Knitting for Radical Self-Care Book Review
I’ve loved Brandi Cheyenne Harper’s style, so I was immediately on board when I heard she was writing a book. I pre-ordered Knitting for Radical Self-Care: A Modern Guide and was so happy when it arrived in the mail last week. First impression is that it’s beautiful to hold and look at, but I have more to say, so keep reading for a quick review. I haven’t had the chance to knit from the book yet, but I have spent some time with it and I’m hoping to give some of the projects a try.
The book has ten patterns and a lot of instruction on knitting techniques, which makes it, I think, a good resource for brand new and adventurous beginner knitters. The images are stunning and the whole book design coalesces to create a comforting and soothing experience. (The back of the book has a note saying that Harper took almost all of the images herself with a 2-second timer on her camera, which I founds super impressive, and made me immediately want to know all about her camera setup.)
Even more than all that, though, the writing about what she means by “radical self-care” and how that relates to knitting are a treasure. I found myself remembering the joyful and revelatory experience of reading Anna Zillboorg’s Knitting for Anarchists when I was a new knitter. Harper’s overall approach to knitting and creativity in general resonated so strongly with me and I’m grateful to get to read about her particular experience as a queer black woman. Her authentic journey is present throughout the book. Here are a couple quotes that struck me in particular.
Finding refuge in my own ability to design the life I want to live is the most powerful tool I have acquired in my liberation. — page 7
Being authentic for me means putting my joy on display, telling a friend I am sad, asking for help, and not pretending I have it all figured out. I hope sharing myself fully empowers you to do the same. — page 11
Throughout the book, Harper pays homage to influential Black women in a way that made me eager to revisit or discover their work. Patterns are inspired by figures like Toni Morrison (Allay Jacket), Octavia Butler (Dawn Cowl), and Sojourner Truth (Sojourn Shawl), and Harper’s reflections on these incredible creators are compelling and thought-provoking. The patterns themselves drew me into the details and I could feel the designer’s joy at playing with shape, lines, directionality and intentional finishing. I’m definitely interested in trying one of those clever cowls.
As a knitter, I adored the Principles section. It’s such a beautiful distillation of the ideas and concepts I treasure about knitting as a creative practice and as metaphor for living everyday life. This is a book that is spacious and generous and uncluttered while holding a whole world of ideas and encouragement to be brave and joyful and creative.
I encourage you to get it from your local yarn or book shop or shop from the publisher’s website (Abrams).
