The review…
This is another book I read and read again. I know the ending, but I think it may go a different direction. Now, that I’m more of a knitter than when I first read this, it creates even more of the feels! My daughter read this book first, before she had kids, so that means it’s probably close to 20 years old (the actual book, not the publication date). It’s one of those books I read when I want to just relax and not think too hard. That makes it sound like it’s all fluff (kinda like the cover), but it isn’t. But, I digress.
The book review…
This book could probably be categorized as chick lit, but I think there’s more to it than that. There are two, maybe three, main characters in this book. Each one is different, and yet yarn and knitting weave them together (see what I did there). The primary character is Georgia who moved to New York City to escape her Midwestern roots. She hadn’t planned on opening a yarn shop and really didn’t have the money to do it. That’s when a second main character, Anita, comes in. Anita is an older woman who has always knitted. She knit sweater vests for her husband, Stan, before he died. And, Anita wears Chanel suits and has an apartment in downtown Manhattan so we know quite a bit about her, right? The third main character is Dakota, Georgia’s beautiful biracial daughter who is in her early teens in this book (yes, there’s a sequel). She bakes goodies for the club on Friday nights. Many times, they are experiments, but they’re always good ones! They all work together to create this warm, wonderful world of knitting.
The characters…
The book centers around a diverse group of women who come together at Georgia’s yarn shop, Walker & Daughter. Georgia didn’t intend to form a knitting club, but, as these things do, it formed rather organically. We meet Peri, who helps run the shop, K.C., Lucie, and Darwin. There are additional women who come and go on Friday nights, but we don’t get to meet them in the same way. Then, there’s Marty who runs the deli on the first floor of the building where Walker & Daughter is located. Marty’s a good guy…you’ll soon learn why.
The structure…
Every once in a while, there’s a page about creating something with yarn. I love that part because I can really relate to it. The book also has a few recipes because Dakota wants to be a baker when she grows up. This isn’t a dual timeline book, but we do, eventually, learn Georgia’s backstory. We learn about Dakota’s dad and why he’s not in the picture. We also learn about Cat, Georgia’s ex-best friend. Of course, she turns up in the book and has her own story line. Marty is Georgia’s landlord, but he’s so much more than that. He has an extra special plot line in a couple of ways!
The plot…
OK, without giving too much away, the plot is a little complicated because there are several. There’s Georgia’s plotline which, admittedly, takes up most of the book. Then, there is Anita’s plotline. As you could probably infer, Anita has money and lots of it. Her family is afraid she’s going to be duped out of her money, or they just want to make sure they get their inheritance, or they could be genuinely worried for her. I’ll let you decide. Then, each of the minor characters has their own itty bitty plot lines. Dakota’s plot line begins in this book, but you’ll have to read the sequel, Knit Two. It’s good but not as good as The Friday Night Knitting Club.
The setting…
Most of the book takes place in Georgia’s yarn shop though there are scenes in Marty’s deli as well as Anita’s apartment. Of course, Georgia and Dakota (and Cat who tags along) travel to Scotland to visit Georgia’s gran before she passes. I can’t remember if Dakota had met her before or not. I love that whole section of the book. It really is heartwarming and makes me crave scones and clotted cream!
My opinion…
Well, obviously, I love this book, or I wouldn’t keep reading it. I read it on the flight to Ireland a couple of years ago. As I said, I feel a deeper connection to it now that I knit more. There’s also a pattern for Georgia’s afghan. I keep meaning to knit it. Goodness knows I have enough yarn. Maybe, I’ll do that this winter. That seems like a good project.
The outfit…
This is one of the two Farm Rio skirts I purchased at Nordstrom when they were running some kind of bonus points extravaganza…not the NSale, though. There’s a matching top, but I usually like my skirts and tops to not match. So, I used the color wheel to help me out. The color opposite yellow is purple. Now, I know this is not the purple that would be exactly opposite this yellow on the color wheel. But, I thought the lavender was just right. It’s a nice delicate color to go with the delicate embroidery at the bottom of the skirt. Does it have pockets? No, it doesn’t. That wasn’t a deal breaker for me because the skirt is just so gorgeous! Oh, the linen tee is from J Crew. I bought this one and an olive green one.
The Lewk!
I just love these Miz Mooz Farrah blush flats and am so glad I bought them. They’re on sale right now in case you’re interested! I didn’t want too much to compete with my skirt so I wore this Grey Curved Circle necklace and a pair of Assuta Blush earrings from Sylca Designs. You won’t hear this from me very often, but, sometimes, less is more!
Wrap it up, Marsha!
