Yarn: Remembering the Way Home

by Kyoko Mori

A memoir of crossing cultures, losing love, and finding home by a New York Times notable author. As steadily and quietly as her marriage falls apart, so Kyoko Mori's understanding of knitting deepens. From flawed school mittens to beautiful unmatched patterns of cardigans, hats and shawls, Kyoko draws the connection between knitting and the new life she tried to establish in the U.S. Interspersed with the story of knitting throughout, the narrative contemplates the nature of love, loss, and what holds a marriage together.

Genres: Memoir, Knitting, Nonfiction, Japan, Biography, Biography Memoir, Asian Literature

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Kyoko Mori was born in Kobe, Japan, in 1957. As a young girl, she learned numerous ways to be creative, including drawing, sewing, and writing, from her mother and her mother's family. From those family members, Mori says, "I came to understand the magic of transformation — a limitless possibility of turning nothing into something."

Mori's life changed completely at age 12, when her mother died. Her father remarried one year later, but the household was not a happy one, and Mori looked for ways to stay away from home. Eventually, she moved to the United States to attend college. She then went to graduate school, where she studied creative writing.

Mori's writing grows out of her personal experiences, but she doesn't always write exactly what happens in her own life. "I think that the best thing about being a writer is that we get to make up things and tell the truth at the same time," she says. Since she received her doctoral degree in 1984, Mori has taught creative writing and has published fiction, poetry, and essays.

Reviews

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the author's voice in this book: it's quiet and sincere. The yarn metaphor had the potential to be seriously strained, but Mori does a good job of holding it back. Although the book is about the effects of her mother's suicide when Mori was a child (some might say it's about the dissolution of Mori's marriage, but in my view that's related pretty strongly to the suicide), there is no talk of unravelling, getting wound up, spinning a tale, or other cringe-worthy phrases. Instead, she writes about what she was knitting during the different phases of her life and lets the reader make the connection. This book is a good way to pass a few thoughtful hours, and I'll be checking out more of Mori's books.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although it sounds like a gimmick, Mori makes the knitting metaphor work (quite well actually) to structure her memoir. I got this book from the library after reading Polite Lies: On Being a Woman Caught Between Cultures, which I'd advise reading before this one. There is some overlap regarding her family background in Japan, but Polite Lies gives context that may be missing in reading Yarn first.

Definitely recommended

[Linda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yarn: Remembering the Way Home

"Kyoko Mori is an artist with words. She stitches them together in phrases that make you catch your breath at the aptness of a metaphor or the sharp sting of truth."

— A blurb from the back cover of Mori's novel, "Stone Field, True Arrow," taken from my review of the book in The Capital Times newspaper

On my bookshelf are two hardcover books by Kyoko Mori: one a novel, the other a collection of essays. I'll probably never read either one again, which suggests they should go to make space for other books. But they were so affecting when I first read them that I keep them as reminders. As you can see from the quote at the top of this post, I think Mori is an impressive writer.

Like many authors she mines her own life for material; a life suffused with tragedy, sorrow, strangeness, and a long struggle to make sense of it all. Mori spent half her life in Japan and half in the American midwest: Green Bay, Wisconsin to be exact; and was an outsider in both cultures.

Mori's latest volume, "Yarn: Remembering the Way Home," continues this exploration. This time she uses fiber as the thread that binds these stories into a narrative quilt. Thus the book has lots of detail (and trivia) about spinning, knitting, weaving, the Shetland Islands, sweater design and more. Mori's story is endlessly fascinating and her prior re-tellings of it have been fully engaging.

But this time I felt as though Mori were going through the motions; that she had thought of another way to approach the tale using traditional female fiber arts she practices as the framework. As someone who has experience with many of the same arts as Mori, I admit that's what drew me initially to the story. Perhaps I am too familiar with Mori's history and that's what made this book so much less satisfying. But I never found myself re-reading a sentence or stopping to savor a phrase or remembering anything at all once I closed the cover. She does, however, continue to be spot-on in her description of small town life and evocation of the midwestern landscape.

