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Unraveling: What I Learned About Life While Shearing Sheep, Dyeing Wool, and Making the World’s Ugliest Sweater
“Orenstein is such a breezy, funny writer, it’s easy to forget she’s an important thinker too.”—People
In this lively, funny memoir, Peggy Orenstein sets out to make a sweater from scratch—shearing, spinning, dyeing wool—and in the process discovers how we find our deepest selves through craft. Orenstein spins a yarn that will appeal to everyone.
The COVID pandemic propelled many people to change their lives in ways large and small. Some adopted puppies. Others stress-baked. Peggy Orenstein, a lifelong knitter, went just a little further. To keep herself engaged and cope with a series of seismic shifts in family life, she set out to make a garment from the ground learning to shear sheep, spin and dye yarn, then knitting herself a sweater.
Orenstein hoped the project would help her process not just wool but her grief over the recent death of her mother and the decline of her dad, the impending departure of her college-bound daughter, and other thorny issues of aging as a woman in a culture that by turns ignores and disdains them. What she didn’t expect was a journey into some of the major issues of our climate anxiety, racial justice, women’s rights, the impact of technology, sustainability, and, ultimately, the meaning of home.
With her wry voice, sharp intelligence, and exuberant honesty, Orenstein shares her year-long journey as daughter, wife, mother, writer, and maker—and teaches us all something about creativity and connection.
In this lively, funny memoir, Peggy Orenstein sets out to make a sweater from scratch—shearing, spinning, dyeing wool—and in the process discovers how we find our deepest selves through craft. Orenstein spins a yarn that will appeal to everyone.
The COVID pandemic propelled many people to change their lives in ways large and small. Some adopted puppies. Others stress-baked. Peggy Orenstein, a lifelong knitter, went just a little further. To keep herself engaged and cope with a series of seismic shifts in family life, she set out to make a garment from the ground learning to shear sheep, spin and dye yarn, then knitting herself a sweater.
Orenstein hoped the project would help her process not just wool but her grief over the recent death of her mother and the decline of her dad, the impending departure of her college-bound daughter, and other thorny issues of aging as a woman in a culture that by turns ignores and disdains them. What she didn’t expect was a journey into some of the major issues of our climate anxiety, racial justice, women’s rights, the impact of technology, sustainability, and, ultimately, the meaning of home.
With her wry voice, sharp intelligence, and exuberant honesty, Orenstein shares her year-long journey as daughter, wife, mother, writer, and maker—and teaches us all something about creativity and connection.
220 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 24, 2023
373 people are currently reading
9348 people want to read
About the author
Peggy Orenstein
12 books727 followersPeggy Orenstein is a best-selling author and a contributing writer for The New York Times Magazine. Orenstein has also written for such publications as The Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Vogue, Elle, Discover, More, Mother Jones, Salon, O: The Oprah Magazine, and The New Yorker, and has contributed commentaries to NPR’s All Things Considered. Her articles have been anthologized multiple times, including in The Best American Science Writing. She has been a keynote speaker at numerous colleges and conferences and has been featured on, among other programs, "Nightline," "Good Morning America," "Today," NPR’s "Fresh Air" and Morning Edition, and CBC’s "As It Happens."
Orenstein was recognized for her “Outstanding Coverage of Family Diversity,” by the Council on Contemporary Families and received a “Books For A Better Life Award” for Waiting for Daisy. Her work has also been honored by the Commonwealth Club of California, the National Women’s Political Caucus of California, and Planned Parenthood Federation of America. Additionally, she has been awarded fellowships from the United States-Japan Foundation and the Asian Cultural Council.
Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Orenstein is a graduate of Oberlin College and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and daughter.
Orenstein was recognized for her “Outstanding Coverage of Family Diversity,” by the Council on Contemporary Families and received a “Books For A Better Life Award” for Waiting for Daisy. Her work has also been honored by the Commonwealth Club of California, the National Women’s Political Caucus of California, and Planned Parenthood Federation of America. Additionally, she has been awarded fellowships from the United States-Japan Foundation and the Asian Cultural Council.
Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Orenstein is a graduate of Oberlin College and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and daughter.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 801 reviews
March 15, 2023
This is a book that people would expect me to love. It has a lot of things that I like. I think what gets in the way of me loving it, is the journalistic style.
Not to get too technical, but as an academic, reading this book reminded me of the ways in which journalists take short cuts sometimes which oversimplify history, and in my opinion, can distort it. For example, when she is writing about dyeing the color red, she mentions cochineal. Cochineal is an insect which lives on prickly pear cactus (perhaps among other cacti, not sure), which was discovered by the Aztecs, and used for centuries before the Spanish invasion to produce a rich red dye. Orenstein gives Hernan Cortez, one of the Conquistadors, credit for "noticing" this color, and seems to infer this "discovery" of Cortez is what was important for bringing this color to Europe. In my mind the credit should go to the Aztecs for developing the color based on these insects. In an interview with Orenstein that I viewed, she credits the Spanish with the discovery of cochineal without even mentioning the Aztecs had been using this dye for centuries. Some journalists are less concerned with details thus misleading their readers. It may seem that I am being hyper critical, but when I saw Orenstein's interview I immediately thought that it couldn't be the case that Spaniards discovered cochineal. It only took me a couple of minutes to find articles from prestigious bodies about the use of cochineal by the Aztecs. Of course, when I was a child I was taught that Columbus discovered America, as though the people already here didn't exist.
