Stephanie Pearl-McPhee Casts Off

More tongue-in-cheek, laugh-out-loud observations on the world of knitting from the best-selling author and self-proclaimed "Yarn Harlot." Anyone who thinks knitting is for little old ladies hasn't met the Harlot. In her latest book—successor to her previous bestsellers At Knit's End, Knitting Rules!, and Yarn Harlot: The Secret Life of a Knitter—Stephanie Pearl-McPhee journeys deep into the land of those who are obsessed with yarn, needles, and what's on their needles now.

Using a travel guide format, she describes and critiques every aspect of this territory she knows so well: its people (young and old, male and female), familiar phrases ("purl this, darn that"), strange beliefs, currency (skein trading), etiquette, holidays (any sale day at the local yarn shop), and customs. And, while the land of knitting is a mostly peaceful place, it does have its controversies, such as the acrylic vs. natural fibers and circular vs. straight needles debates, which Pearl-McPhee visits with relish and glee.