A history of Britain's long love affair with wool, told through a year of knitting garments from around the British Isles.
Esther Rutter studied English at Oxford University's Magdalen
College, where she held an academic scholarship. She has worked at
the Wordsworth Trust and at the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum, and
is currently Writer in Residence at the University of St Andrews.
Growing up on a sheep farm in Suffolk - where as child she learned
to spin, weave and knit - she retains an affection for all things
woolly. She lives in Fife.
You can follow her knitting adventures on Instagram
@thisgoldenfleece and Twitter @thisgoldfleece.
[Rutter] is a likable guide with a good eye for a story...This is
antiquarianism with a modern twist'
*Guardian*
A compelling literary journey through the social history of wool in
the British Isles
*The Gathering Tide*
This is a book about wool and sheep, the making of Scotland,
England and farming, textile manufacture, folk-lore and, crucially,
the essential craft of knitting. The plying of wool had been a
vital survival skill for over two millennia in Britain before the
Romans showed up (bringing their own sheep with them, just in case)
making this domestic skill a founding piece of 'civilisation'. From
fairy tales to debate regarding national identity, from the year
dot to the tragedy of the Scottish Clearances and beyond, the
history of plain, purl and intarsia is woven together by Esther
Rutter, whose own skill with needles, learned from practical
experience, attests that this ancient craft is nothing less than a
wonder of civilization. Beautifully written too
*This Is Not About Me*
I love the sound of this
*Bookseller*
Esther Rutter unravels the social history and allure of knitting,
from Fair Isle to Cornwall via the Hebrides [...] in her
fascinating book
*Stornoway Gazette*
An engaging and highly informative read
*Knitting Magazine*
A beautifully illustrated book that tells the story of wool in the
British Isles. . . A must for autumn
*Cotswold Life*
[Rutter] is a personable companion. . . [This Golden Fleece has a]
fluent narrative, its pace an easy knit-one, purl-one
*Mail on Sunday*
[Rutter's] stops on her journey round Britain also knit together
the past and the present, the social, historical and the personal,
in an altogether engaging way...It is the mark of a good writer
that they can communicate their own fascination, and maybe even
spread it, and this debut book marks her out as a non-fiction
writer worth following
*Books from Scotland*
You don't have to be a knitter to enjoy this wondrous book,
although as one, I did smile through most of its pages
*BBC Countryfile*
I knew by page 2 that this was the book for me. Esther Rutter
captures the magic of making in literary lyricism that entices you
to read on and on. Tracing the history of knitting, it's patterns
and its sheep-bound provenance, she lures you into her own knitting
adventures to create a book that is both instructive and inspiring.
I loved it
*Clare Hunter*
A heart-warming mix of travel, memoir and social history
*Scottish Field*
This agile book unravels wool's long history across Britain, mixing
memoir, cultural history and crafting. Esther's study thrives on
the localism of sheep, technique and language
*Cumbria Life*
A reflective read with beautiful hand-drawn sketches dotted
throughout to complement the chapters, this book provides a
meditative outlet to escape with
*Simply Knitting*
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