Softness: A Meditation on Knitting, Jean Oberlander

Softness: A Meditation on Knitting is an intimate exploration of the quiet power of making by hand, tracing how the simple act of looping yarn can bind us to histories, communities, and our own inner lives. Blending personal reflection, cultural commentary, and poetic insight, the book considers knitting as more than craft—seeing it as gesture, ritual, and language.

Through delicate observations and thoughtful writing, it invites readers to slow down and honour the gentle labour of creating warmth and softness in a restless world. At once a celebration and a meditation, it reminds us how knitting can hold memory, care, and quiet resistance in every stitch.

About the author

Jean Oberlander is a writer and maker whose work reflects on the quiet, often overlooked gestures of everyday craft. With a deep interest in how textiles and handwork shape our inner and social worlds, Oberlander weaves personal insight and cultural reflection into essays that honour softness, slowness, and the meaning found in simple materials.

Publication date: 2024
Publisher: Common Threads Press
Pages: 32
ISBN: 9781068625046