"The Knitted Navajo-Churro Bag" on Substack (in two parts) is a glimpse into my time writing a doctoral dissertation on the cultural history of Navajo-Churro sheep and wool. And, of course, I kept my eyes open for knitters and knitting wool!

susanstrawn.substack.com/p/the-knitte...

Two new Substack posts: 1) My life as staff artist at Interweave Press--and 2) a pause from work for travel to Zambia, where I met the sweater knitters. While you read the Zambia story, think about making that trip with no cell phone. Let that sink in . . . .

open.substack.com/pub/susanstr...

My new Substack post, venturing from knitting to embroidery on knitting in a special pair of historical mittens:

susanstrawn.substack.com/p/the-cherry...

My new Substack post, The Knitted Sheep in Jane Austen Country, is live and free to subscribers and anyone else in need of a diverting respite with knitting, a day out in Jane Austen country, and Shaun the knitted sheep.
susanstrawn.substack.com/p/the-knitte...

What to do when you realize the muses have dropped you into the wrong place on earth for you? Well, I took up knitting. My biweekly Substack post--this one about my early education, the Amana Colonies, and knitting--is now available free on Substack.
open.substack.com/pub/susanstr...

The Gray Wool Cardigan
No one suggested a cardigan might be a challenging first knitting project.
No one told me a gauge of seven stitches to the inch would be slow going.
The story is on my new Substack post:
susanstrawn.substack.com/p/the-gray-w...

Remembering all those who knit for the troops during both world wars.

Susan Strawn Meanders . . . through the Knitting World and Beyond is now up and running on Substack!

Every two weeks, I post a story from my lifetime with knitting because, well, knitting has saved my sanity and led me on far-flung ventures.

open.substack.com/pub/susanstr...

New interview!
Why do the stories about the history and culture of knitting matter to me and to other knitters? Anne Merrow, editor of Farm & Fiber Knits (Long Thread Media), interviewed me for a talk on that subject in recent podcast interview.

pieceworkmagazine.com/long-thread-...

Winter sky at Rolling Bay and Manitou Beach and Ferncliff, Bainbridge Island WA--sources of joy (almost) every day.

My story about collecting hand-knitted miniature mittens worldwide (most only an inch long) appears in the Winter 2024 issue of PieceWork, the magazine of needlework and history from Long Thread Media. Here's a link:
pieceworkmagazine.com

By accident, I learned brioche stitch from a reversible slip-stitch ribbing . . . and found my scarf in Freia wool resembles the striations of shells I picked up in Eagle Harbor, Washington.

Here is a basket of my hand-knitted socks. Sock knitting was comfort food during 15 years of studies and university teaching. And, besides, I could not resist sock yarn.