Kate Jacobs (42 page)

* * *

It had, in its own way, all worked out. Except
that Georgia wasn't there.

* * *

And so, one spring day, Anita took her dear
Dakota out for a talk, a Walker and Daughter bag in her hand. They had been
taking a lot of strolls together; it was easier for the teen to speak when she
didn't have to look anyone in the eye and let them see her pain. "Let's go
to the park," suggested Anita. "I'd like to show you something."
They sat together quietly until Anita reached into the lavender paper bag and
pulled out a sweater wrapped in tissue.
"My mom made this?" asked Dakota.
"She did," confirmed Anita. "I met her right around here, and
you were just a bump. This is where I commissioned her to make this very first
creation from Walker and Daughter." She gazed on the red and white tulips,
the yellow daffodils, the grass bright green, remembering the young woman with
the dark curly hair, crying on the park bench.
"And your mother trusted me to give something else to you," said
Anita, handing over a red leather journal to Dakota. "It's where she put
her ideas for patterns. And where she wrote the secret to making the perfect
sweater."
"The secret?"
"It's in there. Trust me."
Dakota thumbed through the pages of drawings and came to a long section of
writing. She began to read out loud.
"'The Gathering,'" she began. "'Choosing your wool is dizzying
with potential: the waves of colors and textures tempt with visions of a
sweater or cap (and all the accompanying compliments you hope to receive), but
don't reveal the hard work required to get there. Patience and attention to
detail make all the difference…'"
She rested there a long time after she'd finished, crying but not wanting to be
watched, as Anita waited patiently beside her, an arm over the back of the bench
but politely looking the other way.
"C'mon now," she said after a time. "We promised her we wouldn't
be too late."
They met up with James on Central Park West; he was double-parked in a rental
car.
"Hi Dad," said Dakota, climbing into the back seat so Anita could
take the front. "Let's go."
It was a nice day for a drive, sunny and breezy; the forty-five-minute ride in
the car passed by quickly, easily. And then, suddenly, they were there, pulling
into a leafy little town within commuting distance of Manhattan.
It would have been hard if Cat had opened her antiques shop in the city, hard
to see her doing what Georgia had done. But out here, away from the city, it
was different somehow. It felt right.
James let them out at the entrance and went to park the car. Dakota heard the
faint sound of chimes as she opened the clear glass door to the ground-floor
store, with its artistically arranged display of mahogany tables and
cherry-wood bureaus, landscape paintings, individual pieces of china and crystal
from rare patterns, fireplace mantels leaning against the wall, and a stately
old grandfather clock that still kept time. For inspiration, there were two
mannequins in either corner, each draped in one of the gowns Georgia had
knitted, with a small label marked NOT FOR SALE. Anita made her way carefully
through the shop, glancing at the antiques and the pink mandarin-collared
dress, touching, looking, admiring.
"I'm proud of you, Cat," said Dakota as she rejoined Anita at the
front of the store. They were gazing intently at the stunning golden gown.
Phoenix, Georgia had called it.
"You are finally your own woman," added Anita.
Cat smiled, touching Anita's arm and gently taking Dakota's left hand, as the
young girl caressed the golden gown. They made a circle, the four of them
there. Anita, Dakota, Cat. And Georgia's dress. A stunning achievement of
design and planning and skill. Rivaled only by her greater creation standing
before it, all round cheeks and smooth skin and endless potential. Georgia's
darling Dakota.
"Please," said Cat, breathing deeply. Finally ready to take
everything she'd ever learned from her dearest friend—the ambitious teenager,
the tenacious businesswoman, the lion of a mother—and become the woman she'd
always wanted to be. That Georgia had always believed she could be.
"Please," she said again, holding on tightly. "Call me
Catherine."

darwin's
first scarf!

