New York Times-Bestselling Author, Speaker, and Wool Ambassador
I’ve dedicated my life to exploring the stories behind, and qualities of, all the fibers that we wear on our bodies—and taking my readers along for the journey.
Through my wool advocacy, writings, workshops, books, TV and radio appearances, I’ve championed the notion that we need to pay closer attention to what we put on our bodies and where it comes from.
My Current Work
In September, I started writing a monthly “First Person” column for Modern Daily Knitting. I tell the wool story as it unfolds here in Maine. Here’s the first installment:
Together we’ll learn why it’s crucial that we use wool not only for socks and sweaters, but also in new and innovative ways.
We discuss sheep farming and regenerative practices and climate change; we look at how wool can replace synthetics in a wide range of products from garden compost and insulation, to packaging and bandages.
If there’s a wool connection, we go there.
THE WOOL CHANNEL
I’m an advocate for wool
My deep engagement in wool advocacy grew out of my 15+ years of writing about yarny fibers at Knitter’s Review.
I invite you to browse my archive of in-depth reviews of knitting yarns and tools, as well as tutorials on everything from how to knit socks and lace to how to substitute yarns. Make yourself at home!
THE DAILY RESPITE
A moment of respite before you start your day
Over 7,500 subscribers start their day with a story, an observation, or a revelation
A top 50 culture Substack newsletter
Named one of the 80 Best Single-Operator Newsletters by InsideHook
BOOKS, including a yarn trilogy, memoirs and Vanishing Fleece, an exploration of America’s yarn-making industry
“Through her woolly peregrinations, Parkes has become an unapologetic advocate for wool, a digital Cassandra in Allbirds, tweeting about the loss of this mill or that business, enjoining those of us who love the stuff — and can afford it — to not just consider the ‘food that goes into our bodies’ but also become ‘more mindful of what we put on them,’ because behind every skein of yarn there are dozens of stories.”
“Long before social media cluttered every corner of our existence, Parkes’s conversational 411 about new yarns and interesting pattern designs forged connections among far-flung knitters, who discovered they were a global community rather than lone practitioners of a cozy hobby they’d learned from Mom.”