Unraveling: What I Learned About Life While Shearing Sheep, Dyeing Wool, and Making the World’s Ugliest Sweater

Written by Peggy Orenstein

Narrated by Peggy Orenstein

“Orenstein is such a breezy, funny writer, it’s easy to forget she’s an important thinker too.”—People

In this lively, funny memoir, Peggy Orenstein sets out to make a sweater from scratch—shearing, spinning, dyeing wool—and in the process discovers how we find our deepest selves through craft. Orenstein spins a yarn that will appeal to everyone.  

The COVID pandemic propelled many people to change their lives in ways large and small. Some adopted puppies. Others stress-baked. Peggy Orenstein, a lifelong knitter, went just a little further. To keep herself engaged and cope with a series of seismic shifts in family life, she set out to make a garment from the ground up: learning to shear sheep, spin and dye yarn, then knitting herself a sweater.

Orenstein hoped the project would help her process not just wool but her grief over the recent death of her mother and the decline of her dad, the impending departure of her college-bound daughter, and other thorny issues of aging as a woman in a culture that by turns ignores and disdains them. What she didn’t expect was a journey into some of the major issues of our time: climate anxiety, racial justice, women’s rights, the impact of technology, sustainability, and, ultimately, the meaning of home.

With her wry voice, sharp intelligence, and exuberant honesty, Orenstein shares her year-long journey as daughter, wife, mother, writer, and maker—and teaches us all something about creativity and connection. 

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

Unraveling is a memoir that explores Peggy Orenstein's journey into the world of knitting as a way to cope with the pandemic and other personal struggles. Through her exploration of the cultural history of wool dying, carding, and spinning, she provides readers with a deeper understanding of the true meaning of creativity and the importance of pursuing hobbies. This book is a perfect gift for anyone looking for inspiration and insight into the power of DIY projects.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperAudio
• Release date: Jan 24, 2023
• ISBN: 9780063081758

Peggy Orenstein

Peggy Orenstein is the New York Times bestselling author of Boys & Sex, Don’t Call Me Princess, Girls & Sex, Cinderella Ate My Daughter, Waiting for Daisy, Flux, and Schoolgirls. A frequent contributor to the New York Times, she has written for the Washington Post, The Atlantic, Afar, The New Yorker, and other publications, and has contributed commentary to NPR’s All Things Considered and PBS NewsHour. She lives in Northern California.

Reviews for Unraveling

[Deb Krsnich · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

While I learned many interesting things about the entire process and in an entertaining enough manner, I had to slog through the author's liberal personal tangents to get there. Those were unnecessary to the story.

[April Schmick · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I quite enjoyed this story that was about much more than procuring your own wool and knitting a sweater. Highly recommend for those that like to learn about micro topics and those that like stories about home, whatever that might look like for you.

[suzywells · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I was excited to read this book because my dad was a sheepherder & there were some interesting life lessons but at times too technical for me!!

[Nancy Donald · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

She is brilliant, wise, funny and speaks the truth a