This Golden Fleece

By Esther Rutter

This Golden Fleece is a wonderful example of how utterly fascinating niche non-fiction can be. An engaging, cosy trip through the history of knitting in Britain. Rutter frames the book around a journey to places famous for their knitting, but thankfully (given the proliferation of journey-centred books) her writing and chapter structure is varied. The sociological and cultural impact of knitting and Rutter's insight into the craft is captivating. The book is well-researched, and goes beyond charting the history of knitting to introducing the reader to towns and cities as well as individual knitters. I loved this book.