As I told you yesterday, Kim came over for a couple hours of spinning this morning.

I started this bobbin almost exactly three months ago, so it’s really a good and helpful thing that she gave me an excuse to sit at my wheel and SPIN. I haven’t started spinning the second half of the roving yet, but, well, give me time. The roving, if you don’t remember, is a skein I got from the Sheep Shed at Rhinebeck last year–8 oz of merino wool and tussah silk. The color doesn’t have a name (that I know of), but I keep thinking about it as “Old Rose.” It comes out as almost a rosy-grey, very nice.

It was nice to have another knitter to show my current project to–and to get an informed opinion as to whether or not it’s likely to work as I hope. Unfortunately, of course, we both suffered from camnesia and forgot to take pictures. (For that matter, I completely forgot to ask if she got a new camera to replace the damaged one. So, um, Kim, did you?) I did, however, provide blueberry scones to go with the “Box o’Joe” she brought with her from Dunkin Donuts, so I didn’t completely fall down on my hostessing duties.

I spent most of the rest of the day reading. I finished The Mirror of Her Dreams and started A Man Rides Through, both of which I’ve had for years. In fact, they are a rarity in my library in that they make up a series that doesn’t “match.” I bought the first book in paperback and was so anxious to find out what happened next, I bought the sequel in hardcover.

I remember this quite clearly, in fact. It was my junior year in college when I really had no right spending $20 on a book, but the first one ended with such a cliffhanger, I just had to go and look at the bookstore to see if, by any chance, the sequel was out yet. (This was early 1988, before the internet.) I hopped in my little VW Golf and went to the nearest bookstore and almost jumped for joy when I saw this sitting on the shelf. I remember that my fingers almost tingled with anticipation while I paid, and I even stopped at a Dunkin Donuts on the way back to Drew to get a headstart. In fact, it was the end of the week, and I was heading home for the weekend, because I remember spending hours on the couch that afternoon, while Mom made lasagne in the kitchen … and then Dad getting home from work and coming in to say hello at one of the worst possible times, story-wise.

Now, as to why I picked up the book in the first place–well, there’s a story to that, too. I liked the cover (so much better than the current one, I think), but more importantly, the title reminded me of a line from one of my favorite books.

It turns out, there was a reason for that. Because the stanza from the song/poem it reminded me of is quoted right there on the title page.

I was pretty impressed, too, because John Myers Myers’ Silverlock isn’t exactly common reading. I’ve mentioned it before, back in 2005, but it made quite an impression on me back in high school, and it was definitely one of the books I brought with me to college. A completely unique book with an enormous cast of characters–just about anyone who lives in the canon of literature is either in there or could be in there. Of those who make an actual appearance? Just a few: Merlin, the Mad Hatter, Beowulf, Hester Prynne, Odin, Circe, Thomas Rhymer, Puck from Midsummer Night’s Dream, Robin Hood, Captain Ahab, Prometheus … the list goes on. It’s not always pleasant, mostly because A. Clarence Shandon is not always a pleasant character, but I’ve never found anything else that compared. And the writer? Well, one of the raves at the beginning of the book mentions that he must get “drunk on words” and it’s clearly true. At one point he describes a character’s infatuation with, “She fell for him like a ton of bricks through greased air.” Isn’t that perfect? Because, you know, a ton of bricks doesn’t fall quickly or hard enough on its own (grin).

Actually, I can’t recommend Silverlock highly enough, though I’ll grant that it’s not to every taste. How much do I like it? Well, over the years, I’ve bought three copies. Just in case! (A wise decision considering that I’m down to two copies because one was never returned.) So, anyway, even though I hadn’t liked Donaldson’s Thomas Covenant series, when I realized that he was obviously a Silverlock fan too, well, I had to give it a chance. And, here it is, 21 years later and I’m still drawn to rereading the duology. That’s a sign of a good story in my book–even if they ARE in different sizes.

• Tags: Friends, General, Knitting/Spinning, Reading • Permalink:At Last, There Was Spinning //