The Knitting Diaries: The Twenty-First Wish / Coming Unravelled / Return to Summer Island

Purl next stitch, slide bead up to needle, purl next stitch, continue knitting.

Row 5. Repeat row 3.

Row 6. * Knit 1—purl 2 tog—purl 2 tog, repeat from * to end of row.

Row 7. * Knit 2 tog—purl 1, repeat from * to end of row.

TO BEAD 1—Bring yarn to front of work, slip next stitch as if to purl, place bead next to stitch, bring yarn to back of work, leaving bead sitting in front of slipped stitch.

Row 8. Right side facing; Knit 2—bead 1, to last stitch, knit 1.

Row 9. Purl.

Row 10. Knit 1 * Yarn over (wrap 2 times), knit 2 tog. Continue from * to last stitch, knit 1.

Row 11. Purl 1—Purl into wrap, continue to last stitch, knit 1.

Row 12. Knit.

TO BEAD 1—Bring yarn to back of work, slip next stitch as if to purl, place bead next to needle, bring yarn forward, purl next stitch.

Row 13. Wrong side facing; Purl 1—bead 1, continue to last stitch. Purl 1.

Row 14. Knit.

Row 15. Purl.

Row 16. Knit 2 * bead 1—knit 5, continue from * to last 6 stitches, knit 6.

Rows 17, 19, 21, 23. Purl.

Row 18. Knit.

Row 20. Knit 5—bead 1, to last 3 stitches, knit 3.

Row 22. Knit.

REPEAT ROWS 16–23, until piece measures 4 inches from eyelet.

Knit 1—bead 1, to last stitch. Knit 1. Purl next row.

Knit 2—bead 1, to last 2 stitches. Knit 2. Purl next row.

Knit 1—bead 1, to last stitch. Knit 1. Purl next row.

BASE:

Row 1. Right side facing; Purl. Row 2. Knit.

Row 3. Knit 7—Knit 2 tog, continue to end of row.

Rows 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16: Knit.

Row 5. Knit 6—Knit 2 tog, continue to end of row.

Row 7. Knit 5—Knit 2 tog, continue to end of row.

Row 9. Knit 4—Knit 2 tog, continue to end of row.

Row 11. Knit 3—Knit 2 tog, continue to end of row.

Row 13. Knit 2—Knit 2 tog, continue to end of row.

Row 15. Knit 1—Knit 2 tog, continue to end of row.

Row 17. Knit 2 tog 6 times.

Cut yarn and pull through last 6 stitches.

FINISHING:

Sew up base and side seams.

Knit 2 lengths of I-cord approximately 13 inches long.

Weave I-cord through eyelet. Double pull.

Trim ends of I-cord with 7 of the #06 beads, 1 accent crystal, 1 crystal heart.

Optional: Line bag.

Copyright Sandy Payne 2010.All rights reserved. No portion of this patternmay be photocopied without written permission.

One

April 22

Today I sign the papers on our new house! I’m excited and exhausted and feel completely out of my element. I have so much still to do. I should’ve been finishing up the packing or cleaning the apartment before the movers arrived. But no. Instead, I sat down and began to knit. What was I thinking? Actually, knitting was exactly what I needed to do. Knitting always calms me, and at this point my nerves are frayed. I haven’t moved in years and I’d forgotten how stressful it can be. Usually, I’m organized and in control, but today I’m not (even if I look as though I am). On the inside—and I don’t mind admitting this—I’m a mess.

Mostly, I’m worried about Ellen. My ten-year-old has already had so much upheaval in her life. She feels secure in our tiny apartment. And it is tiny. It was just right for one small dog and me, but I never intended to stay here so long. When I moved into this space above the bookstore it was with the hope—the expectation—that Robert and I would reconcile. But the unthinkable happened and I lost my husband to a heart attack. After his funeral I remained here because making it from one day to the next was all I could deal with.

Then Ellen came into my life and it was obvious that two people and a dog, no matter how small, couldn’t live comfortably in this minuscule space, although we managed for more than a year. I did make an earlier offer on a house but that didn’t work out.

After bouncing from foster home to foster home, Ellen had ended up with her grandmother, who died when she was eight. So Ellen needed stability. She’d endured enough without having a move forced upon her so soon after the adoption.

In retrospect, I’m grateful that first house deal fell through, since it would’ve happened too fast for Ellen—although I was disappointed at the time. Even now, Ellen feels uneasy about leaving Blossom Street, although I’ve reassured her that we aren’t really leaving. Blossom Street Books is still here and so is the apartment. The only thing that’ll be different is that at the end of the workday, instead of walking up the stairs, we’ll drive home.

Sitting in the office of the Seattle title company, Anne Marie Roche signed her name at the bottom of the last document. She leaned back and felt the tension ease from between her shoulder blades. As of this moment she was the proud owner of her own home. Today was the culmination of several months of effort. She smiled at the two sellers who sat across the table from her; they looked equally happy.