Every knitter has to get started somewhere.
Here's what you need to get going:
1) A pair of needles.
You can use metal or wood.
Your project will knit up faster if you use big needles: Try size 15 or so.
Want a less chunky look? Opt for size 8.
2) Yarn.
Color and texture is up to you! Use what catches your eye and fits your (
Peri
) pocketbook! You'll need at least 200 yards for a thin
scarf; 300 yards will allow you to make it wider and longer. (And be sure to
add extra if you want to make a fringe—though that step is optional.)
Go with a
superchunky
yarn for the size 15 needles.
Try a worsted-weight wool if you're using size 8 needles.
3) A yarn needle and crochet hook.
You'll use this for fringe and for finishing your work.
4) Basic skills.
Go to WalkerandDaughter.com for tips, tricks, and more.
5) The Pattern:
Cast on at least 20 stitches, up to 30 stitches for a wider scarf.
Knit straight across, then turn your work, and knit across again. Simplicity is
key: using the knit stitch over and over will produce what is known as garter
stitch, and your finished scarf will look the same on both sides. (No worrying
about which is the front or the back!)
The other great thing about doing a scarf is that you can keep on knitting as
long as you like. Every now and then try out the length—simply wrap the scarf
around your neck while it's still on the needles and check it out in the
mirror. Need it longer? Keep knitting!
If you're running out of yarn…
don't worry! Wait until you get
to the end of a row, turn your work, and then tie a new ball on to the yarn
that you've been using. (The end from your original ball of yarn will be coming
down from the front of the needle.) Push up the knot you tied with the new ball
of yarn until it hits the first stitch on your needle. Then simply start
knitting with the new yarn. When you're all done, use your yarn needle or hook
to sew in those pesky ends. For now, just ignore them!
Keep counting…every so often, count your stitches to make sure you are still
doing the same number per row as when you cast on. Sometimes you may forget, or
you may add an extra. If you've made a mistake, you can rip it out and do it
again—or embrace the beauty of your one-of-a-kind handicraft and just try to
keep doing the same number per row. Your scarf is as unique as you are—and as
beautiful!
You'll cast off when the scarf is as long as you want it to be. Again, see
WalkerandDaughter.com for techniques—then use your yarn needle to weave in the
ends. (Simply sew the ends into the scarf so they don't show.),
Want to add a fringe? Cut a long piece of yarn—about 5 inches or so—and fold it
in half. Then place the yarn on the crochet hook. Slip the crochet hook through
a stitch in the last row of the scarf (near the edge) and pull up, making a
loop. Remove the crochet hook. Using your fingers, pull the two ends of yarn
through the loop and tighten.
Voilà
!
Then repeat. You'll add between 15 to 25 loops, depending on the width of your
scarf and how dense you want the fringe to be. Just be sure to space the loops
evenly across the scarf. (You can also use different colors of yarn for a
unique look.)
Your beautiful scarf is done.

dakota's
oatmeal, blueberry & orange muffins

Bursting with fruit flavor—and pretty good for
you, too!
Makes 12 muffins
Ingredients:
1 cup plain rolled oats
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon each baking powder, baking soda, and salt
11/2 cups flaked sweet coconut
Grated rind of one large orange
1 egg
1/2 cup liquid pasteurized honey
3 tablespoons canola or
extralight
olive oil
1 tablespoon vinegar
Juice 1 orange and add water to make one cup of liquid
1 to 11/4 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Line a muffin tin with paper cups.
Combine the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl: oats, flour, baking
powder, baking soda, and salt.
Add the coconut flakes and orange rind to the dry ingredients.
Get a separate bowl and beat the egg. Then incorporate the wet ingredients:
honey, oil, vinegar, juice, and water.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry mix and stir until just moist.
Fold in the blueberries.
Pour batter into muffin cups, being careful not to let any batter spill onto
the tin.
Bake in a preheated oven 20–25 minutes. (Check to see if the muffins are fully
baked by inserting a toothpick before removing from the oven; the toothpick
should come out clean.)
Remove muffins from the pan and cool on a wire rack.
Enjoy!

acknowledgments

There's a long way to go from writing at home
to seeing a book in a store, and I am very fortunate to work with the talented
team that I do: my thoughtful editors Rachel
Kahan
and Shannon Jamieson Vazquez in New York and Sue Fletcher in London, their
assistants Eve Adler and
Swati
Gamble, and all of the
hardworking folks in sales, marketing, publicity, editorial, production, and
design. Their commitment has helped make this book a reality and I am so
appreciative.
An enormous debt of gratitude is owed to the delightful Jane
Langridge
, CEO of the Ovarian Cancer Coalition, and to Dr.
Kris
Ghosh
, who offered valuable input regarding the
medical aspects of the story. Ovarian cancer is often called a "silent
killer," because the symptoms can be nonspecific, demanding of all of us
women to know our bodies and our family medical history, to keep up with
regular exams and all that good stuff. If there are any flaws in the medical
details, I know they are mine alone.
When it comes right down to it, I am beyond lucky to have as many smart,
talented people in my personal life as I do. A dear group of friends—some
knitters, some not—took on the role of early readers and were extraordinarily
generous with their time: Rhonda
Hilario-Caguiat
,
Shawneen
Jacobs, Tina Kaiser, Rachel King,
Alissa
MacMillan, Sara-Lynne Levine, and Megan
Worman
. Christine Tyson was particularly supportive and
helped to develop the yummy muffin recipe. And I remain tremendously grateful
to Mike Gerber, to
Dani
McVeigh for her Web site
design, and to Jennifer Fields, Kate Powers, Sasha
Zikic
,
and various friends and family for their consistent encouragement.
Finally, to my husband, Jonathan
Bieley
, who listened
to me yak on about the club, read every version multiple times, and loved me
through the writing of this book anyway: thank you.

