I have been so blessed with connections made on this ephemeral web we travel. Ysabeau, Marietta, Rhyannon, and others have become an important part of my life, we share problems and solutions, and a sense of support and companionship important to me every day.Through the internet I was also able to help in a small way with a book Deborah Cooke wrote (it's fantastic, BTW, if you love fantasy, you will love her new DRAGONFIRE series, romance reader or not).
As a thank you for the information about Ann Arbor, a city near my home, she sent me a copy of the book, and listed me on the acknowledgment page. I was thrilled and touched.
Another blessing is a daily blog I read by Alison Jeppson Hyde. We started corresponding, and became friendly through her blog, SPIN DYE KNIT, and through our mutual friendship with my sis-in-love, Lynn of Colorjoy.
I was so excited by the book Deborah sent that I totally missed the other surprise inside until she replied to my thank you note, asking if I had found it.
She knit a gorgeous lace scarf from lovely bluey-greeny lace-weight malabrigo... yummmm...
And the pattern? She used a lace pattern from knitty.com called Branching Out (it's also been known as 'apple leaves', and I'm sure other names.)
The thing is that it can also be found in Alison's book, WRAPPED IN COMFORT. It's the first project, 'Nina's Ann Arbor Shawl'. Shiver bumps.
When I wrote to Deborah telling her this, she said I'd given her another knitter to check out, that she didn't know Alison's work yet, but that she soon would :-}
I love how that circle connected.
5 comments:
Oh, look at you in that! You're beautiful!
When Branching Out came out on Knitty, part of me went oh crum, everybody's going to think I copied it; my manuscript was already in. What mine was was an adaptation of Barbara Walker's Leaf Shadows pattern (and I'm sure theirs was too). Which meant, in my case, calling up Barbara Walker (which felt like calling the White House to chat with the President) to ask permission to use her patterns. She was very generous and gracious about it.
With my shawl, the pattern was turned upside down in how the shawl is worn, giving it an arbor effect that reminds me of the bougainvillea that were blooming freely when we moved here. They so captured me: such stunning colors, and in March! We were moving from New Hampshire's grayed-out leftover snow to California in springtime. Wow.
And then since Nina had gone to Ann Arbor, an arbor pattern was just exactly right. Since Nina had welcomed us, complete strangers, into her life on our moving day, somehow pulling all that together--the showiness of the flowers, the arbor pattern, Nina--it all came together for me and I knew I had to knit that stitch for her. The shawl is the color in the book that it is because that's how she wanted hers to be. She's also the only one for whom I didn't make a duplicate shawl so she wouldn't have to wait the eight months to get it back from the publisher: she wanted to own the very one that would be in the book. However long that might take. And so she does.
Diana,
I feel likewise blessed to know you. You are an important part of my life as well. (((hugs)))
You've never had a closeup shot of yourself like that... no wonder Oscar was attracted to you... you are so beautiful!! :)
The book thing is so COOL!
-Marietta
It is a perfect story. I'm quite pleased to be part of your circle.
Hugs,
Lynndy
You look great in the scarf, it is gorgeous! I followed the link, and I read the excerpt from the book, and I've got to get this one as soon as I can, because it looks like a great read. Hugs, Ysabeau
Dear, you remind me that even when life seems to be going to hell in a handbasket, that there is hope. The shawl you knitted me is on my chair in my office and is a daily bright spark. Love and hugs!
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