To fully appreciate Mori's story and her talent, I'd forego this latest book and read one of these earlier titles. For those who prefer memoir and essays, read "Polite LIes;" for fans of fiction, pick "Stone Field, True Arrow."

[Benjamin Kass · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, though at times it seemed the most miserable view of reality I've seen. I hope the author is kinder on herself (less critical) in the future.

[Kasey Jueds · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book could not be more up my alley: it's a memoir, it's by a writer I love (whose earlier memoir is one of my favorites ever), and it's about (drumroll) knitting. Hooray! So I was thrilled to find it at our local Borders' closing sale. And it is wonderful, plain-spoken, honest, and thoughtful. Among other things, it's inspiring to read such a forthright book about a woman's unusual life choices; it always makes me feel a little more courageous and inspired. And it's also fascinating to me, as someone who's spent a fair amount of time in Wisconsin, that so much of the book is set there, and Mori has such a sharp-eyed perspective on it.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read her previous book, “Polite Lies,” I was familiar with Mori’s personal story and there’s quite a lot of reiteration in this book. The “yarn” in the title refers not only to Mori’s love of knitting and weaving but also in the story or “yarn” of her life.

You don’t have to be a knitter to appreciate her stories, although I’d venture to guess that fellow knitters might find even deeper meaning in some of her observations and impressions.

Mori is a good writer and shares her most visceral thoughts in her writing. This is a lovely memoir.

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kyoko Mori, the author, spins a tale of her life here in the United States by weaving together all the details of her life and knitting them together making it as the pattern of her life unfolds into the finished product, always being worked on, as we all do. She connects her love of yarn into her daily life.
Kyoko Mori is originally from Japan and is here on a student visa. When her time has run out on her visa, she is not completely finished with her schooling. With her dissertation still needing to be finished, she faces having to return home to Japan, not being able to finish it. She has a friend named Chuck who offers to marry her in order for her to be able to stay here, in the United States. She takes him up on his offer, marries him, and is able to finish her schooling. She stays married to him over the years.
As she writes this book and tells us about her life, she weaves in stories about her life here, as well as it was in Japan. She also manages to skillfully talk about her love of knitting and incorporates it into the story as she tells it. She talks of the different things she knits, sweaters and mittens, shawls and more. As one event leads to another she talks about the knitting project she is currently undertaking for the events. She discusses how she was brought up in Japan, how she learned to knit, among other things in Home Economics classes in school back in Japan. She tells us of the customs back there, all the while talking about her knitting. She is really talented in respect to how she weaves the knitting into her stories, as well as the other handcrafts she has done over the years, all in respect to yarn. She prides herself in the fact that she never used a pattern, but by the end of the book, she learns that following some patterns actually teaches her how to make ‘fitted’ garments, making her look more feminine. This is a nice boost to her lower self-image.
Divorce does finally happen to Kyoko, and this is when she really starts to come out of her shell she had lived in all the years prior. She feels freer to experiment more with actual patterns and to find new friends in the few new places she ends up living and teaching.
This story is a really neat page turning story making you want to learn more about her life and her yarn handcrafts she makes, now and back when she lived in Japan and the customs the Japanese followed. The way this story is written is very interesting. She teaches us a lot about yarns. From knitting, to weaving the yarn, the different types of yarns and how they are made, right down to the different animal coats used in making yarns using the spinning wheel.
This book was a very enjoyable read.
This book was provided to me by Bostwick Communications in exchange for a written review of the book.
Laurie Carlson
www.lauriehere.blogspot.com


