Favorite Things Fridays: Yarnfic - Maggie Sefton

Today I will start with my favorite yarny mystery series, the Kelly Flynn Mysteries by Maggie Sefton. I am not much of knitter, but I love these books. She uses such rich descriptions of the colors and textures of the yarns and stitches being used by the characters, which makes it clear that she is a knitter herself.

A friend aptly describes these books as "yarn porn". Each time the main character walks into the yarn store (conveniently across the street from where she's living) she sinks her hands into the bins of yarn and fondles the fibers, describing them with words like tempting, sensuous, luscious, and even seductive.

The main character, Kelly Flynn, is a likable young woman who is still learning to knit but already appreciates the variety of fibers and patterns available. I can also relate to Kelly's love of coffee , as she makes a beeline for the coffee shop attached to the yarn store to get herself going every morning.

Although the series begins with Knit One, Kill Two and the characters and relationships develop through the series, each of the books stand can alone. I discovered this series when my mother gave me the 3rd book, A Deadly Yarn, after she was done with it. I had to go back and find all of the other books at new and used books stores, and am still trying to complete my collection. I think my favorite so far is Dropped Dead Stitch, because I love the idea of a yarn therapy retreat.

With frequent references to crochet, spinning, weaving, and a murder or two involving alpacas, Sefton has not limited her stories to knitting. There are 11 books in the series so far, and I am still working my way through them. I am a slow reader, but I look forward to solving each new yarny mystery!