I’m not sure I conveyed the gist of this book very well. My book report skills are a bit rusty! I think almost all of you would like this book so I didn’t want to give away too much of the plot. It’s a charming book that will make you fall in love with the characters. So, can we talk? Do you enjoy books with dual timelines? Did I entice you to read this book? If you knit or crochet, what’s your favorite book about either of those? Please leave me a comment or two, and we can talk. I promise to respond as quickly as I can.
Thank you!
I want to thank all of you from the bottom of my heart for reading, commenting, subscribing or emailing! It truly means so much to me! If you’d like to follow me on Instagram, you can find me here.
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Where you can find me:
Linking up with Nancy’s Fashion Style, Fine-Whatever, Is This Mutton, Shelbee on the Edge, Chez Mireile, Suzy Turner, and Away from the Blue as well as Deb’s World . I also link up with I do deClaire, Mummabstylish, Style Splash and Elegantly Dressed and Stylish as well as the Senior Salon Pit Stop and Slices of Life. Please check out these wonderful ladies and their blogs! I also am a co-host for Ageless Style on the third Thursday of the month and Songful Style on the last Monday of the month as well as the Global Writing Challenge on the second Thursday. I now co-host Fashion Files with Amy at Coffee and Cocktails at the Casa every Tuesday. I co-host Traffic Jam Weekend every Thursday with Melynda, Lisa, Cat, and Rena. I also host 10 on the 10th on the 10th of the month! I do hope you’ll check out all of these blogs and link parties!
Even though I don’t knit, I love the sound of the found family book.
And your skirt is lovely too!
Thank you, Rosie! I didn’t even think about it being a found family book, but that’s exactly what it is! And, thank you for the compliment!
That skirt is simply scrumptious. It’s my favourite colour and just love the cut outs – they’re lovely! I used to knit a lot and had quite a skill for it, but not anymore. But I do love quality wool products. Altogether it’s a great colour combo!
Thank you, Penny! I love that description…scrumptious! I used to shy away from yellow, but I’m embracing it now. Yes, when I see yellow, I almost always think of you! I had to have carpal tunnel release surgery in 2020 because I’d crocheted so much! I’m hoping to knit and crochet for as long as possible!
That is a beautiful outfit and it sounds like a really lovely book. It reminds me of another book about a knitting club… I want to say it was written by Debbie Macomber but I read it so long ago that I can not seem to remember the name.
Thanks, Joanne! It is a wonderful book. I don’t read Debbie Macomber so it could have been.
I used to knit a lot in the old days and I loved yarn shops. Most of them are gone now which is sad. So is my favorite factory outlet (we had two not far from here).
It sounds like a lovely book. You should link up with our monthly party for August when it’s up!
The soft lavendar tone looks beautiful with the skirt.
Thanks, Cat! My elderly friend who re-ignited my love for knitting used to work in the yarn store in our town. But, it closed years before I moved here. I have to order mine online and take a chance on the colors. I’ll definitely link up (if I remember).
That skirt really is so stunning, such a statement maker!
I think I read that book several years ago. I really should keep up with what I read on Goodreads but I don’t!
xo,
Kellyann
Thank you, Kellyann! I couldn’t walk away from it to be honest! They’ve changed Goodreads so it’s harder to navigate, I think. This is one of the few books I actually own. It’s really good if you haven’t read it!
I loved this post! It was so fun how you mixed your fashion in with the review! Comfort books are the best, the books you can just sink into and let your brain just autopilot while reading. I feel like I read this one when it came out!
Thanks, my friend! I think I may just make this a feature because I’m running out of stuff to say! Oh, this is such a comfort book…the exact right term for it. I bet you did because it came out in 2005 or 2007. It’s so good!
First off, that skirt is absolutely fabulous, and I love how you went with a different color to wear with it.
Second I think I have read the book.But it’s been a long time. I’m at the stage now where I can reread a book.Because I don’t remember much about it.And I may have to do that.
Xoox
Jodie
Thanks, Jodie! I was just using color theory! I knew I wanted the skirt to shine, and the matching top (which I think only closed with one button at the back) would take away from that. The books I reread are books I have read several times. There are only a handful of those, though. I’m sure you did read this one. It’s just so good!
What a beautiful skirt Marsha.
I crochet very slowly and sometimes very badly.
I really only crochet in winter for some reason though, for me it’s a comfort craft on the dark, cold and often damp days we can get here in N Yorkshire.
Unfortunately I can’t wear wool so I pick up cotton yarn when I see it.
Thank you, Linda! I crocheted myself right into having to have carpal tunnel release surgery back in 2020. That pain was agonizing! I crochet much faster than I knit, but I love knitting more. I always used acrylic yarns for afghans which were about all I used to crochet. Now, I’m knitting with wool which, luckily, I can wear. It’s hard to find the cotton that you can wear around here. Most of what I can find is the stuff you use for dishcloths.
