Santa Rosa
Saturday October 04th 2008, 11:38 pm
Filed under: "Wrapped in Comfort",Friends,Knit

I kinneared Jasmin

No-Blog-Rachel

Thank you so much to everybody for all your support and kind words.  They will be monitoring Michelle’s counts carefully; she’s doing fine.  And Richard feels good about how he did on that test.

We went!  Gigi and Jasmin aka The Knitmore Girls and No-Blog-Rachel and I carpooled up to Santa Rosa to see Stephanie. We left early and came home late and had a blast.

Tiny Tyrant

Stephanie holding my book

Stephanie gave her talk; the bookstore sat me where I could lipread, which was wonderful, but I’m afraid I still missed far too much.  But what I did hear was thoughtful, inspiring, insightful, and very, very funny.  I love that one of our own got Barack Obama to hold her sock on her needles.

Stephanie announced it was time now to sign books–and then instead, came around the table and first threw her arms around me.  Then she turned back around the table again to her seat and started, pre-boarders first.  We hung back and visited.  When it was my turn, she asked me to grab my book for her picture to be taken with, and I went for hers while my friends went, No, she means yours, silly!  I’m not convinced, but either way, look what picture I got!  I had to crop it way down to get WordPress to take it.  Hmm.  Given a choice between slicing her off at the forehead or slicing my book, um, yeah, I don’t think that would be the help with her hair she was talking about.

Laura came!  She told me she always keeps spare needles and yarn at the hospital where she works, just because, well, you never know, right?  (I see every knitter reading this nodding yes.)  She’d recently had a patient who’d been brought in under emergency circumstances, no chance to pack, whom she was talking to–and…

…Hang on a second.  Stephanie, in her talk, mentioned the satisfaction of knitting a particularly nice pair of socks while at the same time knowing that most of it was going to spend its life unseen inside some shoes.  I’ve got an answer to that: Laura’s patient saw a flash of color as Laura was leaving the room, and called out after her, hoping Laura would hear. She did.

Laura in AlamedaOnly another knitter would have instantly realized that those were handknit socks.  Only another knitter would have realized that that means either Laura was a knitter, or Laura was dear enough to a knitter for that level of effort and that if so, that knitter also knew Laura would appreciate them.  (Laura had made them.)  Only another knitter, or perhaps someone deemed worthy to be knitted for, would get how dire the patient’s need was.  Yarn!  Oh, please, anything, do you have any?  Laura ran down the hall and got her size 7s and some Encore and gave her patient a promise of more in that dyelot as needed.

Now that’s my kind of medical insurance.

(Hey, Jasmin–I wasn’t really kinnearing you. I was just being a klutz as I turned off the camera, and guffawed when I saw the result.)


15 Comments so far
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I am glad you had a great time. Yey for Laura, I hope if I am ever in hospital there is an angel with needles and wool to help me out.

Comment by Vicki 10.05.08 @ 12:44 am

Glad you were able to make it to see Stephanie this time.

Comment by Amanda 10.05.08 @ 4:34 am

What a happy, happy post! I’m all smiles after reading!

Comment by LynnM 10.05.08 @ 5:10 am

What a joyful way to wrap up a tumultuous week!

Comment by Barbara-Kay 10.05.08 @ 6:06 am

I’m a bit behind; glad your daughter is doing okay and had her brother nearby to help her out. And I bet he didn’t need the extra day of studying right before the test, anyway. He probably did better for having his brain focused on something else for a while.

Yep, I grab my knitting on the way to the hospital, too. Even if I can’t manage it–last month, the shot they gave me to stop contractions left me too shaky to knit–it’s comforting to know it’s there.

Comment by amy 10.05.08 @ 6:33 am

I am completely in love with the shot of Stephanie holding Wrapped in Comfort.

Comment by RobinM 10.05.08 @ 7:21 am

What a fun day – I had the best time hanging out with you! And this morning I kind of feel like that picture of Jasmin (I need more coffee…).

Comment by no-blog-rachel 10.05.08 @ 9:01 am

Alison, glad you had a great day and that Michelle is doing OK! Looking at the photo of Stephanie with your book in front of her, doesn’t that look like it would make a GREAT t-shirt to wear? I mean, it would be like wearing a hug all day long!!!! How fun!
Hugs, Nancy

Comment by Nancy 10.05.08 @ 9:45 am

I would have loved to be in the same room with you and Stephanie. I did go to her book signing when she came to Lexington. You never know when a knitting emergency will happen. Knitters are lucky she works at that hospital.

Comment by sonya 10.05.08 @ 9:53 am

That sounds like exactly the day you needed after the week you’ve had. I was at Stephanie’s signing up there last year (my tenure present to myself), and I so wish I could’ve gone again.

Comment by Jocelyn 10.05.08 @ 3:23 pm

Now THAT is special. A nurse with spare needles and yarn. Sigh.

Glad you got to do some lip-reading!

Comment by Channon 10.06.08 @ 5:57 am

I think “upside-down” may be my best angle. 🙂

Comment by Jasmin 10.06.08 @ 10:29 am

You must know this already, but you are MUCH more attractive than the picture on Steph’s blog.

Comment by Lilly 10.07.08 @ 9:33 am

LOL I have emergency projects just for unexpected knitting needs of my own. I can grab the bag and go :-}

Comment by Diana Troldahl 10.07.08 @ 12:43 pm

Hi, I was enjoying your blog and thought I’d share that I am opening a yarn shop in Santa Rosa. You sound like a professional knitter I’m sure you have great advice or ideas for me! I will be looking for knitters to lead classes, if you are interested or know anyone who is please let me know! I have a survey on my blog take a look if you want. Hopefully opening by December 1st!

Comment by Justine 10.09.08 @ 7:44 am



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