A Whole World Connected by Yarn

I didn't write about it, because I don't really celebrate it, but a couple of days ago was my birthday. C, being the solid gold boyfriend that he is, gave me the perfect gift (more about it in the near future) and a breakfast of my favorite banana pancakes. I refuse to consider the possibility that anybody in this or any other universe makes banana pancakes as good as his.

I also got a most unexpected gift via the post. James of Fibre Alive sent me a scarf. And such a scarf. As you can see, Boswell was every bit as overcome as I.



This is the first thing anybody has ever knit for me, ever.

But Wait, There's More

The first time the extreme connectedness of the knitblogging community really struck me was just after Marie Irshad's podcast interview with Yvonne Davies. I always enjoy Marie's KnitCast, but I particularly enjoyed listening to Yvonne speaking about running the "Relax and Knit" area at the UK's Knitting and Stitching Show. So I went over to Yvonne's blog to tell her so, and after leaving my comment noticed my blog was already in her blogroll.

Startling, to say the least.

So, what does this have to do with my scarf from James?

Well, if you know James's work you know he has a most unusual way with colo(u)r, and this scarf is no exception. He wrote in his note to me that he remembered I once said that most of my clothes are black (me and Carmel Snow, we have that in common), and that maybe this would brighten me up a bit.

And then he told me that the gold mohair was spun by Ted Myatt, and the green Koigu given to him by Kathy Merrick. That would be Ted Myatt, aka Knitterguy, with whom I am privileged to correspond regularly; and Kathy Merrick, part of the crew I met at Rhinebeck and one of my favorite people on the entire planet.

So I, in Chicago, got a birthday scarf from a New Zealand knitter I've never seen in person, that incorporates yarn from two other knitters I know, only one of whom I've actually met, who live in Canada and Virginia.

After I realized this, it took a good two hours before my eyes uncrossed.

Little Shop of Knitters

Reader Bess asked if I'd mind putting Marge on a shirt, and I don't mind, so I did.

Also, if you want the 2005 Elf Ornament, time's running out. As promised, I'm pulling him from circulation on the 31st of January.

I'm definitely interested in working on a calendar and on stationery. My chief issue right now is that, frankly, I think the prices at Café Press for those items are completely ridiculous. Even if I were to forego any commission on my part, they'd still be expensive. So I'm looking into alternatives.

Etiquette Follow-Up

I had a ball reading everybody's comments about the post on etiquette. In addition to learning that Marilyn was apparently the model for Eloise, I was deeply amused by Mama Lu's description of her very proper grandmother. In fact, I love the comment so much I'm going to quote it so that everybody will be sure to see it:

Franklin, you should have been related to my grandmother (of course you're much too young, she was born in 1875). She said "gel" (with a hard g) for girl and "lahndry" for laundry and could never forgive my mother for the fact that her grandchildren had no manners and talked like Americans (we were Canadian, but no matter).

She never used the telephone for any social purpose; it was for doctors and tradesmen (notes and invitations were sent by post, which was delivered twice a day). And she always dressed for dinner, even during the war, when it consisted of boiled eggs (if you had chickens) or cheese on toast.

I was in awe on the three occasions that I met her, I was told she could be quite funny. She complained that the V2 raids at the end of the war always came when she was in her bath, and she quoted Cardinal Wolsey in Henry VIII: "Had I but served my God with half the zeal I served my king, he would not in mine age have left me naked to mine enemies."

My kind of woman.

The reason manners were so much on my mind yesterday was that in the evening, I had to photograph a work event at which the presenter was none other than Peter Post, great-grandson of Emily.

I got to sit next to him at dinner. We talked about asparagus as finger food, and our collections of etiquette books. He signed my copy of Manners for Men. The great-grandson of an immigrant Pennsylvania coal miner and the great-grandson of the WASP matron nonpareil had dinner together. Now that's democracy in action.

You know, in spite of everything, I do love this country.