Yarn, by Kyoko Mori

Kyoko Mori, the author, spins a tale of her life here in the United States by weaving together all the details of her life and knitting them together making it as the pattern of her life unfolds into the finished product, always being worked on, as we all do.
Kyoko Mori is originally from Japan and is here on a student visa. When her time has run out on her visa, she is not completely finished with her schooling. With her dissertation still needing to be finished, she faces having to return home to Japan, not being able to finish it. She has a friend named Chuck who offers to marry her in order for her to be able to stay here, in the United States. She takes him up on his offer, marries him, and is able to finish her schooling. She stays married to him over the years.
As she writes this book and tells us about her life, she weaves in stories about her life here, as well as it was in Japan. She also manages to skillfully talk about her love of knitting and incorporates it into the story as she tells it. She talks of the different things she knits, sweaters and mittens, shawls and more. As one event leads to another she talks about the knitting project she is currently undertaking for the events. She discusses how she was brought up in Japan, how she learned to knit, among other things in Home Economics classes in school back in Japan. She tells us of the customs back there, all the while talking about her knitting. She is really talented in respect to how she weaves the knitting into her stories, as well as the other handcrafts she has done over the years, all in respect to yarn. She prides herself in the fact that she never used a pattern, but by the end of the book, she learns that following some patterns actually teaches her how to make ‘fitted’ garments, making her look more feminine. This is a nice boost to her lower self-image.
Divorce does finally happen to Kyoko, and this is when she really starts to come out of her shell she had lived in all the years prior. She feels freer to experiment more with actual patterns and to find new friends in the few new places she ends up living and teaching.
This story is a really neat page turning story making you want to learn more about her life and her yarn handcrafts she makes, now and back when she lived in Japan and the customs the Japanese followed. The way this story is written is very interesting. She teaches us a lot about yarns. From knitting, to weaving the yarn, the different types of yarns and how they are made, right down to the different animal coats used in making yarns using the spinning wheel.
This book was a very enjoyable read. I give this book a 4-star rating.
This book was provided to me by Bostwick Communications in exchange for a written review of the book.
Laurie Carlson
www.lauriehere.blogspot.com
Yarn, by Kyoko Mori

Kyoko Mori, the author, spins a tale of her life here in the United States by weaving together all the details of her life and knitting them together making it as the pattern of her life unfolds into the finished product, always being worked on, as we all do.
Kyoko Mori is originally from Japan and is here on a student visa. When her time has run out on her visa, she is not completely finished with her schooling. With her dissertation still needing to be finished, she faces having to return home to Japan, not being able to finish it. She has a friend named Chuck who offers to marry her in order for her to be able to stay here, in the United States. She takes him up on his offer, marries him, and is able to finish her schooling. She stays married to him over the years.
As she writes this book and tells us about her life, she weaves in stories about her life here, as well as it was in Japan. She also manages to skillfully talk about her love of knitting and incorporates it into the story as she tells it. She talks of the different things she knits, sweaters and mittens, shawls and more. As one event leads to another she talks about the knitting project she is currently undertaking for the events. She discusses how she was brought up in Japan, how she learned to knit, among other things in Home Economics classes in school back in Japan. She tells us of the customs back there, all the while talking about her knitting. She is really talented in respect to how she weaves the knitting into her stories, as well as the other handcrafts she has done over the years, all in respect to yarn. She prides herself in the fact that she never used a pattern, but by the end of the book, she learns that following some patterns actually teaches her how to make ‘fitted’ garments, making her look more feminine. This is a nice boost to her lower self-image.
Divorce does finally happen to Kyoko, and this is when she really starts to come out of her shell she had lived in all the years prior. She feels freer to experiment more with actual patterns and to find new friends in the few new places she ends up living and teaching.
This story is a really neat page turning story making you want to learn more about her life and her yarn handcrafts she makes, now and back when she lived in Japan and the customs the Japanese followed. The way this story is written is very interesting. She teaches us a lot about yarns. From knitting, to weaving the yarn, the different types of yarns and how they are made, right down to the different animal coats used in making yarns using the spinning wheel.
This book was a very enjoyable read.
This book was provided to me by Bostwick Communications in exchange for a written review of the book.
Laurie Carlson
www.lauriehere.blogspot.com

[Nanako Water · Rating 5 out of 5]

