Peggy Orenstein
Unraveling: What I learned About Life While Shearing Sheep, Dyeing Wool, and Making the World’s Ugliest Sweater by Peggy Orenstein is part memoir; part an exploration of life during the COVID pandemic; part anxiety over climate change and sustainability; part a meditation on grief, aging, family; and part a reflection on the meaning of home. Orenstein works all of these elements into her journey of making a sweater from scratch.
When the COVID pandemic hit, Orenstein wanted to find solace by making something with her own hands. She had always been a knitter. Because the lockdown brought her book tours to a screeching halt, she decided to take advantage of her free time by learning the steps involved in knitting a sweater, beginning with shearing sheep, through to spinning yarn, dying wool, and knitting a finished product.
Orenstein describes each step in the process with vivid detail. She solicits the help of experts along the way to guide her in performing specific tasks and to educate her on the past and current status of textile production. Included in her journey are segments on the history of textile creation, the various technological developments associated with it, the pivotal role played by women throughout, and the ubiquitous influence textiles has had on history and culture.
Peppered throughout the memoir are anecdotes about Orenstein’s personal background, including her upbringing, education, and marriage. She reflects on her role as a parent and the changes she will have to navigate with her daughter’s upcoming entrance to university. She threads political commentary throughout. And she does it all with humor and informal diction.
Using the process from sheep to sweater as the platform to explore broad social issues and to reflect on her life’s journey, Orenstein’s memoir is entertaining and educational. However, a glaring omission is her failure to acknowledge her quest is predicated on her position of class privilege. She has the means, resources, and the contacts to organize her sheep to sweater enterprise. Most people are not so fortunate.