Orenstein writes from a position of great privilege. This comes through at times in ways I couldn't always put my finger on. There is a great distance between her and the woman who teaches her to shear a sheep. I know a couple of sheep farmers and I know how precarious and hard their jobs are. The thought of a journalist dropping by to have a sheep farmer help her shear sheep so she can write a book about the experience of making a sweater from the ground (sheep) up, is probably what bothers me the most about this book. Yes, she manages to show that all of this is not easy. She rails against the established media's portrayal of wool and knitting as a "cute" pastime for young people, and still the kingdom of grandmothers. But I ask whether her story does the world of knitting any favors. I am still thinking about all of this so I will end things here.
Not to get too technical, but as an academic, reading this book reminded me of the ways in which journalists take short cuts sometimes which oversimplify history, and in my opinion, can distort it. For example, when she is writing about dyeing the color red, she mentions cochineal. Cochineal is an insect which lives on prickly pear cactus (perhaps among other cacti, not sure), which was discovered by the Aztecs, and used for centuries before the Spanish invasion to produce a rich red dye. Orenstein gives Hernan Cortez, one of the Conquistadors, credit for "noticing" this color, and seems to infer this "discovery" of Cortez is what was important for bringing this color to Europe. In my mind the credit should go to the Aztecs for developing the color based on these insects. In an interview with Orenstein that I viewed, she credits the Spanish with the discovery of cochineal without even mentioning the Aztecs had been using this dye for centuries. Some journalists are less concerned with details thus misleading their readers. It may seem that I am being hyper critical, but when I saw Orenstein's interview I immediately thought that it couldn't be the case that Spaniards discovered cochineal. It only took me a couple of minutes to find articles from prestigious bodies about the use of cochineal by the Aztecs. Of course, when I was a child I was taught that Columbus discovered America, as though the people already here didn't exist.
Orenstein writes from a position of great privilege. This comes through at times in ways I couldn't always put my finger on. There is a great distance between her and the woman who teaches her to shear a sheep. I know a couple of sheep farmers and I know how precarious and hard their jobs are. The thought of a journalist dropping by to have a sheep farmer help her shear sheep so she can write a book about the experience of making a sweater from the ground (sheep) up, is probably what bothers me the most about this book. Yes, she manages to show that all of this is not easy. She rails against the established media's portrayal of wool and knitting as a "cute" pastime for young people, and still the kingdom of grandmothers. But I ask whether her story does the world of knitting any favors. I am still thinking about all of this so I will end things here.
September 30, 2022
So this may be one of my favorite books of the year, maybe of all time. I picked it up because I am also a knitter, and I love reading about when people tackle a huge personal project (like reading the Dictionary, or cooking their way through a whole cookbook, hiking the PCT, etc), but this book is so much more. There is the personal project and journey, but there is also the microhistory of fiber and textiles - both generally and through the lens of women, a look at the social issues of our time (climate change, racial justice, women's rights), and the very personal contemplations of her own life.
I haven't read anything else by Peggy Orenstein, but after this book I will be. Her writing and tone hit a sweet spot that made this book feel expansive, but personal. I connected with this book on many levels, and learned so much both as a lover of fiber but also as a human learning to be a better human. I truly love this book, and I want to have everyone I know read it so we can talk about it.
I haven't read anything else by Peggy Orenstein, but after this book I will be. Her writing and tone hit a sweet spot that made this book feel expansive, but personal. I connected with this book on many levels, and learned so much both as a lover of fiber but also as a human learning to be a better human. I truly love this book, and I want to have everyone I know read it so we can talk about it.
January 27, 2023
Audiobook….read by Peggy Orenstein
…..5 hours and 52 minutes
‘People’ magazine got this sentence, right:
“Orenstein is such a breezy, funny writer, it’s easy to forget she’s an important thinker too”.
Peggy reminded me that the most unforgettable - life changing year of my life, 2020, had to do with *breath*…
…Covid, (the painful memory, of the insurmountable number of people on ventilators that couldn’t breathe….
…George Floyd who couldn’t breathe….
…The horrific California wildfires where the air quality was that was harmful to our lungs,
and
… the holding (chocking) my breath hoping and waiting for a new President.
Peggy highlighted, an important, contemplating topic, about the importance of learning practical skills. Simply an academic education is not going to be useful in our future.
