A book I have on hand, “Weekend Knitting,” edited by Melanie Falick, has two pages devoted to “A Good Read: Knitting in Literature,” Among the literary knitters given mention are the infamous Madame Defarge of “Tale of Two Cities” to Mrs. Weasley of the “Harry Potter” series.
Among those NOT recognized are Nora Bonesteel of Sharyn McCrumb’s “Ballad” series. (Ms. McCrumb kindly gave me permission to use the top image.) Nora Bonesteel is a reclusive (though not antisocial) woman who lives in a cabin at the top of a mountain in the Great Smokies (probably North Carolina although it could be Tennessee). Although she tends to keep to herself, avoiding local gossip and such mundane matters, she knits a great deal. In one of her books (I forget which one), one of the women at the church Nora attends tells her of an impending birth and a baby shower planned for the expectant mother. Instead of knitting a baby sweater, Nora knits a sweater sized for a 10-year old. The expectant mother soon receives news that -- tragically -- her child will be stillborn. However -- you guessed it -- an orphaned 10-year old girl is in need of a loving home!
So why am I once more posting a picture of the gloves/scarf I made last year? Some years back I wrote Ms. McCrumb saying that I hoped I would be Nora Bonesteel “when I grew up.” About 3 years ago I had a “love interest” whose favorite color was green. "James” (not his real name) and I parted on good terms, but it looked like we might get back together. With that hope I bought yarn and began to make gloves (no, not necessarily the “Russian Wedding Gloves” as shown). We did not get back together, but something just said, “Make the gloves anyway.” There also turned out to be enough to make a scarf (that was wide enough for a stole).
Last week I ran into a good friend -- I’ll call him “Matt” -- that I hadn’t seen for a while. You guessed it! He’s about to get married to his long-term partner! At one point I inquired, “Gabe” -- also not his real name -- “has large hands, doesn’t he?” I also asked if they both liked green. (They do.) I invited him home and showed him the scarf and the gloves. Matt acknowledged that the gloves would be a good fit for his partner but questioned, “Are you sure you want to give these away?” About this time my daughter came downstairs. I asked her, “Don’t you think Matt and his partner are more deserving than James?” She emphatically concurred, “Absolutely!” The matter was settled.