Celebrate Read a Book Day with One of These Yarn-Filled Novels

September 6 is Read a Book Day, and to celebrate that, we’ve compiled a list of novels that feature yarn crafts. You may have already heard of books like Friday Night Knitting Club (which was also a movie) or Knit One, Kill Two, but there are a lot of them out there. Whether you read on paper or a screen, here are ten books, many of which are the first in a series, that feature knitting or crochet.

• Hooked on Murder by Betty Hechtman is a mystery about a bookstore event coordinator, Molly Pink, who discovers the body of the leader of a local crochet group. Because of a tense personal history between the women, Pink becomes a suspect and must catch the real killer to clear her name. This book is the first in the Crochet Mystery series.

• The Beach Street Knitting Society and Yarn Club by Gil McNeil tells the story of Jo Mackenzie, who moves from London to the seaside to take over her grandmother’s yarn shop. As their little town grows more exciting, the members of the shop’s knitting circle rely on each other for support. This is book 1 in the Jo Mackenzie series.

• The Knitting Circle by Ann Hood is a story of recovering from loss. After the passing of her only child, Mary Baxter turns to a local knitting group for support. She learns new techniques as well as new things about love and loss, herself, and her relationships.

• Casting Spells by Barbara Bretton combines yarncraft with witchcraft. In the sleepy town of Sugar Maple, VT, everything looks like your usual New England town, but there’s one difference — it’s full of witches, warlocks, vampires, and sprites. The owner of the local yarn shop faces a unique challenge when she falls for the forbidden — a human. This is the first in the Sugar Maple series.

• Knitting Under the Influence by Claire LaZebnik is as much about coming of age as it is about knitting. As three twentysomethings are suddenly thrust into new and terrifying situations involving love, money, and forgiveness, they have to rely on each other and their weekly knitting group to survive.

• When it Happened by Kathy Gleason tells the story of a teenage girl who loves to crochet. Shortly after losing her father, the girl faces an unwanted pregnancy, and must figure out on her own how to handle her situation.

• Knitting by Anne Barlett is about two women, their love of knitting, and their grief. Sandra and Martha meet by chance, but spark a deep friendship. Both are dealing with their share of loss, and manage to cope to work together on a new project.

• Died in the Wool by Mary Krueger is a mystery set in a knitting shop. Ariadne Evans comes into the store she owns to find one of her customers strangled with handspun yarn. She must work to solve the crime as bizarre patterns and connections unfold. This is the first book in the Knitting Mysteries series.

• The Knitting Circle Rapist Annihilation Squad by Derrick Jensen and Stephanie McMillan is an over-the-top (on purpose) story of knitting and vengeance. When members of a knitting circle realize most of them have been sexually assaulted, and their attackers have never been punished, they take matters into their own hands — and needles. This books is a satire that explores many topics, including violence, feminism, knitting, love, and revenge.

• Last Wool and Testament by Molly MacRae is a mystery involving yarn and ghosts. Kath Rutledge inherited her late grandmother Ivy’s yarn shop, only to discover that there has been a murder and Ivy was the number one suspect. Kath also discovers a ghost who has a vested interest in solving this crime, and must turn to her grandmother’s friends, as well as the spirit, to find the real killer. This is the first book in the Haunted Yarn Shop Mystery series.