Barbara Albright's The Natural Knitter: How to Choose, Use, and Knit Natural Fibers from Alpaca to Yak provides a good overview of the wonderful world of natural fibers, including those that come from animals and those -- like cotton, flax and hemp -- that come from plants.
If you've ever wondered what it would be like to knit with vicuna (or if you've only wondered what a vicuna is), this book will give you some idea of the characteristics of different fibers (vicuna, for instance, is softer than cashmere and very insulating) as well as offering projects you might use for some of these fibers.
A Master's in Fiber
The Natural Knitter not only gives knitters insights into the different qualities of particular fibers, it also provides information about the animals and plants that provide the yarn.
You'll learn, for instance, that llamas are good at keeping predators away from sheep, as well as providing a luxurious fiber. Flax is environmentally friendly because it doesn't need a lot of fertilizer, and the plants that linen comes from are actually different from the ones that provide flax seeds, which are a good vegetarian source of Omega-3 fatty acids.
Maybe you didn't want to know this information, but I think it would be wonderful, the next time I'm knitting in public with angora, to be able to say to someone "Did you know it's possible to spin yarn directly from the rabbit right onto the spinning wheel?" or "Did you know that angora comes from bunnies and angora goats produce mohair?" (you probably already knew that one, but still).
All of this information provides another level of the knitter's education, helping us get to know the fibers we use as more than just a soft skein.
The book also provides a good source of knitterly envy when Albright writes about knitting with such still relatively rare gems as bison, guanaco and even yarn made from pineapples!
Patterns
In addition to all the great information about the yarns themselves and where they came from, there are also 23 patterns that incorporate some of the different fibers, helping you understand how you can use these fibers to their best advantage.
There are several patterns using wool, including a meditation mat and four sweaters (one for men and one for kids). There's a sweater and hat made with a llama/wool blend, a men's sweater with an alpaca/wool blend, a mohair/wool ruffled scarf and a fascinating cashmere blend sweater with architectural ribs.
You'll also find patterns for a twinset knit in a qiviut/merino/alpaca yarn, a baby sweater with a pocket for a bunny knit of angora, an organic cotton poncho and organic cotton chenille robe, sweaters made of linen and hemp and several other projects.
There's even a project that teaches you how to dye yarn with onion skins, for a really natural look.
The patterns are mostly for intermediate to experienced knitters, and they are all lovely items that show off their particular fiber well. I don't know who could resist the chenille bathrobe or that adorable bunny!
Bottom Line
The Natural Knitter is full of good information about the animals and plants that bring us our yarn. It's not essential reading (though it might be if there were a little more information about the yarns themselves -- how to care for finished items made out of them, for instance); if you don't really care about where your yarn comes from, skip this one.
But it could certainly be argued that we all need to know a little more about where our fiber comes from and how it's made in order to make environmentally responsible choices, in which case every knitter should take a look at this book so they can begin to understand all that goes into making a ball of yarn.
The patterns are lovely, classic styles that most knitters are sure to enjoy, and getting to look at all the cute animals whose fiber we get to enjoy is a lot of fun as well.
Publication Date: March 2007.