As Anton Chekhov said:
“Knowledge is of no value unless you put it into practice”.
Building skills, spinning yarn, beer brewing, sewing, cooking, carpentry, basic health knowledge, lessons that can help another person, digital competence, reading and math skills, communication & collaboration skills, gardening, etc. > useful skills making one indispensable to others.
Gun violence, global warming, safety, protections, healthcare needs, mental health, child labor, poverty, racism, misogyny, food resources, refugee rights, Covid, disability rights, media security, pollution, water supply, , LGBTQ rights, cyber rights and security, corruption, fair, working conditions, a dying planet > these are some of the issues denying us of our past, and of our future.
Peggy brought transformative thought to crafting — her new skill of shearing sheep, dying wool, spinning yard — etc.
as well revealing fears, anxieties, and phobias we are facing — since covid and years to come.
Loved this audiobook!
Love Peggy!
…..5 hours and 52 minutes
‘People’ magazine got this sentence, right:
“Orenstein is such a breezy, funny writer, it’s easy to forget she’s an important thinker too”.
Peggy reminded me that the most unforgettable - life changing year of my life, 2020, had to do with *breath*…
…Covid, (the painful memory, of the insurmountable number of people on ventilators that couldn’t breathe….
…George Floyd who couldn’t breathe….
…The horrific California wildfires where the air quality was that was harmful to our lungs,
and
… the holding (chocking) my breath hoping and waiting for a new President.
Peggy highlighted, an important, contemplating topic, about the importance of learning practical skills. Simply an academic education is not going to be useful in our future.
As Anton Chekhov said:
“Knowledge is of no value unless you put it into practice”.
Building skills, spinning yarn, beer brewing, sewing, cooking, carpentry, basic health knowledge, lessons that can help another person, digital competence, reading and math skills, communication & collaboration skills, gardening, etc. > useful skills making one indispensable to others.
Gun violence, global warming, safety, protections, healthcare needs, mental health, child labor, poverty, racism, misogyny, food resources, refugee rights, Covid, disability rights, media security, pollution, water supply, , LGBTQ rights, cyber rights and security, corruption, fair, working conditions, a dying planet > these are some of the issues denying us of our past, and of our future.
Peggy brought transformative thought to crafting — her new skill of shearing sheep, dying wool, spinning yard — etc.
as well revealing fears, anxieties, and phobias we are facing — since covid and years to come.
Loved this audiobook!
Love Peggy!
September 5, 2023
[Reveiw to come]
I am a spinner and knitter. I have attempted to process a fleece. I'm approaching my 60s, I am an empty-nester, and I am facing my own parents' inevitable decline. Like pretty much everyone in this country (and many others), I spent the first years of the pandemic mostly isolated, except from my husband; to stay sane, I baked, spun, and knit. And much like Ms. Orrenstein, I grieved the life I had before the pandemic, and grappled with issues of sustainability, climate change, racial inequalities, the political climate, women's rights, and technology.
I am, in fact, the perfect audience for this book.
I am a spinner and knitter. I have attempted to process a fleece. I'm approaching my 60s, I am an empty-nester, and I am facing my own parents' inevitable decline. Like pretty much everyone in this country (and many others), I spent the first years of the pandemic mostly isolated, except from my husband; to stay sane, I baked, spun, and knit. And much like Ms. Orrenstein, I grieved the life I had before the pandemic, and grappled with issues of sustainability, climate change, racial inequalities, the political climate, women's rights, and technology.
I am, in fact, the perfect audience for this book.
February 15, 2023
2.5 stars rounded up. When she focuses on the craft and knowledge involved to go sheep to sweater and how this helped her understand fashion and community it was fascinating. The rest of the book meanders into occasional depth concerning family and stages of life and shallow digressions on Patriarchy and religion domineering women. I wish she'd spoken more about her Jewish heritage and religious beliefs and how those impact her political views etc. Some of her jabs at Holy Scriptures appear to be at odds with those writings, and yet she doesn't think so, I guess. Is the cognitive dissonance there because of me having a different understanding of those verses as a Christian? These portions felt shallower than some of her other sections of the book. I also thought the book dragged in places. Not a bad read but also not one I plan on revisiting.
November 2, 2023
I have mixed feelings about this book. I'm a knitter and was interested in following the process of sheep to sweater, and I enjoyed the small bits of historical perspective included.
However, knitting is universal, and this book is very left-leaning politically - which is fine for those knowing this is more of a memoir and personal meditation than a fiber-arts book. Personally I could have had more fiber stuff and less politics -- but then again I also live in the East Bay and these political views are in the air here, so nothing was new in what she had to say.
In fact, there were a few instances where even my liberal self was taken aback; mainly when she in the same page talked about her daughter's bat mitzvah but then mocked Christians. I get it, Christians and Republicans are the last two groups it's socially acceptable to mock here in the Bay, but it still seemed hypocritical to criticize the patriarchal nature of Christianity in the same breath as praising Judaism.
