief, but I still couldn't bring myself to care about her. Martha is different enough to be just plain weird sometimes, and I couldn't understand her actions and thoughts. These two characters try to put together a knitting exhibition, with what seems like very little thought and planning. I kept asking myself, "Why?". Why would Martha undertake all this knitting single-handedly? Why would Sandra even want to plan the exhibit when she seemed to have no real regard or respect for hand-knitting? Sadly, I don't think this book puts the author anywhere near the company of Barbara Kingsolver or Carol Shields.

[Daisy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely stunning book! I picked this up because I myself am a knitter. I didn't expect the wonder I received from reading this book. Definitely recommend for anyone who likes to read, likes to knit, or likes heartwarming stories about such realistic characters.

[Miss Di]

DNF. Listening to the audio book I love the use of language and the landscape, but I am not interested enough in the characters to keep going.

[Tanis · Rating 1 out of 5]

Really wanted to enjoy this book because as others have said it combines a few of my favourite things, knitting, book, exhibitions and knitters. I really did put quite a lot of effort into trying to like this book but it just didn't work for me.

There are some factual things that really grated, like asking Martha to knit 20 garments in that timeframe and even more stupidly for Martha not to know that wasn't ever going to work. Also, that frankly hideous sounding white knitted dress sounded very unlikely to work, and really who hangs all their hand knits on hangers in their wardrobe to droop and distort? Also completely unbelievable that the white dress would fit so perfectly without a single measurement taken.

Also there seemed to be quite a few parts where the story was ever so disjointed and frankly didn't work at all, but that disjointed feeling may be because I was so bored with it by the halfway point that I'd rather stopped caring about the story.

Sandra was a very dislikeable character, which I'm OK with in a story, but she had so few redeeming qualities that I couldn't ever believe everyone was cutting her so much slack, even if she was grieving.

Cliff was really a device best left to the first part to facilitate the meeting of Marth and Sandra, I felt he didn't bring anything positive to the story, in fact he had some very worrying red flags around not taking on board a woman's 'no'. Only highlight there for me was when he made a very non-knitterly mistake in thinking a dedicated hand knitter would dearly love to have the hand work replaced by a machine.

[Jane Thomson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I almost walked past this book because I couldn't imagine a whole story based on knitting! However, the author, Anne Bartlett delights the reader with a complex friendship between two unlikely women all because of a man who passes out in a shopping mall. The characters draw us in from the beginning; they are so quirky and so real or unreal depending on the situation. The author keeps us reading even when we are uncomfortable with the plot because we want to see how the main characters will survive their challenges. There was only one point in Sandra's story where I feared that she would drown the reader with "words". I kept reading regardless and was happy I did.

The descriptions of knitting - most seen through Martha's eyes were absolutely gorgeous. They make you understand why people who are passionate about knitting can't resist a wool store and a new pattern. The metaphors about life expressed in knitting terms make the reader smile.

I look forward to reading much more from this creative author!

[Barbara Blindauer · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I started reading this book, I expected it to be more about knitting. Instead it was a story of two unlikely women who develop a friendship. One an expert knitter and one who loves the works created by knitters and has a limited knitting ability. Both are widows and, one for a long time and one recently. I read this slowly so I could appreciate how they dealt with their loss and how they regain a sense of purpose.

[Laner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t know where I found this book except on my bookshelf. Hmmm. It was a warm comfortable and quick read. Two women that became friends and helped heal each other.

[Yvonne · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is not about knitting. At all. Though there is a lot of knitting in it. It is about psychological problems, dealing with bereavement and coping with mistakes. Nope, I did not enjoy this book. Not recommended.

