Rutt’s research is not limited to stockings however. Hats, jerseys, jumpers, shawls, gloves, and others all make an appearance - each described with precision. Strangely, my husband was fascinated by the impeccable detail devoted to these little known treasures. Or perhaps, it is not so odd after all. Richard Rutt has devoted much of his life to ferreting out these ancient garments; the fascination with knitting history is clearly felt by both genders. He does not limit himself to the usual suspects when piecing together the history of knitting, but also examines appearances of knitting throughout literature and art, speaking to the plausibility of the descriptions given.
While the vast majority of the hand-knitting history presented originates from the United Kingdom, information for other countries is provided, though these sections are much briefer than those pertaining to the UK. This is understandable - Rutt is an English native. Scandinavian, Continental, South American, African, American, Eastern European, and other knitting traditions are all touched upon, if only briefly. I found some of the most delightful portions to be those dealing with the history of Fair Isle knitting techniques and the history of multi-coloured knitting, but these will vary according to each listener's interests.
The choice of Melissa Hughes as narrator puzzled me initially. Her reading style sounds extremely bookish, like an old-school librarian. Her voice lacked warmth and depth of inflection, her reading sounded somewhat dry and monotone. You can judge for yourself by listening to the sample of A History of Hand Knitting at Interweave Press. I wondered if perhaps Hughes' erudite aridity was appropriate for a history title, though I always find history more palatable when it becomes personal. Then I realized where her strengths lay.
Europeans write many of the historical texts, letters, and books that Rutt quotes from with a heavy emphasis on the British Isles. Hughes is a member of British Equity and records for BBC America Audiobooks. Her accent when reading these sources is dead-on. She delivers a brilliant performance, switching between various accents and creating personas for the authors whose work she reads. Bravo! I found myself laughing from time to time in sheer delight, reveling in her performance. However, the portions where her accent was not called upon did require a fair amount of concentration to stay focused on the book being read. Rutt’s writing is dense, packed full of historical minutiae and detail, demanding focus from the listener. I often listened to the same tracks repeatedly in my attempts to grasp everything that was being conveyed, and was well rewarded for my efforts.
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