Finally, (if you want to go full "woke" - she started it) the author's privilege is on full display in every page of the book. How many of us who were stuck at home during the pandemic had the means to find someone to help us shear a sheep? Look, Verb for Keeping Warm is right down the street from me - I'm doing fine, but can't afford the yarn there. And complaining about her house in the hills?? OMG most of us would love to live there. She has enough cash to live the lifestyle she's promoting; most people don't.
I'm being harsh. Sorry. I did identify with some of the personal stuff, like losing a parent and getting ready for empty nest. I generally enjoy memoirs, and I also enjoy knitting so this was right up my alley. I guess I've just met so many Peggys in my life, and I get annoyed when they speak as though everyone will automatically hold the same views they do. Even when I do hold those same views, LOL.
However, knitting is universal, and this book is very left-leaning politically - which is fine for those knowing this is more of a memoir and personal meditation than a fiber-arts book. Personally I could have had more fiber stuff and less politics -- but then again I also live in the East Bay and these political views are in the air here, so nothing was new in what she had to say.
In fact, there were a few instances where even my liberal self was taken aback; mainly when she in the same page talked about her daughter's bat mitzvah but then mocked Christians. I get it, Christians and Republicans are the last two groups it's socially acceptable to mock here in the Bay, but it still seemed hypocritical to criticize the patriarchal nature of Christianity in the same breath as praising Judaism.
Finally, (if you want to go full "woke" - she started it) the author's privilege is on full display in every page of the book. How many of us who were stuck at home during the pandemic had the means to find someone to help us shear a sheep? Look, Verb for Keeping Warm is right down the street from me - I'm doing fine, but can't afford the yarn there. And complaining about her house in the hills?? OMG most of us would love to live there. She has enough cash to live the lifestyle she's promoting; most people don't.
I'm being harsh. Sorry. I did identify with some of the personal stuff, like losing a parent and getting ready for empty nest. I generally enjoy memoirs, and I also enjoy knitting so this was right up my alley. I guess I've just met so many Peggys in my life, and I get annoyed when they speak as though everyone will automatically hold the same views they do. Even when I do hold those same views, LOL.
July 20, 2023
I am a contemporary of Orenstein's, from the Bay Area, share many of her beliefs/concerns/curiosities and have appreciated her previous work. Yet I found this book unbearable.
Imagine the most grating, anxious, professional-but-willfully-under-employed parent at your kid's crunchy, progressive 50K a year private elementary school. This book is a stream of consciousness transcription of that person's dystopian terrors and political obsessions, with not a little ADHD thrown in. I hung in there for the nuggets of social history (some of it incorrect btw) and peeks at subcultures (Sheep shearing on YouTube! Indigo flowers!) but I completely tapped out when Orenstein dismissively lumped Laurel & Hardy in with the Three Stooges.
I can deal (barely) with Catastrophist Peggy and Obsessive Peggy but Humorless Peggy was a dye vat too far.
Imagine the most grating, anxious, professional-but-willfully-under-employed parent at your kid's crunchy, progressive 50K a year private elementary school. This book is a stream of consciousness transcription of that person's dystopian terrors and political obsessions, with not a little ADHD thrown in. I hung in there for the nuggets of social history (some of it incorrect btw) and peeks at subcultures (Sheep shearing on YouTube! Indigo flowers!) but I completely tapped out when Orenstein dismissively lumped Laurel & Hardy in with the Three Stooges.
I can deal (barely) with Catastrophist Peggy and Obsessive Peggy but Humorless Peggy was a dye vat too far.
January 29, 2023
Not only is Peggy Orenstein a skilled writer, she's a charming companion with whom to spend a few hours. While this will obviously be of greater interest to the craft-inclined, there are pleasures to be found in these pages for all. There is so much more than knitting. Ms. Orenstein has a gift for the quirky side tangent, and you are sure to learn a thing or two in these pages. And her meditations on the recent pandemic and family have universal appeal.
Ms. Orenstein is coming to speak at our bookstore in a few days. Will she bring the sweater? Will she be wearing it!
Ms. Orenstein is coming to speak at our bookstore in a few days. Will she bring the sweater? Will she be wearing it!
December 27, 2023
This was interesting and a bit of a bummer. I was expecting a funny memoir about the misadventures of trying to knit. Instead, I got essays on the pandemic, the financial and environmental woes of California, and the travesty of fast fashion. I enjoyed the parts about sheering and dyeing wool, but there was very little about the actual sweater that was the ultimate outcome of her project. I’m knit very pleased with this yarn.
April 12, 2023
I was disappointed. There were too many political comments, which I thought were unnecessary. As an avid knitter, I was hoping for something more out of this title.
