In August I blogged about my high school reunion in Yorktown, Virginia. I recalled old friends and the satisfaction I felt in being back with those with whom I shared the magic of youth. Speaking of youth, the lovely woman pictured is Lara Smoot, and unless there is something seriously wrong with your eyesight, you've figured out that she was not a member of York High School's class of 1963. Lara is a new friend who happens to have been made on that same reunion weekend, as she and her husband Andy were likewise guests at the Hornsby House Inn (www.hornsbyhouseinn.com). Lara is from Maine, but now calls Lynchburg, Virginia home. She speaks softly with an understated wit I appreciated immediately--about the same time I noticed the large knitting needles in her lap. She is all about wool and the other knittable fabrics. Check out http://sockknittinglara.blogspot.com and http://www.ravelry.com/designers/lara-smoot. Knitting is not to be found on my inventory of usable skills. I have knitted together some wooly characters for plots in novels, but that's another blog. The kind of knitting Lara does is as foreign to me as practicing ballet. But I did learn a few things that weekend. I had no idea the patterns and designs could be so varied. I also learned that knitting needles are not to be triffled with. Kung Fu or pepper spray? Who needs them if you are packing these lethal things. Lara ordered my books and has just finished Bethesda's Child. Not only has she forgiven me for wasting hours of her time, but she is knitting me Bethesda's Socks. How cool is THAT? She says she can incorporate into them the double helix that, if you've read Bethesda's Child (and really, who hasn't?), you know plays an integral part in the story. Next spring, I'll be touring cities in Virginia as part of the publication of my new novel, A Southern Girl (Story River Books, May 2014). When I get to Lynchburg, I'll be proudly rocking my Bethesda's Socks. Lara promised she would be there. So write a book and maybe you can persuade Lara to knit you some socks. If she won't knit them for you, I will. Right.