I noticed small paperback in the library with the cover photo of balls of yarn and the Japanese name. I do like to knit and the fact that it is a memoir caught my interest. Not surprisingly, the narrator’s interest in knitting is a metaphor for her life. The titles of the five chapters - Yellow Mittens, Seamless Sweaters, Fair Isle, Intarsia and Flip-Flop Mittens - all hint at how her personal life challenges as an immigrant writer are woven (no pun intended) into her knitting and weaving. Although it was fun to learn about knitting, I was more impressed by her seemingly effortless anecdotes which gave me a A-Ha moment long after I had passed onto the next chapter. In fact, I tried but could not find one of those anecdotes! I apologize if I got it wrong. She told the story of a stubborn male writing student to illustrate her point “a small thing is a large thing.” The athletic student has an epiphany while running with his girlfriend. As they both approach a pothole he realizes that unless one of them gives way to the other, they will both crash into the pothole. In that moment, he understands that this relationship is doomed. Mori has other gems on writing. I loved her story explaining how to “value a bad good story over a good bad story”. A young black woman thinks she is writing about racial inequality but Mori points out important parts of her story that need to be addressed. In writing, I struggle with figuring out what the point of my story is and suspect that I am thinking way too much. Mori articulates that struggle and like a wise old teacher, uses wonderful stories to make the process of writing appear much easier than it really is. The tension between Mori’s Japanese homeland and her American life is beautifully shown through the relationships between her family and herself. This book turned me into a fan of Kyoko Mori and I plan to read more of her work.

[Ria Bridges · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read two of the author’s YA novels, I was excited to find that one of her memoirs involved yarn, which is a passion of mine. (Big fibre artist when I’m not reading and writing, you see.) I was interested to see just what lay inside.

What I found was a frank and honest telling of many parts of her life, ranging from events in her childhood to her marriage to open self-reflection. Arranged in sections relating to specific knitted garments and how they relate to her life as a whole, it was easy to see the common threads that held everything together, that pushed and pulled and held all the events and emotions that she experienced. Following the author’s journey like this, I not only got to feel closer to her and understand her better, but I got the chance to understand myself a little better too, as though I was less a passive observer and more an active participant.

Which, I think, must have been intentional. Aside from the fact that she can tell a good story and create believable characters, it didn’t escape my notice that the theme of “common threads” can be applied between author and reader, between participant and observer, and that there’s a connection to be felt.

More than that, there’s the lesson that no matter how many threads run between people, places, or things, nothing is eternal. Nothing is so flawed that it cannot, with a little effort, be snipped and repaired until the problem has been fixed. And not everything needs to be perfect, either.

I admire her more now that I’ve read this book, and I took away from it more understanding and inspiration than I expected to. This was far more than a story about yarn, more than a story about a woman, and, much as in knitting, weaving, or spinning, the finished whole is much greater than the sum of its parts.

(Book received in exchange for an honest review.)

[Fay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yarn, knitting, patterns, my stash ... all are seeing me through the Covid experience. In wandering in my book stash which is larger than my yarn stash, I stumbled on 'yarn, Remembering the Way Home,' by Kyoto Mori. What a delightful book and perfect for the time. Kyoto Mori has written a memoir of her life so far. She crosses cultures when she leaves Japan as a college junior to attend college in the USA, never having been here. She is escaping a cruel dad and a wicked stepmother, bringing with her a history of knitting which she learned from her grandmother. One reviewer describes her as 'artfully taking in hand needles and fiber and the realities of her life and knitting a gorgeous memoir of loss, emigration, frief, identity and the work in her hand.' I couldn't say it better so haven't tried.

