Six Degrees, Six Degrees

I've got Kem on the spinner, Pepsi in the cup and some serious thoughts about the Six Degrees of Separation.
Check this out.

A treasured, treasured friend of mine joined me at Seattle's Best Coffee a few months ago when I was in major funk mode and desperately needing that tall caramel latte and some good convo. You know the convo I'm talking about. Convo about nothing and everything. Anyway, sister girl has been away from her art for a long time for various and asundry reasons. But like all artists, she's making her return. Anyway, she shared with me that she's getting back into knitting, a passion she's had for years. She's so into it again that she now wants to write a book, a history of knitting in the black community.

She:, "Girl, I can't find anything. I went down to the Schomburg and there's a whole slew of stuff on quilting (you know, quilting is the Fab 5 thing right now) but there's nothing out there about black women who knit."

Me: "There's got to be something," sucking in the sweet scent of that caramel, not feeling the least bit of guilt about leaving my kids for a few hours.

She: "I'm telling you. I looked. I searched. I've been online. I walked through Harlem. If there's something, I don't know where it is. Are there any black women knitting out there.

Me: "There are."

And so I proceed to tell her about a Sunday morning show that profiled a young black sister who learned knitting from her granny, went to NYC and studied fashion design at FIT, and has knitted some of the most fierce gowns I've ever seen.

She: "What's her name?"

Me: "Can't remember," knowing not to dare try and pull up that kind of information in my mind at a time like that when the dark winter sky is kicking my ass and I can barely keep myself from calling up a therapist.

So, I told her that if I ever ran across the info, any info again, I'd share it. So she's moving forward with writing her book and wants to get a proposal out to an agent and see what happens. She also plans/wants to do a book about contemporary knitters (read: young, black sisters knitting ... not the grannies). Okay. I told her, as we were leaving that last time, Hmm...maybe I'll try my hand at knitting. You should, she says, it's very relaxing. Okay.

Next time we get together, same place, she brings me two needles and the most beautiful magenta yarn. Give it a try, she says. Okay.

We get together today and whaddya know...I got it! I'm hooked (no pun). I'm knitting at the stoplight on the way home.
But the bigger thing is, which has my mind working, is that it wasn't until I clicked on a few links at Nakachi's site that I saw that yes, there are some fierce, fierce young sister knitters out here. Designing. Knitting. Selling. (Nakachi: do you knit???) And so I call up girlfriend and say Get online girl. I've got some links for you to check out. So I sent here here, here, and here to get started. And nnow girlfriend is bubbling over because here it is, Universe has connected her to the people she's been looking for. These are the sisters she's looking for. This is the stuff she wants in her book. She wants the world to know that it ain't all about those little afghan sweaters that the white women are knitting. The sisters are doing what we've always done as Black people ... taking it to the next level. So she's planning to spend tonight navigating some of the links I sent to her. We'll see what happens.

I believe that we are all connected in some large, magnificent way. God will see you through to where you need to be. And it's just when you think there ain't a damn thing going on in your life and why, oh why does it seem like things just ain't coming together.....that's the time to trust and know that things are unfolding just as they should whether you're aware of it or not. I like to quote the Desiderata:

You are a child of the Universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the Universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore, be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be. And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

Be well. Be Love(d).
I've got novel revisions to do and my first scarf to work on.

Oh, and thanks Nakachi. Once again.
---ANGEL