What are reviewers saying about 
Knitting the Threads of Time?
Yarn Market News: May 2009
"Newish knitter Nora Murphy could have chronicled the birth of the first sweater she ever knit--a flame-sleeved pullover for her younger son--in blog form: thank goodness she didn't. Her substantial, soulful prose calls for the permanence of print. Using the four-month span during which she knit the sweater as a framing conceit, she links her current pursuit with that of so much folklore. Murphy casts her research net over cultures not typically represented in knitting histories--Hmong, Iraqi, Tlingit, and goddess traditions are cited along with Irish, South American, and various Native American heritages. She even finds her own knitting shaman, Abby Lamberton, owner of St. Paul Minnesota's Borealis Yarns. "We choose freely to make garments," writes Murphy. "Yet by this choice contemporary crafters keep this ancient tradition going, a tradition that reminds us of our primal existence on this precious earth."
Vogue Knitting: Spring/Summer 2009
"Nora Murphy's Knitting the Threads of Time (New World Library, 2009) is the journey of personal discovery of a woman who runs-with-the-wools, as told through indigenous textiles and the knitting of a first sweater.
Booklist
“Each stitch matters” is one sentence from Minnesota author (of the short story collection Twelve Branches, 2003) Murphy's ruminations on personal and historical knitting, and it sums up this comforting book. Whether novice or professional knitter, or simply an admirer of handcrafted textiles, the reader will understand and warm to the included stories: the progression of a project, of the seasons, and, yes, of life. The book begins with her son Evan's request for a sweater and the starts and stops, mishaps and wonders, of knitting a multicolored flame-designed garment. The narrative is interwoven with historical notes, from tales of the Hmong people from Vietnam and their pa ndau embroidery to the various natives of Africa with pieced, stitched, dyed, and appliquéd cloths. Her personal stories also act as the warp of the book, introducing artist friends Betty and Janet, her work as a grant writer, and family activities during holidays-with happy and disappointed moments chronicled. A sweet, unassuming memoir that's quietly inspiring.
Reviewed by Barbara Jacobs
StarTribune
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