[Rebekah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anne Bartlett, who turned out to be Australian, wrote a book about my favorite hobby. It was a novel called, appropriately enough, Knitting. The characters are odd balls and imperfect and don't have anything in common, but you want them to succeed. I will admit she pulls them together in a odd fashion and they grow in fantastical ways, but the reality is we all are imperfect and we all need some fantasy to fix things. I find myself relating to both characters, and hoping to never have to deal with the reality they faced, but they both achieve a peace that makes me happy. It was somewhat frustrating. We know more about both characters than they know about the other and want to tell them what they are doing wrong, but have to sit by and wait for them to sort their lives out. The fact that we want them to get sorted out indicates Ms. Bartlett has done a good job with them.
I was confused at first, as I had not read that Ms. Bartlett was Australian, some wording was odd, and the locations were not "familiar". Seasons confused me, and they all drank a lot of tea. The story though was enticing. To read about knitting, and a woman who can create marvelous things. I am jealous. So jealous. Though I like her philosophy of not knowing who she is creating for when she creates. She just makes beautiful things and knows that someone will want them. I work in a reverse pattern and think of washability and practicality. The writer, Sandra, annoyed me in her dismissal of her own ability. She wasn't willing to do "common" knitting because she saw what the professional knitter, Martha, could do. Martha didn't stand up for herself or her art, but Sandra spent most of the book separating herself from the domestic world she was simultaneously praising. Cliff, the homeless man who brings the two women together and Martha's suitor, said it honestly "They think people like us are insects. They study us." He is right. Sandra looks at Martha as a bit of history, and she is perfectly suited for it. She lives a retro life due to circumstances and upbringing, Martha is a person who has feelings, she sees Sandra and knows that though she has nothing monetarily she still has something to give Sandra. Sandra wants to give Martha a place to showcase her work and she thinks that is good, but never bothers to find out that Martha was doing her work for money and didn't enjoy that business of it. Sandra is to busy looking at history and the "find" she has made in a person to actually discover what she had found. I don't know if she ever learns the truth, but at least she apologizes for using Martha.

[Bridget · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has been sitting on my shelf ever since I received it as a Christmas gift a couple of years ago (proving that I actually do eventually get around to things ...). It is primarily a story of two women in Australia who become friends more or less by accident, and what happens in their relationship over a period of a year.

Sandra is a college professor, with a specialty in women's studies. Her husband has recently died, and she is more or less still at loose ends as the book starts. Martha is an older woman, who has been a widow for years, who recently has stopped working as a professional knitter for knitwear designers. The pressure made her unhappy.

They meet when they both stop to help a man who has what sounds like a seizure at a mall. At first, they have so little in common, that they don't have much to say to each other, though Sandra is drawn to Martha, since Martha is such a happy, accepting soul. Martha shows Sandra some vintage knitting patterns that she has. Sandra gets the idea for an exhibition about women's work for the war effort, and talks Martha into doing the knitting for her.

At first I feared this would be another Oh-my-husband-died-but-I-learned-to-knit-and-met-amazing-women-and-now-my-life-is-wonderful type of books, but that's not really what happens here. Knitting is a recurrent subject and theme, but the real story is how different people live their lives to suit themselves, when to outsiders it might seem limited. Sandra and Martha manage to work out a relationship that will likely last, but not before several misunderstandings, resentments, and irritations between them.

I got more out of this book than I expected to, and though I think both Sandra and Martha would drive me crazy, it was worth getting to meet them.

[Gwen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't put the book down, well, I did put it down, but I kept picking it back up and for me to read a book in two days, that is saying something. I was immediately entranced with the creativity of the characters and they are people I know. It gave me some insight into behaviors, reason for behaviors, and how we all have our personal space and things we will tolerate in our friends. I don't want to add spoilers so i will not comment on some, but it was a beautiful read and I do hope Anne Bartlett will consider writing more fiction in the future. I already checked and at this point see only one non-fiction book to her credit. I hope I am wrong.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

While the characters in this story are not particularly lovable, they do seem real and so different that you would not expect the friendship to develop. There is some heavy-handed symbolism...I wondered about those bags Martha toted around for almost two-thirds of the book before their secret was revealed.. There is so much true to life that the story gives you much to think about. For those who knit and love textiles this is a lovely story.

[Pgchuis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lent to me by a friend. It started off promisingly - it is unusual for me to read a book set in Australia and it is also unusual to find Christianity portrayed positively in a book with no seeming evangelistic intent. Some of the characters were interestingly odd, but the main character was very selfish and unlikeable and the plot was thin. Skimmed it.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another book I wasn't expecting to like nearly as much as I did. Knitting doesn't interest me at all but it really doesn't control the book, rather it ties things together. I did enjoy Anne Bartlett's style of writing and found it was like putting on a comfy pair of slippers, just really enjoyable.

[Tracy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Don’t bother. What a load of waffle. A homeless man, a demented knitter and a snobby widow.
Boring!!
I actually love reading and knitting so held out high hopes. So disappointed. As soon as my new book popped into my library I dumped it. If I had to wait a few more days then I would have finished it but really when there are so many good / great books out there why do it to myself??