September 3, 2023
Peggy Orenstein's memoir during the pandemic is thoughtful, diverting, comfortably dithery, and weaves in her own life experience in a way the drew me in. Like a friend you have that free associates around shared topics of interest in a way that closes the loop on all digressions that seemed to not be on topic - but turns out they were! Satisfying story telling at its best.
Using Martha's wool as a starting point for her decision to get herself a project to get her through the pandemic at a time when no one really knew how long it was going to last. She wanted to engage herself thoroughly in each step of the making of the sweater, from the shearing of the sheep whose wool she would use, to spinning that wool under the eye of a skilled spinner, to dying that wool, to planning her pattern with a nod to artistry and knitting through history, and then the executing of the knit. Lastly, she (as all who create something by hand must do) discusses the process of reconciliation with the product thus produced.
I was diverted, educated and totally enjoyed this book. I'm not a knitter, but am involved enough with textile arts to have embraced her intentions and hopes for this project. As it relates to me - I see this as a 110% success, Peggy!
And Peggy - I read all the way through your Acknowledgements where I found your final words, and I'm with you: All who have knowledge of a craft that has been passed down or over or learned on ones own - PASS IT ON to anyone within the tribe beloved, or any who may ask you to help them acquire it!
Using Martha's wool as a starting point for her decision to get herself a project to get her through the pandemic at a time when no one really knew how long it was going to last. She wanted to engage herself thoroughly in each step of the making of the sweater, from the shearing of the sheep whose wool she would use, to spinning that wool under the eye of a skilled spinner, to dying that wool, to planning her pattern with a nod to artistry and knitting through history, and then the executing of the knit. Lastly, she (as all who create something by hand must do) discusses the process of reconciliation with the product thus produced.
I was diverted, educated and totally enjoyed this book. I'm not a knitter, but am involved enough with textile arts to have embraced her intentions and hopes for this project. As it relates to me - I see this as a 110% success, Peggy!
And Peggy - I read all the way through your Acknowledgements where I found your final words, and I'm with you: All who have knowledge of a craft that has been passed down or over or learned on ones own - PASS IT ON to anyone within the tribe beloved, or any who may ask you to help them acquire it!
April 12, 2023
2.5 ⭐️ rounded up This was okay. I liked learning about the history of textiles, dyeing, and knitting. But they’re was definitely a whole overarching tone of extreme privilege throughout the whole book. An affluent white woman doing the manual labour jobs that thousands of regular people do to survive, as some sort of “spiritual journey” rubbed me the wrong way. She also had some interesting commentary on agriculture that’s extremely detached from reality lol.
June 14, 2023
I did not enjoy reading the detailed processes involved in the production of the author’s sweater. I was more interested in the more reflective and personal aspects of the book. Unfortunately, the personal and reflective narrative was a minor part of the book. My favorite quote in the book was where Peggy’s husband tells her, “You’re always trying to prove something unnecessary that no one cares about to nobody in particular.” This quote sums up my feelings about the book.
February 10, 2023
Got bored. Couldn’t finish it.
January 20, 2024
...this is a slow and mostly uneventful read, but the authors voice is full of character and the emphasis on sustainability, getting back to our roots, and appreciating the where and how of our clothing was really refreshing!
Super interesting learning how fleece made from plastic actually releases tons of micro plastics into the oceans evertime they are washed.
It is very interesting the conclusions drawn that relate back to yarn and spinning! And some of the history behind it!
Hmmm interesting discussion on the color blue 🤔 although the chapter on dyes, I feel like drags.
Wow, I feel like I could read a whole book about the color blue!
WOW, the section about activism within the crafting and knitting community ... this book is so well researched. Each process of shearing and knitting, from start to finish, is given a well explained history of that process and the modern-day use of it.
...that last paragraph was a knockout!!!!
Super interesting learning how fleece made from plastic actually releases tons of micro plastics into the oceans evertime they are washed.
It is very interesting the conclusions drawn that relate back to yarn and spinning! And some of the history behind it!
Hmmm interesting discussion on the color blue 🤔 although the chapter on dyes, I feel like drags.
Wow, I feel like I could read a whole book about the color blue!
WOW, the section about activism within the crafting and knitting community ... this book is so well researched. Each process of shearing and knitting, from start to finish, is given a well explained history of that process and the modern-day use of it.
...that last paragraph was a knockout!!!!
January 9, 2024
If you're interested in knitting or what goes into making yarn, this is the book for you.
Parts of it are set where I live, so it was fun to see familiar spots--and learn far more than I ever imagined about what goes into making wool clothing!
I didn't appreciate all her personal asides and started skimming fairly soon in. It didn't help this was written during COVID lockdowns and while I certainly understand some of these feelings (like everyone does!), I didn't need a lot of reflection on them.
However, if you're a knitter--or at least interested in what it takes to make yarn--this is a fascinating book.
Parts of it are set where I live, so it was fun to see familiar spots--and learn far more than I ever imagined about what goes into making wool clothing!
