I loved UNRAVELING by Peggy Orenstein. It is her story of "What I Learned About Life While Shearing Sheep, Dyeing Wool, and Making the World's Ugliest Sweater," but really it is filled with observations about coping with the pandemic and about the importance of being open and curious about new experiences. I found this book to be a source of solace and I spun the reading over a few weeks, learning about shearing, dye making, and knitting. Those relatively ancient skills somehow reinforced the idea that modern day readers would also manage to cope and they could begin with some deep breaths and a slower pace. I thoroughly enjoyed turning to Orenstein's antics at the end of each day and found her wordplay entertaining, too: "We hang by threads, we lose the thread, we pick up the thread, we thread through crowds ....Textile analogies loom large in our lives." It is clear she researched extensively and UNRAVELING includes a 3 page selected bibliography. Orenstein herself commented, "What I didn't expect was all I'd discover about how clothing has shaped civilization, class, culture, power, or its pivotal role in our environmental future." Readers, too, will learn much. Highly recommended.

When the pandemic shut down bestselling author Peggy Orenstein’s speaking engagements, she searched for a new challenge to help her cope with an onslaught of personal and global changes. A lifelong knitter, Orenstein decided to participate in every step of yarn production — from shearing to dyeing — and make something from the final product. The resulting memoir recounts her fascinating journey and unveils the surprisingly complex world of wool. Unraveling is a lively, funny and self-deprecating read. Take Mary Roach's hands on approach with a thoughtful take on craft and you've got this book.

At the start of the pandemic, the author looked to her lifelong hobby of knitting for comfort -- but she had some bigger ideas -- she'd always wanted to get closer to the process of making clothing, which meant shearing a sheep, processing the fleece, spinning the yarn, dyeing the yarn, and creating her own original design before actually doing the knitting. She has a lot more time on her hands, so she decides to go for it. It's quite an adventure -- who knew how challenging it was to shear a sheep? The pros make it look easy, but it is not! She takes readers step by step through her journey, and along the way, shares fascinating historical facts about sheep, wool, the clothing industry and more. As she tells readers, she knew she'd learn a lot about herself (and process some of the challenging things going on in her personal life), but didn't realize how closely tied the clothing industry is to our climate, environment, culture, and even social justice. Knitters and crafters will love this, but the appeal goes far beyond, because this is just such a well-written, engaging memoir. I look forward to recommending it.

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.