Purls, and Cables, and lace – oh my!

Knit Two Kate Jacobs
320 pages; published 2008

“…over the years the feeling had become more definite  that either Peri would keep things going at Walker and Daughter or it would be time to close up the doors to the yarn shop. The desire to keep everything just as it once had been—to freeze time—remained very strong among the group of friends... [s]temming from some natural fantasy they all shared but never discussed: that everything needed to be kept just so for Georgia. For what? To want to come back? To feel at home? Because making changes to Georgia’s store, without her presence or consultation, would mean things were really final. Wouldn’t it? That all the moments the members of the Friday Night Knitting Club and the family of Georgia Walker had experienced, the good and the bad, had truly happened.”

It has been five years since the events of The Friday Night Knitting Club, five years since Georgia’s death, but the members of the Walker and Daughter knitting club are still going strong. They may not meet every week, and they may not always knit, but they’re still there for each other to depend on, cry with and yell at.

But five years is a long time. Lucy’s hopes for single motherhood aren’t as shiny as they once were, KC is grudgingly spiralling into middle-age, Dawn’s long-sought for pregnancy isn’t as easy (or as supported) as she would have anticipated, Catherine and James are far from dealing with Georgia’s absence and Peri’s guardianship of the store isn’t as rewarding as her own business. And perhaps most jarring of all, Dakota is no longer the eleven year old “muffin girl” mascot of the group - she has her own plans for her future, ones that new father James doesn’t necessarily support, and may even - dare she say it - have nothing at all to do with the store.

I read The Friday Night Knitting Club earlier this year for book club; it was a nice light read that I enjoyed for it’s sense of family, and it’s incorporation of knitting not only as part of the plot, but the structure. I picked up this sequel expecting more of the same, and wasn’t disappointed in this regard. It was a nice continuation of the characters and storylines that had been established in the first novel. The progression and development of characters were as to be expected, but enjoyable (if a little sugary in places) all the same - with Dakota’s coming-of-age in light of her mother’s death being particularly well done, I thought.

Overall it was a ‘nice’ book - which may seem a little unenthusiastic, but it’s the truth all the same. Did I enjoy it? Yes. Did I recommend it to my cousin who had particularly enjoyed the first book? Of course. But would I heartily recommend it? Perhaps not. If you absolutely loved the first and would like to see what happens next, then by all means grab it, you won’t be disappointed. But if you were satisfied with the ending of the first, then perhaps skip over this one. 3/5