I didn't appreciate all her personal asides and started skimming fairly soon in. It didn't help this was written during COVID lockdowns and while I certainly understand some of these feelings (like everyone does!), I didn't need a lot of reflection on them.
However, if you're a knitter--or at least interested in what it takes to make yarn--this is a fascinating book.
September 10, 2023
There is some great stuff here, when actually on topic of sheep and fiber arts. However the majority of this book is incessant politicking and a doom and gloom outlook that I found absolutely exhausting.
My favorite thing is that I learned that sheep shearers wear special felt or suede booties to avoid slipping on all the lanolin!
My favorite thing is that I learned that sheep shearers wear special felt or suede booties to avoid slipping on all the lanolin!
August 30, 2025
Even een lekker luisterboekje tussendoor. Veel interessante feitjes en toch vond ik het soms enigszins langdradig (ja, die kopte ik even in). De persoonlijke verhalen over verbondenheid, durven te leren en te creëeren, over groei, zelfliefde en loslaten gaven me wel een gevoel van algehele knusheid. Al met al fijn om te luisteren tijdens het rommelen (en tijdens het breien) op een vrije zaterdag.
March 10, 2023
Involuntarily learned more than I ever wanted to about clothes and knitting. Some was very interesting though overall there was too much history. I would have preferred less history and more personal. I honestly nearly quit this with less than 20 pages to go.
March 7, 2023
alternate title: How to suck the joy out of every aspect of life while shearing sheep, dyeing wool etc.
March 28, 2023
3.5 stars rounded up
“Making something from nothing is the quintessential magic of women, whether turning fiber to thread or flour to bread or engaging in the ultimate creative act: conjuring new humans from nowhere at all.” (another great quote that appealed to me as a retired midwife).
I decided to listen to this book on audio as I was thinking of giving the actual book to a good friend who is a knitter. I do not knit and that may have affected my enjoyment of the content a little. It is also a, "What I did during Covid Lockdown" book. So if you are not ready to read about the worse days of covid and another person's anxiety durning that time this may not be for you. Yet even with that I did find this an enjoyable read. It did, at times, remind me of my own anxieties and some sleepless nights I had during the worse year of covid (2020) but I found Ms. Orenstein's coping method a refreshing look at how she got through and came out with a most positive experience that she shares in this book.
The title does say it all but the book gives the reader so much more. What I liked best were all the great nuggets of wisdom Orenstein finds along the way about thread, wool, our clothing industry, the three Greek muses, the use of dyes and so much more. The book can be a little slow at times but is not one I could lay aside. I found myself thinking about clothing, what I wear, what I buy and what I discard and realizing how it affects myself and the environment in all new ways.
Orenstein narrates it herself and does a more than adequate job. I'd given her a B+ in that regard. She does read fast and several times I had to go back to hear a particular part again. There is a lot of information packed into a shorter book. I did find myself missing the print copy but plan to buy it soon and will certainly be getting it for my friend.
“Making something from nothing is the quintessential magic of women, whether turning fiber to thread or flour to bread or engaging in the ultimate creative act: conjuring new humans from nowhere at all.” (another great quote that appealed to me as a retired midwife).
I decided to listen to this book on audio as I was thinking of giving the actual book to a good friend who is a knitter. I do not knit and that may have affected my enjoyment of the content a little. It is also a, "What I did during Covid Lockdown" book. So if you are not ready to read about the worse days of covid and another person's anxiety durning that time this may not be for you. Yet even with that I did find this an enjoyable read. It did, at times, remind me of my own anxieties and some sleepless nights I had during the worse year of covid (2020) but I found Ms. Orenstein's coping method a refreshing look at how she got through and came out with a most positive experience that she shares in this book.
The title does say it all but the book gives the reader so much more. What I liked best were all the great nuggets of wisdom Orenstein finds along the way about thread, wool, our clothing industry, the three Greek muses, the use of dyes and so much more. The book can be a little slow at times but is not one I could lay aside. I found myself thinking about clothing, what I wear, what I buy and what I discard and realizing how it affects myself and the environment in all new ways.
Orenstein narrates it herself and does a more than adequate job. I'd given her a B+ in that regard. She does read fast and several times I had to go back to hear a particular part again. There is a lot of information packed into a shorter book. I did find myself missing the print copy but plan to buy it soon and will certainly be getting it for my friend.
February 8, 2023
I admire Peggy Orenstein for learning how to shear sheep, spin yarn, and dye during the height of the pandemic. She was already a knitter, so that part of the process came more easily, but the rest of it was a sometimes back-breaking, difficult, and frustrating journey. Unraveling is a combination of her memoir, a history of "women's work" and how to make a sweater from scratch. At the same time, the author was dealing with her mother's death, her father's decline into dementia, a threatening wildfire season in California, and the imminent departure of her daughter for college. Women at that stage tend to ask, "Who am I?" and "What's next?" and I think she gained some answers in her process and writing this book. By the way, she did not make the World's Ugliest Sweater. I had to search online for a photo of it, but any knitter would recognize the hard work and lessons learned in making it, and I think Ms. Orenstein should be proud.
