Peacefully Knitting

Knit Local showcases 30 beautiful fashion, accessory, and home décor projects made with yarns manufactured and sold right here in North America. Expert knitter Tanis Gray stresses the wisdom of preserving local businesses, protecting the environment, and treating livestock humanely while tracing the journey of her yarns “from sheep to skein.” As informative as it is inspiring, this book is above all a stunning fashion source, with gorgeous projects that will leave you feeling good and looking even better.

Knit Local by Tanis Gray is a beautifully photographed collection of designs that showcases, and even celebrates,  yarns used from across the United States.  We often comment that we need to support and promote more American based companies, and this book is a wonderful reminder of how when can accomplish this, especially from the fiber side of things.

This book is broken into four sections, the Northeast, the South, the Midwest and the West, where Tanis not only focuses on American mills, but the small farms and ranches that raise sheep, alpaca and bison for fiber.  The concept of this book is inspiring and I would also venture to say it’s perfect for those knitters who are environmentally conscious and want to know where their yarns come from and even how they are produced.

For me personally, I truly enjoyed reading each business owner’s philosophy,  how they got started and loved the photos that depict their lives and their animals.   I also enjoyed learning about new Indy Dyers that use base yarns from the U.S. and Canada to produce their lovely dyed yarns and fibers.  While I feel this book is one I will cherish and use often, and even recommend for fiber lovers to own, it is geared more to the experienced knitter with projects ranging from intermediate to advanced.

Inside you will also find:

• More than 30 designs for women, men, children and the home
• Gorgeous photographs that truly capture the essence of the American farms and ranches
• A comprehensive list of fiber events and festivals across the U.S.
• A complete listing of companies presented in this book, along with website information

I think Tanis has done a very good job in giving us sources of American based companies that provide yarn and fiber to those of us who want to support the small business owner, rancher and farmer.  I can honestly say I did not realize a few of these companies existed and I’m very excited to give these independent yarn companies a try!

About:  A graduate of RISD, Tanis Gray lives in Washington, DC. Having worked at Martha Stewart, HBO, Focus Features, in the art department in the film and television industries, and after a 4-year career as the Yarn Editor at Vogue Knitting and co-editor of Knit.1, she has been working in the creative field for many years. Tanis has over 150 published knitting designs, and her work has been featured in many major publications and books. Her website is Tanis Knits.

Disclaimer:  This copy has been sent to me by Sixth & Spring Books for review.   Please note that the  above opinions are my own.