The Friday Night Knitting Club, Knit Two

Earlier this year a friend of mine loaned me The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs as she knows I like to knit. In fact, I am obsessive about knitting, just ask my friends and family) I took it with me on our family summer vacation and read it in only a few days, between sightseeing and beach-going. It was hard for me to put down. I got very invested in the characters and their lives and the ending held something I never saw coming.

As well as the story being about a knitting shop, throughout the book were references to knitting added in by the author, a feature that delighted me. To me, the theme of this book was "beginnings"; each of these very different women with their own separate stories trying to forge their way ahead in the world and, hopefully leave their mark. I thought about them for the remainder of my trip.

Then lo and behold, I was notified of a sequel, Knit Two (just released on November 25th). How thrilled was I? I could reconnect with these wonderful women and see where they went from where we left off.

Five years later, the women of the Friday Night Knitting Club are struggling with a profound loss as they still seek to etch out their place in the world. Without aggravating repetition, the book is written so that you can catch up quite easily and not have to refer back to the first novel. This story is beautifully written in a style that is so easy to follow and I was once again captured by these wonderful people. This book carries a new theme, "letting go". Letting go of old hurts, ideals, lifestyles and relationships; letting go of fears, memories, love. I found myself examining my own life and seeing where things could change, for the better. Is there something I can let go of?

Both of these books made me cry. There. I said it. I cry over books. Was it good or bad crying? I will not say. You have to go and get yourself a copy of each of these books because they belong in your collection. Or, since the holiday season is upon us, perhaps there is someone in your life that would enjoy two very well written books, knitter or otherwise. Please see the above li9nks to get more information about either book, and the author.

I was honoured to have been able to read both of them.