"I never did ask how she learned to knit-her own mother, an immigrant from the nebulous region of Eastern Europe known only as "the Old Country," did not, to my knowledge-so the answer disappeared at my mom's death, along with those to so many questions that, in the self-absorbed ways of daughters, it never occurred to me to ask. Mom, were you happy? Did you have any regrets? Were you ever lonely? Who did you talk to when things got hard? How did you survive parenting a teenage girl? And how, as that girl prepared to leave home, did you ever let her go? I don't know, at any rate, that I would have wanted to hear the answers, that I would have listened. I may have griped to my friends that my mother didn't see me, not the real me, but did I ever truly see her? Did I even try?"
May 18, 2023
I expected this to be political based upon prior reading of books by the author but it was just too much so for me. I will readily admit to far too much anger about the personal repercussions of the reactions to Covid-19 in this country.
Two thoughts:
1 - In the process of putting together her sweater and her book, the author insisted she had to learn to shear sheep to get the wool for her sweater. This entire experience seemed traumatic to the sheep and I felt so sorry for Martha who could have been seriously hurt. There was no reason why the author had to do this personally other than hubris.
2 - If the entire book is about making a sweater, there needed to be a photo of said sweater in the book. I hunted down a photo of the sweater and it's not "ugly." Is it too heavy for the Bay Area? Probably. Does it flatter the author? Probably not but that is personal style. With her years of knitting experience, I'm surprised that she wouldn't know about the right type of yarn or design for her personal use - this was glossed over in the book. The sweater is definitely wearable and ought to be given to someone in a proper climate where it will be well used and possibly loved for years to come.
Two thoughts:
1 - In the process of putting together her sweater and her book, the author insisted she had to learn to shear sheep to get the wool for her sweater. This entire experience seemed traumatic to the sheep and I felt so sorry for Martha who could have been seriously hurt. There was no reason why the author had to do this personally other than hubris.
2 - If the entire book is about making a sweater, there needed to be a photo of said sweater in the book. I hunted down a photo of the sweater and it's not "ugly." Is it too heavy for the Bay Area? Probably. Does it flatter the author? Probably not but that is personal style. With her years of knitting experience, I'm surprised that she wouldn't know about the right type of yarn or design for her personal use - this was glossed over in the book. The sweater is definitely wearable and ought to be given to someone in a proper climate where it will be well used and possibly loved for years to come.
March 3, 2023
In this short, less than 200 paged memoir, “Unraveling,” its writer, Peggy Orenstein, is housebound during the 2020 pandemic, and finds herself in need of a project. She decides to create a sweater starting from scratch. Before she knits the infamous sweater, she learns how to shear the sheep, hand process, card, spin, and dye the wool. The storyline is stuffed with bits and pieces on the history of fabric, clothing, women’s roles sprinkled with Orenstein’s thoughts, feelings and experiences.
As an experienced knitter, I was fascinated with the sections she focused on the sweater project . However, I was disappointed in the weakest part that mingled family issues and difficult childhood memories with her passion for knitting.
As an experienced knitter, I was fascinated with the sections she focused on the sweater project . However, I was disappointed in the weakest part that mingled family issues and difficult childhood memories with her passion for knitting.
April 17, 2023
Wow, dying with indigo sounds really hard, and really interesting!
March 27, 2024
Picking up Peggy Orenstein's memoir was like re-discovering a friend. I appreciated the laughs this book provided and am thankful for all its fun facts I've been using at the dinner table and in the classroom. I've read four of her books and am thrilled she has three more for me to enjoy.
February 16, 2024
I loved the content on knitting and sheep farming. A few things irritated me though.
First: The “she” in SLFOM (she learned from her mother). I appreciated that the author included a discussion of non-white knitters, but for someone who is trying to push the envelope by describing knitting as a feminist act of resistance, she did a poor job of decoupling the act of knitting from the feminine ideal. This fell into the same fallacy rut as ecofeminism (feminine = caretaker, so women will save nature). If we really want to make knitting a radical act and dualism-bending space, why not discuss de-feminizing fiber arts?
Second: The “mother” in SLFOM. I find it hard to believe that nearly every person she spoke to about knitting learned from their mother. What about moms who aren’t crafty? (Her best friend) How do their kids learn? What about children who lose their mother early? And then, what about queer and male knitters? Do any moms teach their sons to knit? How do they fit into the story? As someone who did not learn to knit from her mother because she was busy running a business and preferred to teach me other valuable lessons like how to manage my money, this rankled me.
