If you have no interest or investment in an academic exploration of knitting, this book is not for you. I suspect the previous reviewer was more in the market for a "popular history" of knitting, rather than an analysis of knitting as techne.Jo Turney's book, The Culture of Knitting, is an example of an emerging type of academic writing, that builds bridges between Critical Theory and other disciplines. Some call this type of writing, critical journalism, as it involves a reporting-back back from the Academy to audiences outside and/or uneasy within their institutional relationship. This unease is commonly situated around terminology and often takes the form of a suspicion of concepts and (seemingly) arbitrary methodologies. In this sense, Jo Turney's book is not speaking to the converted, but offering - as I see it - a reason for more people to get involved. My understanding of the book's intention is to offer a starting point for enquiry, it does not aspire to be conclusive; it adopts a convivial mode and is inclusively generous with its case studies and examples. As such, inevitably, it will be submitted to the vagaries of a wide range of audiences and diverse expectations, and will probably experience a choppy ride. It is functioning in the market place, after all, not simply within the walls of a secure academic unit or discipline.