Patterns in the Sand (40 page)

 

 

“They love her. I must say it’s not the kind of tap we’re accustomed to, but it’s good to be open to new things. We now have some men joining the group.”

 

 

“So . . .” Cass paused dramatically. She stood and looked about the room.

 

 

They all looked up. “So?”

 

 

Cass’ gaze settled in on Willow, and the knitters knew what was coming. They could always count on Cass to pull out the questions lurking in their heads.

 

 

“So . . .” Willow looked confused.

 

 

“So, are you going home? Or are you staying? Let’s get it all out there.”

 

 

They all turned to look at Willow.

 

 

She forked her fingers through her short dark hair—a habit she’d developed since giving herself a new hairstyle. “So . . .” And then she laughed.

 

 

It was a joyful laugh. Light and airy, just like the last week had been. Perfect Sea Harbor summer days.

 

 

Willow stopped laughing and looked around the room.

 

 

“Jeez, you guys,” she said. “I am home.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 35

 

It was a perfect summer night. The sky was as black as the bottom of the sea, and stars were scattered everywhere—as if a giant hand had flung them from above in a wild, joyful gesture. And the fireworks that exploded in the midsummer sky were not a surprise this night, but a promise made on the Art at Night posters. And a promise kept.

 

 

Art at Night,
[the posters read]
A celebration of Canary Cove art.
A celebration of summer.
Fireworks, food, drink, and music.
And featuring the fiber art of Willow Adams.

 

“I knew you were hibernating this past week,” Izzy said, “but I had no idea that you’d managed to put together so many lovely pieces.”

 

 

“Only four,” Willow said. “But I love them. I started them the day I came. But they’ve been in my head forever.”

 

 

They stood in the outer room of the Brewster Gallery, where Jane had set up a reception table filled with flowers from Aidan’s garden. Willow’s artwork hung in the inner room, a clean white room with perfect lighting.

 

 

Jane and Ham had insisted that Willow’s first show be in their gallery, against a solid white wall with perfect lighting.

 

 

“Nell and Birdie are in charge of food,” Jane dictated, “Izzy the flowers. And Cass can be the cheerleader and put posters down on the dock.”

 

 

The Brewsters had wanted Willow’s opening to be on its own day, a special, grand affair—but Willow was stubborn. She wanted it to be a part of the Art at Night festivities instead.

 

 

“But having your own opening would place all the attention on your art,” Jane had argued. “You wouldn’t have to share the stage.”

 

 

Nell suspected that was part of Willow’s strategy. She’d had enough time in the spotlight in the past month to last a lifetime. She was ready to get off the stage and be normal again.

 

 

Her explanation to Jane was simple. “The first time I met some of you was at Art at Night,” she said. “And I know Aid . . . I know my dad loved that event. He had notes all over his office, most on how to showcase everyone else in this neighborhood except himself.”

 

 

And so all had agreed, but only if the flyers that were tacked to bulletin boards in Coffee’s, over at the city offices outside Rachel Wooten’s office, in Archie’s bookstore and Harry’s deli—and a huge poster in the window of the Seaside Knitting Studio—mentioned Willow’s exhibit at the Brewster Gallery.

 

 

“Shall we go in before others come?” Jane asked, her hands motioning toward the exhibit room.

 

 

They filed into the room—Ben and Sam, Birdie and Cass and Izzy. Nell followed Jane and Willow.

 

 

Ham was in the back of the room, adjusting the angle of the lights from a small panel in the wall.

 

 

“Jane, it’s perfect,” Nell said in a hushed voice.

 

 

And then she stood back with the others, a single line, looking up at a wall of amazing texture.

 

 

As the narrow beams of light focused on each individual work, Nell caught her breath, and for the first time the full impact of Willow’s creations sunk in.

 

 

“Patterns in the Sand,” Willow called the series.

 

 

Four pieces, each one different. Each one born of sea and sand and the colors of nature blended together. Willow had used cashmere and sea silk, fine wool and tangled pieces of Izzy’s organic cotton. Strands of boucle yarn that were left over from Cass’ socks.

 

 

The first piece in the collection used shades of tan, smooth and chunky yarn tangled to simulate the rolling dunes of sand after a storm. She had created shadows and texture, twisting and smoothing strands of yarn into wavy shapes, then binding them together invisibly. And in the next two, sea glass and yarn that looked like clam shells and flat green seaweed appeared in the sand.

 

 

In the final piece, a strip of sea appeared at the top of the oblong creation, rippling waves of every color of blue, the yarn twisted and fashioned until the waves seemed to come right out of the wall and Nell could almost smell the ocean. Some strands of the sweater Nell had nearly finished for Willow appeared in the water.

 

 

Below the robust sea was a span of patterned sand, smooth and wavy to resemble the ripples in the sand left by the receding tide—a pattern as complex as life itself—hills and valley, rivers and small rolls of land intersecting one another, then narrowing into single steams.

 

 

Nell stepped back, alone, and feasted on Willow’s art. There was no question in her mind.

 

 

She knew before Ben Endicott uttered a single word whose home would welcome the final piece in the series.

 

 

And she knew exactly where she’d put it. Along the clean white wall in the family room, guarded by a carved wooden statue of a fisherman, his eyes gazing out to sea and an enigmatic smile lifting the corners of his mouth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Inside-Out Knit Chemo Cap

 

 

Knit Head Hugger

 

Designed by Joyce Forker, used with permission.

 

Materials:

 

#8 and #10 (US) knitting needles

 

 

One skein soft yarn of your choice (please see note below)

 

 

Pattern:

 

Cast on 80 stitches on size #8 (US) needles

 

 

K1, P1 (garter stitch) for 1 3/4 inches.

 

 

Change to size #10 knitting needles.

 

 

1st Row: Purl

 

 

2nd Row: Knit 1, Purl 1 across.

 

 

Repeat rows 1 and 2 until cap measures 6 inches from beginning.

 

 

Top Shaping
:

 

*K2, K2 tog*. Repeat from ** across.

 

 

Purl 2nd row and all even-numbered rows.

 

 

3rd Row: *K1, K2 tog*. Repeat from ** across.

 

 

5th Row: Repeat 1st row.

 

 

7th Row: Repeat 3rd row.

 

 

9th Row: K2 tog across.

 

 

11th Row: K2 tog across. Purl across.

 

 

Break off yarn, leaving an eighteen-inch tail. Draw yarn through remaining stitches and pull up tight. Fasten off on wrong side of cap. Sew seam smoothly and evenly, leaving no bumps.

 

 

For tips on yarn choices and other patterns, please see

 

 

www.headhuggers.org

 

 

www.ChemoCaps.com

 

 

and other online sites found by using such key words as
chemo hats
or
head huggers
.

 

 

Babies, children, and adults who have lost their hair are very vulnerable to cold—and you can make a difference, as so many knitters already have. My thanks to Sue Thompson for her help in introducing me to this wonderful effort.