Third: So much climate anxiety! The chapter on slow fashion, in particular, was painful to read. I was shocked that the author would perpetuate the idea that it should be the individual’s responsibility to ensure that every item they buy is ethically sourced. Surely, we can push for legislation so that we do not need to live with such a heavy burden of consumer responsibility. Moreover, this struck me as painfully elitist. How could a mother of 3 who is working full time to pay for food, healthcare, and clothes possibly spare the time to do such extensive research on everything they buy? The book is already so blatantly liberal, so I don’t know why the author didn’t bring her message to fruition by discussing legislation that could support natural fiber markets.
In the end, we both love to knit. I’m still glad I read the book.
First: The “she” in SLFOM (she learned from her mother). I appreciated that the author included a discussion of non-white knitters, but for someone who is trying to push the envelope by describing knitting as a feminist act of resistance, she did a poor job of decoupling the act of knitting from the feminine ideal. This fell into the same fallacy rut as ecofeminism (feminine = caretaker, so women will save nature). If we really want to make knitting a radical act and dualism-bending space, why not discuss de-feminizing fiber arts?
Second: The “mother” in SLFOM. I find it hard to believe that nearly every person she spoke to about knitting learned from their mother. What about moms who aren’t crafty? (Her best friend) How do their kids learn? What about children who lose their mother early? And then, what about queer and male knitters? Do any moms teach their sons to knit? How do they fit into the story? As someone who did not learn to knit from her mother because she was busy running a business and preferred to teach me other valuable lessons like how to manage my money, this rankled me.
Third: So much climate anxiety! The chapter on slow fashion, in particular, was painful to read. I was shocked that the author would perpetuate the idea that it should be the individual’s responsibility to ensure that every item they buy is ethically sourced. Surely, we can push for legislation so that we do not need to live with such a heavy burden of consumer responsibility. Moreover, this struck me as painfully elitist. How could a mother of 3 who is working full time to pay for food, healthcare, and clothes possibly spare the time to do such extensive research on everything they buy? The book is already so blatantly liberal, so I don’t know why the author didn’t bring her message to fruition by discussing legislation that could support natural fiber markets.
In the end, we both love to knit. I’m still glad I read the book.
March 2, 2023
When I first started this book I honestly thought I was going to give up on it. The first few chapters were really preachy about the ecological side of clothing (and equating it with the need to eat organic locally-produced food), which came across as very entitled because the author comes from a place of privilege being a rich white woman living in Northern California. This section of the book almost put me off reading the rest, but I’m glad I kept reading. The author went into a lot of the history of spinning, dyeing, and knitting in the later chapters, and discussing it as traditional women’s work, which I really enjoyed reading. She even touched on knitting activism.
I thought the book had redeemed itself until the author got to the knitting part of her journey and basically claimed that English-style knitting (my preferred style) was bad and she refused to teach her daughter to knit that way. This REALLY rubbed me the wrong way because I firmly believe that you can knit however you want to knit and you are not required to learn a “better” way of knitting (for non-knitters, the only thing that continental-style knitting does “better” than English is that typically it’s a faster way to knit). And there is NO reason why I need to learn a faster way of knitting when by its very nature, knitting is SLOW fashion.
I thought the book had redeemed itself until the author got to the knitting part of her journey and basically claimed that English-style knitting (my preferred style) was bad and she refused to teach her daughter to knit that way. This REALLY rubbed me the wrong way because I firmly believe that you can knit however you want to knit and you are not required to learn a “better” way of knitting (for non-knitters, the only thing that continental-style knitting does “better” than English is that typically it’s a faster way to knit). And there is NO reason why I need to learn a faster way of knitting when by its very nature, knitting is SLOW fashion.
July 8, 2023
Just awful. This isn't a "fun and lively memoir" as advertised. I expected a fun story about the history of sheep, shearing, wool, and the knitting process with some life lessons or words of wisdom. although I'm not a knitter, I have friends are, so I was also hoping to learn more about the craft.
Unfortunately, what little there is about the aforementioned topics is overshadowed by political and social opinions, name-calling, accusations, and what is clearly some difficult events and memories from childhood. I did appreciate the authors transparency when talking about her father's health and her relationship with him. Watching your parents decline in health is hard on all of us. Probably won't look look for other books by this author.
Unfortunately, what little there is about the aforementioned topics is overshadowed by political and social opinions, name-calling, accusations, and what is clearly some difficult events and memories from childhood. I did appreciate the authors transparency when talking about her father's health and her relationship with him. Watching your parents decline in health is hard on all of us. Probably won't look look for other books by this author.
April 30, 2023
Yes, it took me a long time to get through this book. My expectation was that the book would be more about sheep shearing, fleece processing, fiber dyeing and other aspects of fiber processing. Those parts of the book were informative and enjoyable to read. The ramblings about mother-daughter relationships, the pandemic, the California fires and drought, daughter-father relationship … I am sure writing about those issues was cathartic for the author, but I skimmed through them - not my “cup of tea” for reading material.
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