Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
5/5
Audiobook4 hours
The Curse of the Boyfriend Sweater: Essays on Crafting
Written by Alanna Okun
Narrated by Alanna Okun
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5/5
()
About this audiobook
"Okun's narration, lightly poignant and occasionally tongue-in-cheek, enhances her witty writing style...Listeners need not be knitters or crafters to relish Okun's delightful, self-deprecating stories." — AudioFile Magazine
BuzzFeed: The 33 Most Exciting New Books of 2018
This program is read by the author
The Curse of the Boyfriend Sweater is journalist Alanna Okun's cozy audiobook memoir about life truths learned through crafting.
People who craft know things. They know how to transform piles of yarn into sweaters and scarves. They know that some items, like woolen bikini tops, are better left unknit. They know that making a hat for a newborn baby isn’t just about crafting something small but appreciating the beginnings of life, which sometimes helps make peace with the endings. They know that if you knit your boyfriend a sweater, your relationship will most likely be over before the last stitch.
Alanna Okun knows that crafting keeps her anxiety at bay. She knows that no one will ever be as good a knitting teacher as her beloved grandmother. And she knows that even when we can’t control anything else, we can at least control the sticks, string, and fabric right in front of us.
In The Curse of the Boyfriend Sweater Okun lays herself bare and takes listeners into the parts of themselves they often keep hidden. Yet at the same time she finds humor in the daily indignities all crafters must face (like when you catch the dreaded Second Sock Syndrome and can’t possibly finish the second in a pair).
Alanna Okun's newest audiobook will speak to anyone who has ever said to themselves, or to everyone within earshot, “I made that.”
Author
Alanna Okun
ALANNA OKUN is a writer, editor, and crafter. She's currently a senior editor at Racked, and has written for publications such as BuzzFeed, Brooklyn Magazine, and The Hairpin, and appeared on the Today Show, Good Morning America, NPR, and many other local and national television and radio programs. Alanna lives in Brooklyn with her pet snail and a lot of yarn.
Related to The Curse of the Boyfriend Sweater
Related audiobooks
At Knit's End: Meditations for Women Who Knit Too Much Stephanie Pearl-McPhee Casts Off: The Yarn Harlot's Guide to the Land of Knitting Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Clothes Make the Girl (Look Fat)?: Adventures and Agonies in Fashion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Craftsman's Legacy: Why Working with Our Hands Gives Us Meaning Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Sitting Pretty: The View from My Ordinary, Resilient, Disabled Body Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Year of No Clutter: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Vanishing Fleece: Adventures in American Wool Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fibershed: Growing a Movement of Farmers, Fashion Activists, and Makers for a New Textile Economy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Lost Flock: Rare Wool, Wild Isles and One Woman’s Journey to Save Scotland’s Original Sheep Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Life in Stitches: Knitting My Way Through Love, Loss, and Laughter - Tenth Anniversary Edition Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Craftfulness: Mend Yourself by Making Things Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Women's Work: The First 20,000 Years: Women, Cloth, and Society in Early Times Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Chicks with Sticks (Knit two together) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThreads of Life: A History of the World Through the Eye of a Needle Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Invention: The Sewing Machine Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Sewing Machine Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Chicks with Sticks (It's a purl thing) Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Secondhand: Travels in the New Global Garage Sale Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Common Threads: Weaving Community through Collaborative Eco-Art Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Material: Making and the Art of Transformation Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Weird in a World That's Not: A Career Guide for Misfits, F*ckups, and Failures Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Make Trouble: Standing Up, Speaking Out, and Finding the Courage to Lead--My Life Story Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Wrong Way to Save Your Life: Essays Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Handmade: Creative Focus in the Age of Distraction Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Craeft: An Inquiry Into the Origins and True Meaning of Traditional Crafts Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Crewel and Unusual: A Haunted Yarn Shop Mystery Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Geek Feminist Revolution: Essays on Subversion, Tactical Profanity, and the Power of the Media Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Personal Memoirs For You
While Time Remains: A North Korean Girl's Search for Freedom in America Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I'm Glad My Mom Died Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Finding Me: A Memoir Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Year of Magical Thinking Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Roxane Gay & Everand Originals: My Year of Psychedelics: Lessons on Better Living Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Good Girls Don't Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Son of Hamas: A Gripping Account of Terror, Betrayal, Political Intrigue, and Unthinkable Choices Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How to Stay Married Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Woman in Me Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Night: New translation by Marion Wiesel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5See You on the Way Down: Catch You on the Way Back Up! Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Counting the Cost Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Billion Years: My Escape From a Life in the Highest Ranks of Scientology Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Pageboy: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Glass Castle: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Becoming Free Indeed: My Story of Disentangling Faith from Fear Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Angela's Ashes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Stolen Life: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Choice: Escaping the Past and Embracing the Possible Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Beyond Belief: My Secret Life Inside Scientology and My Harrowing Escape Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Making It So: A Memoir Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Roxane Gay & Everand Originals: Built for This: The Quiet Strength of Powerlifting Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Writing into the Wound: Understanding trauma, truth, and language Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5You Could Make This Place Beautiful: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Love, Pamela: A Memoir of Prose, Poetry, and Truth Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Enough Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dad at Peace Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Related podcast episodes
Alterknit Stitch Dictionary by Andrea Rangel: Alterknit Stitch Dictionary by Andrea Rangel 0% found this document usefulA History of Pockets, an interview with Dr. Ariane Fennetaux, part 1 0% found this document usefulAja Barber - Catalysing Ethical Fashion Change 0% found this document useful#18 - Mary Jane Mucklestone - on Fair Isle Knitting and knit and travel 0% found this document usefulEp. 247 True Biz by Sara Nović -- The Stacks Book Club (Greta Johnsen) 0% found this document usefulLove at first knit: Two knitting enthusiasts unravel the social and cultural history of the craft. 100% found this document usefulThe Secret Life of Second-Hand Clothes: Where do your old clothes really go? 0% found this document usefulCarson Demers and Knitting Comfortably: Carson Demers and Knitting Comfortably 0% found this document usefulA History of Pockets, an interview with Dr. Ariane Fennetaux, part 2 0% found this document usefulSlow Living With Crochet: Yes, you can crochet a sweater! 0% found this document usefulThe Art of Frugal Hedonism with Annie Raser-Rowland 100% found this document usefulConsumed: The Need for Collective Change, an interview with Aja Barber, part 1 0% found this document usefulEpisode 1: Jon Ronson is disturbed to discover a fake Twitter account posting as himself. 0% found this document useful12. Shaking it Up 0% found this document useful
Related articles
The Knitter Loves … The KnitterArticle
The Knitter Loves …
Nov 11, 2021
4 min readBig Cat Cardigan The KnitterArticle
Big Cat Cardigan
Jun 8, 2023
7 min readDemeter The KnitterArticle
Demeter
Jul 22, 2021
5 min readMerry And Bright Mollie MakesArticle
Merry And Bright
Oct 5, 2021
6 min readMake A Point Simply CrochetArticle
Make A Point
Jul 11, 2023
5 min readNewfoundland Trigger Mittens Capper's FarmerArticle
Newfoundland Trigger Mittens
Jan 3, 2020
7 min readTop Of The World Simply CrochetArticle
Top Of The World
Oct 7, 2021
4 min readThe Knitter Loves The KnitterArticle
The Knitter Loves
Jun 25, 2020
Sophisticated, dreamy garments showcased in black and white fill the pages of Kim Hargreaves’ new pattern book, Ravish. Silhouettes are decidedly contemporary throughout the collection, and include ‘Effi’, a square-necked jumper which uses textured p
4 min readThe Knitter Loves… The KnitterArticle
The Knitter Loves…
Sep 17, 2020
6 min readSleepless Night The KnitterArticle
Sleepless Night
Nov 11, 2021
5 min readCreative Differences Simply CrochetArticle
Creative Differences
Jan 24, 2023
4 min readHeaven On Earth Simply CrochetArticle
Heaven On Earth
Jan 24, 2023
16 min readMemory Lane Simply CrochetArticle
Memory Lane
May 16, 2023
2 min readFalling Leaves Afghan Crochet MagazineArticle
Falling Leaves Afghan
May 31, 2022
2 min readSeraph The KnitterArticle
Seraph
Nov 11, 2021
5 min readCotton T-shirt Creative KnittingArticle
Cotton T-shirt
Aug 23, 2018
2 min readRhythm Of The Needles Australian KnittingArticle
Rhythm Of The Needles
Jul 19, 2018
4 min readBirds Of Paradise Simply CrochetArticle
Birds Of Paradise
Apr 19, 2022
5 min readCozy Textured Afghan Crochet MagazineArticle
Cozy Textured Afghan
May 31, 2022
3 min readCrochet Weather Mollie MakesArticle
Crochet Weather
Oct 5, 2021
4 min readMollie Loves Mollie MakesArticle
Mollie Loves
Dec 28, 2021
2 min readWeaving Is How I Ground Myself, And Make Something Beautiful At The Same Time NPRArticle
Weaving Is How I Ground Myself, And Make Something Beautiful At The Same Time
Mar 6, 2023
3 min readWorn With Love Harper's Bazaar IndiaArticle
Worn With Love
Nov 6, 2019
15 min readGetting to know … RENEÉ THERESE ETTIA Australian HomespunArticle
Getting to know … RENEÉ THERESE ETTIA
Oct 3, 2018
Where do you live and work? I live in a pretty little historic town called Camden, in NSW. Although, Hubby and I have only been here for a few years, we’ve never felt more at home. I don’t think we could live anywhere else in the whole world. My work
3 min readDesigner Notes Primitive Quilts and Projects MagazineArticle
Designer Notes
Oct 4, 2017
To give you a glance into the creative minds of this issue’s project designers, we asked them a design-related question (above). Is there a question you would like to ask our designers? Send it to judy@primitivequiltsandprojects.com and it may appear
6 min readLove Plus Comfort, With Batting In Between The Christian Science MonitorArticle
Love Plus Comfort, With Batting In Between
Nov 11, 2020
How better to celebrate a baby than with a quilt? Especially when it’s a quilt with a themed pattern.
2 min readRich Tapestry Of Life Simply CrochetArticle
Rich Tapestry Of Life
Nov 19, 2020
3 min readThe Writer’s 2022 Short Story Contest — Third Place Doneness The WriterArticle
The Writer’s 2022 Short Story Contest — Third Place Doneness
Jun 24, 2023
6 min readTake The Leap Love Patchwork & QuiltingArticle
Take The Leap
Sep 2, 2020
3 min read‘All I Managed To Make Was A Doll-sized Hat’ Woman's WeeklyArticle
‘All I Managed To Make Was A Doll-sized Hat’
Dec 20, 2023
2 min read
Reviews for The Curse of the Boyfriend Sweater
Rating: 4.37037037037037 out of 5 stars
4.5/5
27 ratings1 review
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I wasn't sure if this book was for me, a non-knitting crafter, from a much different generation, but I loved it! She talks about struggles with mental health, family dynamics, friendships and dating with humor and honesty. It's worth reading!