[Jamie Zaikov · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had lovely characters and beautiful writing, but it suffered from not having enough conflict. There was not enough consequences to the character's actions, and the book began to drag because of it. The author is a talented writer, but the book lack substance.

[E Van · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the characters and situations are a bit weird. But since I actually know people who are like this and since I know how knitting 'works' I found it quite realistic. However not quite the feel-good book I expected it to be.

[Andi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written!

[Kunni Biener · Rating 5 out of 5]

knitting is what ties this story of people together. People lost and found, ones who think that they are in better shape than others. Lovely story.

[MaryAnn Benson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not what I was expecting...but that's not totally a bad thing. I think the title was misleading. This is really a book about evolving friendships, self-exploration, coming to terms with grief, tolerance and understanding. Knitting plays a behind the scenes role as a catalyst for the Sandra and Martha to learn to appreciate each other.

Sandra is a dedicated teacher, recently widowed, who compensates her grief by continuous projects, never really allowing herself time to fully grieve and move on. Martha is long-widowed, consumed with knitting and a debilitating sense of perfectionism. Their chance encounter leads to a tentative friendship and, ultimately, a joint project to mount an exhibit of early 20th century knitwear. Sandra would provide all of the background information, handle the marketing and logistics. Martha reluctantly agrees to knit up all of the illustrating examples, a task that puts tremendous pressure on her already fragile state. Crises abound, both personal and professional. The rigidity of both of their per
sonalities often leads to anger, resentment and episodes of passive aggressiveness.

At times I found the book a bit tedious. The introduction of other characters such as Cliff, the man whose medical crisis brought Martha and Sandra together, was distracting. He seemed like a fifth wheel to the whole story. I also found it hard to get a good grasp of who Martha really was. Was she the kind, generous person who stopped to help Cliff and knitted secret gifts for others, or was she the cranky curmudgeon set in her ways and prone to frequent bouts of rudeness and insensitivity?

I enjoyed the book but would not rank it as one of my favorites.

[everything golden mims · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 41 of 2019;

Knitting - Anne Bartlett

I started this book because I had nothing else to reach for on my shelf...I dare say that will be the case until I can get out of bed again😢 this change of season has had me catching something bad!

This is the story of two women who meet coincidentally, helping a man who has collapsed in the street, set in Australia.
Sandra is recently widowed and is having a hard time finding purpose in her life as an academic. Martha, who was widowed young, is a very different type of person, living on small means after she quit her job knitting custom pieces for a design house. She enjoys making unique pieces and trying different techniques with her knitting, but in some ways she is just as troubled as Sandra.

Martha and Sandra develop an unlikely friendship over knitting and Sandra is inspired to set up a big show of knitting and women's work and asks Martha to create all of the pieces for the show. Instead of being her joy, the pressure of the schedule begins to unravel Martha and we get to find out her troubles and flaws and Sandra begins to understand and see outside of herself.

I enjoyed the descriptions of the unique arts that Martha made and watching the journey of these women as they dealt with their emotional and (in Martha's case) physical baggage representing her emotional issues.

Easy, beautiful read.

4/5⭐️

Happy reading x
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[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

A story of the unexpected, and sometimes uneasy friendship between two women of opposite personalities. Sandra, recently widowed, is trying to focus on her academic work, writing about textile arts in the context of history. She meets Martha, an expert knitter, by accident, when they both help a homeless man experiencing a seizure. Enchanted by Martha's skill and artistry, Sandra decides to organize an exhibit of vintage knits, but this then leads to pressure on both of them. In parallel, Cliff (the homeless man), who has taken a special liking to Martha, and Sandra's best friend, Kate, also offer parts of the story.

I liked the book because it's about the type of people who are often forgotten in fiction : the slightly marginalized (Cliff, Martha) and the middle-aged (Sandra). It celebrates creativity (in the form of Martha's fantastic knitting projects) as well as the ostensibly dry research that Sandra does (and which she manages to make come alive by her exhibition). There's a theme of "second chances" or rather, of rebuilding your loss after losing your spouse (Sandra), your sanity (Martha) or your body's youthful resilience (Cliff).

The only thing I didn't like, or rather, which I felt was out of place and seemed like a cop-out by the writer, was that both Sandra and Martha undergo some type of spiritual experience at very convenient moments to propel the story forward.