Marsha, this outfit is spectacular! I absolutely adore the skirt and the purple and yellow combination is so fun! I wish I could get back into reading books. I used to keep a log of every book I read and at one point in time I was reading around 150-200 books a year. I ALWAYS had my face in a book. These days, if I pick up a book to read, it can take me an entire year to finish it…if I finish it at all. I don’t know why, when, or how I lost my passion for book reading. I think it happened when I had my kids and then started blogging. I read and write online so much that I don’t want to read other stuff. But I make sure to do my daily brain exercises with crossword puzzles. I LOVE crossword puzzles!
Shelbee
Thanks, my friend! I honestly rely on the color wheel whenever I’m in doubt! I think blogging may be the culprit for me, too. It seems like I’m constantly reading or writing these days. That doesn’t count the writing I do for my church, either. I haven’t done a crossword puzzle in forever. I get so frustrated with them when I can’t immediately come up with the answer which is the whole point, right?
Thanks for sharing this book. I love this look! The skirt is gorgeous!
https://www.kathrineeldridge.com
Thank you so much, Kathrine! I was really glad the lavender worked so well with the skirt. It’s going to get a lot of use! I hope you’ll have a chance to read the book sometime!
Another beautiful outfit, Marsha. I love flowy skirts like that one. The Yarn Club sounds like a book I would enjoy…even though I don’t knit…so I’ll add it to my list. Thanks!
Thanks so much, Christie! I fell in love with this skirt and just knew I couldn’t walk away from it! I didn’t really knit the first time I read it, either, so I think you’ll still like it!
I like your outfit 👍
I’m a knitter, so I may find the read interesting in that aspect: thanks for sharing your review.
Have a funtastic weekend!
Thank you, Valeria! Oh, I think you will really like this book because there’s lots of knitting talk. There’s even a pattern for an afghan all the women of the knitting club work on. I hope your weekend is wonderful!
Oh, I love that skirt! And the lavendar and yellow go so well together! Very pretty.
Thank you, Gina! I was so glad I had that lavender tee because it was just the perfect top!
What a beautiful skirt. And the book sounds interesting! I don’t typically re-read books, but when I do, it’s because I know it’s going good. Glad you continue to get joy out of this one.
Thank you, Lisa! I’m not a re-reader, either, unless the book is very special. I really love the skirt, too!
Marsha, this sounds like such a cozy read! I love books that become even more meaningful the second (or third!) time around, especially when you’ve picked up a new hobby that helps you connect with the story. The knitting club and bakery treats sound like the perfect combination, and now you’ve made me want scones with clotted cream too! Your skirt is gorgeous, too!
Thank you, Laura! It is definitely a cozy read, especially with scones and clotted cream (not that I had any). I honestly don’t know how many times I’ve read this book, but it’s like a new book every time I’ve read it. I love the skirt, too!
Hi, Marsha! Lavender and yellow are beautiful summer colors. And you look gorgeous wearing them!
Have a fun week.
All the best.
Debra @ Life Captured
Thanks, Debra! I don’t know that I’ve ever combined the two colors. But, I knew they were opposite each other on the color wheel so they would go! I hope you have a wonderful week!
Hi, Marsha – I enjoy seeing your outfits. This skirt is beautiful and looks nice and cool with the cutouts — beautiful colors too! My coloring is low to medium contrast, so I would probably stick to similar colors rather than contrasting colors. What comes to my mind is creams and tans, like your shoes. I think the lavender goes with your preferred hair coloring, am I right? So you may like that near your face. Lots of topics here! Thanks – Angie, http://www.yourtrueselfblog.com
Thanks, Angie! I don’t know what my coloring is! That’s really bad, isn’t it? But, I can always wear deep colors and a few pastels. I’m glad you enjoyed the post!
I might have to see if my library has the book!
I love this skirt of yours: it is very pretty and I am really loving my maxis lately. Using the color wheel to create new combos from my closet is always fun and I have done lavender and yellow at least once on the blog. It is a pretty combo!
http://www.chezmireillefashiontravelmom.com
Thank you, Mireille! It’s a wonderful book. I wonder if you couldn’t even find it at a used bookstore as it’s over 20 years old. I have always used the color wheel because I’d get stuck and not know what direction to go. It was an easy fix!
That knitting book sounds like a hug, I don’t knit but I crochet a little bit and I appreciate books that involve crafts in them. Makes me want to go to a crafting club. Your yellow skirt is glorious, my goodness!! 🤩
Thanks, Veros! I crochet, too! I’m in the middle of two crochet projects. One is a granny square cardigan that I just need to figure out how I’m going to lay out! I re-learned how to knit in a little crafting club, but the wonderful woman running it moved to the West Coast to live with one of her daughters. Thanks for the compliment on the skirt…I just love it!