For a long time my oldest niece Greta Jo only wanted to read one book, All My Friends are Dead. The picture book features outsized type, a subtle ecological message, and enough black humor to keep adults entertained. One section features two men marooned on a tiny island. "The only ship we need is a friend ship," says one character, while the second buries his face in his hands.
Yesterday while I read limited excerpts from Love is the Thread to the knitting circle at Friends and Fiber, (limited because so many women protested they wanted to buy the book and read it for themselves!) I thought about that Friend Ship. The women gathered around the table to listen to my book were nominally in the shop to knit and receive help from Vicki, the owner.
While I read about my friend, Kristine, I listened to the clustered women share recipes for holiday cookies and apple cider, discuss what each was knitting, fondle luscious yarn, and share their own stories. When I'd been at the table more than an hour, one woman straightened up and laughed. "I've done two stitches the whole time I've been here," she said.
We were seated around a table, surrounded by a beautiful selection of yarn, nibbling treats and drinking wonderful hot cider. We were actually in full sail on the Friend Ship. No wonder she hadn't gotten much knitting done.
The treasure we discovered? Both on the page and in the room, women's friendship shared.