Jonelle Raffino said two passions brought their Italian family together -- good food and good yarn.

In remembrance of the family's favorite hobby, the author has written "Purls Forever," a family history, scrapbook and knitting book in one.

In 2001 Raffino and her mother Jonette Beck, both longtime knitters, took the leap from hobby to business when they started South West Trading Company. The business sells environmentally friendly, "green" fiber and yarn, made from tofu, corn and bamboo.

Based in Tempe, Ariz., the company has grown to become a wild success. Besides mother and daughter, Raffino's father, Johnnie Beck and husband, Joe, also work for the company, along with 18 employees.

Raffino and Beck are Napa natives, but Raffino lives in Arizona now.

With an abundance of family stories to share, Raffino decided to write "Purls Forever." Knitting is becoming popular again, and she said she wanted to share her passion for both knitting and family.

"I hope to inspire knitters everywhere and remind them that their work is a gift that lives on and makes a difference," said Raffino.

You don't have to be a knitter to enjoy "Purls Forever." Even non-knitters would enjoy Raffino's detailed stories of her Nona and Nonie, growing up in a family of crafters, and the clothing that became central to their lives.

The book includes numerous short stories accompanied by vintage family photos and memories, and 18 different knitting patterns, including afghans, sweaters, scarves and cardigans.

Family photos include Raffino's Nona (great-grandmother) and Nonie (grandmother) knitting in their Napa homes in years past, as well as her mother and two children.

One chapter featuring a pattern for a cowl collar sweater accompanies a passage about family holiday celebrations.

"We love to celebrate Christmas," wrote Raffino in her book. "The holiday season kicked off in early November when the women gathered to make ravioli. My sister and I had a critical job, we stuffed the ravioli. When the work was done, out came the tape measure and (we) were fitted for all the new things that would be knit for us before Christmas. At the end of the day, Nona, Nonie and Mom would collapse on the couches and knit. They wouldn't finish their marathon knitting until every member of the family had something new for Christmas."

Raffino has maintained the tradition within her own family, now in Arizona. " It's likely to be 70 degrees on Christmas day but everyone will have a new hat or scarf," wrote Raffino.

A shawl knit by an ancestor inspired another chapter and pattern. Raffino's great-great grandmother, Eufemia Elvira Maria Benedetti, was born in Quarazzano, Italy in 1873.

"Knitting was a necessity for a modest family like the Benedetti's," wrote Raffino. "The family made what they could from their own resources. Eufemia knit all of the socks, mittens and sweaters to warm her children during the winter." A pattern for a lacy, open shawl knit by Benedetti is included with photos of the great-great grandmother.

Raffino had to learn the craft like any other beginner. Being left-handed, "knitting didn't always come easy to me," wrote Raffino. At 8 years old, she finally caught on by sitting across from her Nona and Nonie and imitating the two as in a mirror image. "From that day on I took my place with the women of our family, knitting in their circle. Knitting became a passion. It was our bond. Simple strands of yarn became the thread that tied us together."

A story of Raffino's newborn daughter receiving a collection of family knit baby wear inspired the chapter featuring a pattern called "Nonie's Baby Jacket with Hood."

Raffino's mother had knit for months to ensure this baby was greeted with a pile of heirloom treasures.

Other pieces made by her Nona and Nonie for when Raffino was born in 1965 were handed down for the new baby.

"When I pick up my needles, I am inspired by memories of these great ladies and imagine them channeling generations of knitting wisdom into the yarn," writes Raffino.

"Each piece reflected (a) love of family and lifelong passion for knitting.

"My turn for becoming a Nonie will come way too soon, but I look forward to knitting for my own daughters' hope chests."

Raffino said she's most sentimental about knit blankets created by her family.

"I still get teary when I see my old blanket from my Nona. Seeing (my daughter) wrapped up in that old blanket brings me back to some of my favorite times with my family. It's always comforting to me."

If her Nona and Nonie were alive today, Raffino thinks the women would be proud of her book, even if it features the two in 1960s and '70s clothes and hair. "I think they would be all over me about the pictures," she wrote.

"I have often said that they are with us on this journey. It is their influence that led us down this path and continues to inspire us."