Heaven & Space

The Carolinas were heaven and space. Heaven to be with my two friends and their daughters (no husbands, no sons). So many daughters, a total of five, beautiful, bright, loveable young women. We would spend hours on the porch of our airbnb house, talking, laughing, knitting (me).

And then there was space. Probably not the (aero)space Martina Behm had in mind when designing the shawlette. More of a letting-your-mind-wander-space when looking over the ocean in Charleston, when driving all the way up to Mount Airy, when being with a friend not talking at all (but communicating nonetheless).

One week in North and South Carolina was just as wonderful as I was hoping it would be. We stayed on a boat in Charleston, discovered the city by bicycle, had drinks at a roof-top bar, admired each and every crape myrtle’s pink beauty and every Charleston Single House. We enjoyed local food, were introduced to the Andy Griffith show and everything (everything!) that comes with it, did some shopping and slept in every morning.

Of course I visited the bead shop Beads on Cannon as suggested (thank you!!) and was deeply impressed by the very friendly and knowledgeable ladies who work there and their huge selection of beads.

Just one small downer: we did not manage to find the yarn store What’s Needlin’ Ewe in Mount Airy, supposedly “America’s friendliest yarn store.” (That’s what it says on their homepage). So, when back in Berlin, I sent them an email and (much later) a reminder – both are unanswered to this day. That is to say: no souvenir yarn …

However: I knitted (and almost finished) Heaven & Space within that week – thanks to lots of time and long plane rides … Upon landing in Berlin it was a shawlette with 16 pattern repeats (as suggested by designer) but I wanted it to be an actual shawl. Now it has 25 pattern repeats – enough width to wrap it twice around me. So lovely.

I love the pattern – knitting was fun. Still, I might choose a different yarn when knitting it again. Semisolid and sparkle and the geometric pattern are a bit too much (at least for my taste).

A quick question: I am not quite sure whether I prefer it blocked or unblocked. Do I bathe it again? There is still some time left before giving it to my wonderful travel companion for her birthday. Ideally, she will remember the week we had full of women, warmth and wedding preparations every time she wears it.

 

December 29

Happy Birthday” to wake me up, a fancy cake for breakfast that J and M had made …

IMG_0160… followed by two hours of reading and knitting in a lovely café.

IMG_0162Afterwards, all three of us went to watch Alba Berlin play basketball (sadly an ugly game due to fouls, trash talk, and whippings. Alba won though).

© Alba Berlin
© Alba Berlin

Finally at night, we had dinner at a tiny Italian restaurant …

© Trattoria Bocca Del Buon Gusto

… with a handful of extraordinary friends: the professor who mentored my master thesis in American Studies and her husband, a devoted basketball fan; my lively and charming Belgian friend, photographer and mother of 5 boys, with her sharp-witted Swiss husband, and J‘s former basketball coach, a very gentle young man from India who grew up in France and will go back to India next week to work with “sports without borders.”

Quite an experiment as they had never met before but we hit it off right from the start! I don’t remember having so much fun, so many interesting conversations, so much friendship and warmth at a long table in a long time.

I am inspired, grateful, and a year older! Thank you all 🙂