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Things ended whether I finished them or not."
I wasn't sure I was going to finish this book or not. I really did like the way she equated parts of her life with her hobbies of spinning, weaving and knitting. She is obviously a gifted writer, she was invited to teach at Harvard.
I don't think two people could be more different than Kyoko Mori and I but that is one reason we read, to untethered perspectives.
Is my life, my talents mediocre? I don't know, but I don't think I should judge myself by anyone else's yardstick.
I hated the way she acquiesced to her husband feelings and opinions saying she shouldn't have been so selfish to have friends he considered snooty. Perhaps that is from the Japanese culture but I've learned over my life that sometimes being selfish is necessary, even good for you. My feelings, my time, my love for myself and things and people I enjoy are valid.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

in this journal, a vigorous knitter and sprinter expounds on her sewing undertakings and ties them into the story of her childhood, marriage, and calling. This Japanese young lady was relied upon to get familiar with the womanly specialties of homemaking to set herself up for marriage, however, her mom's suicide down and out her association with her dad and she disappeared to the U.S. for school and a calling (PhD.college educator of composing) that would liberate her from any reliance on him. The marriage she at that point
Printing apparels

[Peggy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mori grew up in an upper-middle class family in Japan. Her distant father spent most of his time with his many mistresses, and Mori's mother finally committed suicide. Her father immediately married one of his girlfriends, who turned out to abusive to Mori, but not to her younger brother. As soon as she was able, Mori left her homeland and headed to college in the U.S.

The author weaves an interesting narrative, finding connections between her love of knitting and her life story. Lots of interesting little asides about the art of knitting.

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

The memoir of the author's childhood in Japan and then life in the US as a student and subsequently a professor and writer. Interwoven with this story is her journey learning to knit and the craft's parallels to life. The author reflects on her personal growth, her understanding of herself and her relationships with the people in her life.

[Susan Hamilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

As Mori's expertise in creating clothing from yarn increases, her marriage unravels yet she expertly weaves a new path for her career and life. Mori does a great job contrasting life to textiles, and the comparisons never grow thin or forced. Good reading.

[Marilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading about how knitting serves as a stabilizing influence in common lives. This writing is good, but I guess the cultural differences kept me from going gaga over it. I never connected with the author.

[Jen Vaughn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A memoir into the young to mid-life of writer, Kyoto Mori, as a girl estranging herself from her family and Japanese social culture to being an immigrant in the mid-western United States. Woven (or knit and purled) with stories of learning knitting, it's a compassionate read for strong women.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved all the history of knitting. Well told and philosophical in all the good ways.

[Jody · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Miriam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very introspective and less about yarn than I had hoped.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is just something about Mori’s nonfiction work. I could read books in that a voice of hers endlessly.

[Bette · Rating 4 out of 5]

I dont think memoirs need to be this dry . The ‘thread’ of yarn throughout was a bit more interesting than the repetitious descriptions of her life.

[ModCloth · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first scarf I knitted rolled up into itself like a turtle hiding in its shell. No amount of tugging, stretching, ironing, or whining would make it lay flat. This, you can imagine, irritated me greatly. I’d spent hours on the project, and when finally I had a finished product – one that I hoped would keep me warm all through the winter – its lame width left an unfortunate gap on my vulnerable neck.

Kyoko Mori’s new book, Yarn: Remembering the Way Home, opens in a similar vein. Her first knitting project – a pair of yellow mittens – earned her a D- in fourth grade home economics. But unlike my early knitting catastrophe, Mori recovers from her first attempt to ultimately master the craft. However, knitting hardly takes up the entire length of Mori’s memoir, but provides a foundation for the author to reflect upon her marriage, her family’s past, and her own future.

Read more about Kyoko Mori’s Yarn after the jump.


Mori’s initial venture into knitting occurs during her childhood in Kobe, Japan, just a year after her mother’s suicide. In the shadow of her mother’s death, Mori’s indifferent father quickly remarries a woman who constantly chastises the young, vulnerable girl. As soon as she is able, a college-aged Mori leaves Japan for an education in the United States. In doing so, she rejects the life that is expected of her – marriage and silence – the quiet fate that ultimately drove her mother to suicide. Mori moves to Green Bay, Wisconsin to immerse herself in her graduate work. It is there that she meets Chuck, a laid-back, Midwestern school teacher who is everything her turbulent past is not. They marry partly for love, but mostly out of convenience (Mori’s deportation was looming), and soon Mori finds herself settling for life as a small town, college professor.

