Knitworthy

Yesterday I enjoyed a celebratory birthday lunch with my friend Mary - her birthday was on Sunday and mine, of course, was last week. The first time we met we were amused to learn that not only are our birthdays only five days apart, we were born in the same year! It is always fun to spend time with Mary and yesterday's lunch was no exception: two hours of nonstop talking, hearty laughter and abundant sarcasm.

I was introduced to Mary on Facebook by our mutual friend, Betty. Mary and Betty knew each other as children in New Jersey, and I met Betty a gazillion years ago on a Windjammer Barefoot Cruise. When Betty heard that I was moving to Syracuse, she told me that I HAD to meet her friend Mary who lives in Syracuse. because she knew we would hit it off. We were Facebook friends (and Words With Friend foes) for quite some time before we finally decided it was time to meet in person.

Have you ever met someone for the first time that you swear you've known for years? That is exactly how it felt to me when I met Mary. It was such a pleasant surprise to meet someone with whom I had an instant friendship, and someone who gets my quirky personality and wicked sense of humor. Although we are very different in some ways, we are very alike in many other ways. We can be downright evil together and there is never a shortage of topics to discuss.

For Mary's birthday present, I knit a pretty little shawlette:

Here is a close up view of the feather and fan detail:

The yarn is Cascade Yarns Heritage Silk, which is 85% superwash merino wool and 15% mulberry silk. It has a lovely sheen to it and was quite fun to knit. I knew that Mary would appreciate the time, effort and workmanship I put into the shawlette because she is a very talented artist who puts her time, effort and workmanship into her amazing projects.She does illustration, graphic design, portraits, and fine art, and does it all very well.

And I knew that the vibrant red color would not scare her - Mary adores color and the more vibrant, the better. Her Color Can't Hurt You Etsy shop contains so-called "ordinary" items that she has made beautiful through color and design. Her birthday gift to me is one piece of Mary Art, either something she has already created or a custom request. Squeee - what to choose?

Mary has already given me a wonderful present - the gift of friendship, for which I am grateful. I am fortunate to have such a friend in my life, and she is very, very knitworthy. Thank you, Betty!