the
friday
night knitting club
by
kate
jacobs
READERS GUIDE

Georgia
Walker is a single mom and successful New York City entrepreneur whose yarn
shop, Walker and Daughter, has become something of a
mecca
for knitters of all skill levels and dispositions. What begins as a
disorganized Friday night gathering of her most loyal customers turns into a
regular meeting of minds and hearts, as each woman discovers there's much more
to be found at Walker and Daughter than tips on knitting techniques. Just when
business is really looking up, the father of Georgia's daughter and a
long-forgotten nemesis suddenly resurface and Georgia's orderly world falls to
pieces. Soon enough, she learns that she isn't the only Friday Night Knitting
Club member who sees the club as the only constant in life, and a saving grace
at that.
1. Why does Georgia reject her parents' offer to house her and Dakota?
2. The role of friendships among women is a central theme of
The Friday
Night Knitting Club
. Some friendships develop easily, like K.C. and
Georgia's, while others begin on unsure footing, like Darwin and
Lucie's
. Cat's insecurities create conflicting feelings
about drawing Georgia closer. Discuss the emotional baggage and issues of class
that challenge trust between various women in the knitting club.
3. Georgia has a history of being burned by the people closest to her. Cat's
decision to attend Dartmouth meant breaking a pact of friendship, and James
abandoned her for another woman. Do you think there are moments when her
defenses against intimacy and protectiveness of Dakota are excessive?
4. What does Anita see in Georgia that gives her the confidence to invest? Why
does Georgia trust Anita, given her past relationships that went awry?
5.
Lucie's
decision to become pregnant without
telling the man she conceives with is a choice that flies in the face of social
convention and her mother's expectations, to say nothing of her Catholic
upbringing. What factors led to her choice? How does the whole of Georgia's
experience as a single mother support or undermine her decision?
6. Entrepreneurs, single moms, and a
seventysomething
undergoing a sexual reawakening—the women of the knitting club are hardly
traditional, although a highly traditional women's craft is what brings them
together each Friday. Eventually Darwin decides to write her thesis about the
positive impact of knitting on the lives of modern women rather than
criticizing it as a "throwback" that prevents women from focusing
their energy on professional success. In your opinion, which is the more
feminist interpretation?
7. Georgia gets defensive when James asserts that he has things to teach Dakota
about race that Georgia could never teach her. Is her indignation totally
justified in light of James's delinquency as a father, or is there some truth
to his claim?
8. How does Dakota's major act of rebellion (her attempt to go to Baltimore)
alter Georgia and James's playing field? Do you agree with Georgia's decision
on an initial trip to Scotland over a trip to Baltimore?
9. Before Georgia gives James a second chance, she claims to harbor
"hatred
lite
" toward him, reasoning that
she'd always heard the opposite of love is hate. When Cat's lawyer informs her
that Adam wants to settle and be done with her, she's unexpectedly hurt because
he's letting her walk away without a fight. Given Cat's reaction, how does
indifference factor into the love/hate equation?
10. When Cat responds to Georgia's sincere questions about her college
experience at Dartmouth by saying, "It wasn't like you think," what
does she mean?
11. Things get interesting in Scotland when Georgia's Gran offers her loving
but firm analysis of the women's lives. She points out that Cat is capable of
handling stress but hasn't tried and that Georgia's spent too much time
ruminating on the past. Her advice: mistakes are made; the important thing is
to decide how to react to what people offer, because you can't make them
change. How do the women accept this advice in each of their lives?
12. If Georgia had opened the letters she received from James in a timely
fashion, how might things have been different?
13. While James and Dakota are in Baltimore visiting his parents, Georgia
decides to tell the club that she has cancer. Why does she share her news with
the knitting club before she tells her immediate family?
14. When Georgia gets diagnosed, she worries that a show of weakness will be
unacceptable to Dakota, James, and others who know and love her as a pillar of
strength. How do her loved ones prove her wrong?
15. In your opinion what is the main lesson of
The Friday Night Knitting
Club?