Mori constantly feels out of place in her small, conformed community and it is through her knitting that she finds a niche. As she falls into a deep rhythm with her needles, moving between delicate Fair Isle patterns and hearty sweaters built to battle a Wisconsin winter, her story unfolds – from the quest to understand her mother’s choices, to the silent, passive breakdown of her own marriage, to the pursuit of finding her way in a place she struggles to call home.

We quickly fall into Mori’s story and with it, the art of knitting. As she picks up complicated patterns, joins various knitting circles, even raises rabbits to spin her own yarn – so does she share with us the history of the relatively young craft. She takes us from the first knitted objects found in an Egyptian tomb, to Latvian girls knitting items for their dowry chests, to the posh knitting circles popping up in cities across the U.S. Swaying from anecdote to fact, memory to history, it quickly becomes clear that Mori has an uncanny ability to parallel her own complicated life to the seemingly simple stitches on her needle. Though the resentment in Yarn is at times thick, Mori’s talent for weaving together the numerous strands of her memoir overcomes her rancor. Telling nearly four stories at once, without leaving her readers stranded, is a gift few writers are capable of accomplishing so seamlessly.

Pick up Yarn for a warm winter read, or if you are looking for a deeply affecting memoir. It may even inspire you to overcome that previous knitting catastrophe. Scarf, anyone? - Sarah, Fashion Writer

Follow more reviews at http://blog.modcloth.com/

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yarn by Kyoko Mori
NonFiction and Autobiography
This book is not just about yarn, as I thought it was at first. It is a very nice novel to read. It flows very nicely as Kyoko Mori, a New York Times Notable author takes us through her life from the point where her Visa is set to expire before she is done with all her college degrees she is after. College is what got her her Visa here to the States. She did not want to go back home to Japan without having finished them.
A friend of hers asks her to marry him, and that way she can stay in the country. She does. She marries him and they start to build a life together. She takes us on a journey through her life, including using her passion of knitting, and weaves a story telling us her story through her use of her knitting. As life goes through patterns, so does her knitting.
We learn all about her life in Japan, the customs from Japan and all about her family in Japan. She tells us how they relate to her now in her life here in the States. Things are definitely different in Japan. This information was very interesting.
Kyoko does eventually end up getting divorced, and through her knitting, tells us all about it and her new life. She tells us of the difficulties of her divorce, moving on to a new life, adjusting and more. It shows through her knitting as well. Mostly, it is how her knitting had stayed the same, yet grew in intricacy, and how her life did as well, all the comparisons. Her dedication to knitting continued, and so she remained dedicated to her life. Many things changed, yet many things stayed the same.
Kyoko Mori tells a story so beautifully and elegantly, I would compare it to cutting through a very large wedding cake. It is so soft, smooth and with ease. The words just flow onto the paper. You want to keep reading this book because the words are so soft, smooth and written with ease.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I would suggest it to anyone who likes knitting and likes autobiographies, as the book is equally full of both.
This book was provided to me for free by GemmaMedia Publishers through NetGalley.com, in exchange for a written review. No monies were exchanged whatsoever.
A huge thanks to the Publisher and NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read such an enjoyable book.
Laurie Carlson

[Theresa Oostmeyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yarn is the mystic thread that shapes Kyoko's life; from badly misshapen mittens she knitted in school after her mother's suicide, to complicated flip-flop mittens for her friend Junko when she taught at Harvard. Kyoko's life and relationships are beautifully woven into her yarn and fiber projects that echo her desire for order, love, and peace.

As a young adult, she favored the seamless sweaters that were so easy and fast to knit and comfortable to wear. When her life became grey, dull, and routine, she preferred Fair Isle knitting to "decorate the empty space." The lovely patterns in these sweaters reminded her of those in her mother's tapestries from long ago in Japan, yet she could never duplicate their beauty in her own life.

The beauty of Yarn is not in the reading but in the reflection of how lives are woven into a tapestry. It reads like a reflection or a journal, and has no real climax, conflict, or unexpected resolution in the last few pages. Kyoko Mori stands at one place in her life and contemplates both the past and the present, and weaves a story out of the threads that crossed her path. She is not content with only recounting beauty in her life, but rather she knits a story that is practical and real



This is a condensed review, read the full review here: http://www.associatedcontent.com/arti...

[Edith · Rating 3 out of 5]

An INTERESTING read...in this memoir an ardent knitter and runner writes about her knitting projects and ties them into the tale of her youth, marriage and profession. This Japanese girl was expected to learn the womanly arts of homemaking to prepare herself for marriage, but her mother’s suicide broke her relationship with her father and she escaped to the U.S. for college and a profession (PhD.college teacher of writing) that would free her from any dependence on him. The marriage she then formed with a college friend was one where she and her husband maintained most of their affairs separately. Of primary importance to both of them was their independence and freedom from unwanted obligations. I found it an odd way to approach a marriage, but people come in different stripes and have different emotional needs. Kyoko then chronicles the disintegration of this marriage...

It felt like there were more layers of feeling underlying Kyoko’s story, but she only chose to relate so much...she has two previous memoirs and several novels which sound interesting. I got a strong sense of her intelligence and drive to create the kind of life that would be satisfying to her. I applauded her energy in finding outlets for her interests and friends with which to share them.

I would have loved pictures of all of her knitting projects!

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciate the author's point that expectations of being perfect prevent people from picking up new skills.

"Sharyl had no patience for being a beginner, because she was already so good at everything. She had made straight A's in shool, finished her Ph.D. at twenty-seven, and gotten tenured a few months before her thirtieth birthday. Maybe I was lucky to have received D's and F's in several subjects and failed my driving test four times. My mediocre performance at the spinning wheel didn't surprise me any more than my inability to parallel park. I bought my own wheel and started practicing by myself." Chapter 3

"But once settled there, I became more uncomfortable than ever with the competitive notion of excellence. It was exhausting to be around students who wanted to be the best at everything - even a beauty pageant they believed to be rigged. I preferred making mistakes and trying activities I could never excel at...I had planned my apartment hunt the way I approached a weaving project, with an overall plan of action broken down into steps and stages, but in practice, I improvised and fudged the way I did in my knitting even when I was following a pattern. I could only be good at something if no one expected me to be perfect." Chapter 5

However, the distance that she maintained from people in order to avoid being hurt suffocated many of her relationships.

[Jcb · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a definite page-turner, combining the authors love of knitting and scenes from her real life; she was born in Japan but settled down and became an English teacher in America. Her twin loves of writing and knitting are her way of interacting with the world. Since there is such a large time span covered (1960's -2000's), the book is episodic. That style works pretty well, though can feel jumpy - like finishing a sweater, then starting a new one.

If I had a criticism, it would be an underlying negativity of tone. The father and mother-in-law characters are 100% jerks. Japan comes off as a terrible place for women (perhaps it is?). Yet, I can't help but think the purely negative view of her homeland was a bit simplistic; she suggests, for example, that her mother, if divorced, would have no options in life other than to return to her family's home and live a life of shame. That sounds just a bit dramatic. Also, the author relates a moment in her own life when, during a job review, she scolds her supervisor for saying that she looked nice. She suggests that a man would never have to face such a thing as a compliment from his boss. That's silly. Male bosses compliment male employees, too; "Hey, nice tie...have you been working out?..." What's the big deal?

Anyway, Yarns was a good read. I enjoyed it, and recommend it.

[Carrie]

DNF: Started enjoying this story/memoir immersed in knitting. It unraveled for me with the trash talk of her husband and his family/friends, the trash talk of the town she lived in, the trash talk of her employer and co workers. . .
Couldn't go on with such a negative story, even if it works out in the end.