Thief in the night....

I'm thinking that only a true knitter/crocheter will fully appreciate the feeling of loss and panic when I share this story of what happened to a friend of mine.......those who dabble in the craft may just feel, "what's the big deal, you just go out and buy another ball of yarn".

My friend discovered that her car had been broken into while taking her kids to school in the morning. The door hadn't been locked the evening before by her husband - but that's a different story and we're not going there......
She looked around the inside of her car asking herself and out loud to the other's in the car...."where's my knitting bag???? where's my bag?????"
Children being the intensely helpful people they are said "you probably left it inside the house"
Dropping them off at school and racing back home she was certain the bag was most definitely left inside the car to be available for her knitting pleasure while watching the "helpful children" during their baseball pitching lessons, baseball games, etc.....she's a Mom who spends most of her life in the car.
She wasted no time in dialing the local police department to report the crime......the monotone female employee dutifully answered the call asking her to state the emergency.......
My friend answered in a rather high pitched and not-so-calm voice, "my car has been broken into", "it's gone, it's gone"....
The front desk employee continued her questioning,  "Are you with the car now? Do you know what was taken?"......
My friend answered in a breathless high pitched screech "my knitting bag....it's gone....my scarf and the yarn I bought while traveling with my husband in Cambria.......it's gone" 
The employee then asked her...."Madam, is your bag a blue Hawaiian sack with flowers?"
"YES" she replied..."do you have it?"
"No" the monotone answered, "but your neighbor does".
"What neighbor?" she yelled into the receiver.
"I don't know, she didn't leave a name"
Out the door "friend" flew to pound on each and every door of the neighboring residences asking "do you have my bag?"..."are you there, please open your door, do you have my bag?"
Finally, one neighbor who was not completely frightened by the deranged looking woman knocking asking about something to do with a bag opened her door. "Do you have my bag?" she asked.
"No" neighbor replied, "but I know who does".
After telling her the location of her bag and telling "friend" the person was currently at work at a local high school, "friend" dashed back home to call the information operator for the phone number of the school.

Now, mind you, in today's world I'm thinking high school teachers have seen it all...heard it all....but I think even this was one for the books for the call this teacher was about to receive.

"Friend" called the school, stated that the teacher she was requesting had information regarding a crime that had recently taken place and she needed to talk with her promptly.
The school employee put the call through to the classroom and when "teacher" picked up the phone she heard the question that had been asked repeatedly that morning to each and every house in her neighborhood.  "Do you have my bag?"......       
"What???" answered the teacher, after explaining who was on the other end of the phone "teacher" answered "yes, I've got your bag"......"but it doesn't contain everything you're describing".

Now, a new wave of panic set in.....sometimes when a thief is finished rifling through the loot they toss the items nearby.....could the scarf and needles be in a trash can??? Someone's planter????
She was on a mission, trash can lids flew open, planters checked, local paths for bike riding and horseback trails....there, something colorful, something beautiful blowing in the wind with silver clinking of needles....her seven skein ruffle Noro scarf laying in the ivy waiting to be saved from the spinning tires of a mountain biker.
To some this may be a bit of unnecessary hysteria, but to others, we see the scarfs (or any other knitted item) that we make as representing the hours of our life. Time spend with rich textures, colors, fibers from lovingly raised livestock by people who depend on it for their income, hours spent manipulating a long single strand around and around needles forming a piece of art.


With "friend" all is good in the world again -
Did she seem bothered that the car had been tampered? Not really.
Is she now referred to as the crazy nut job down the street that apparently loves to knit?
Odds are yes...

Will she leave the yarn bag in the car again? I'll ask her and let you know.


I'll be back soon, I'm going to lay out my fabrics for the Chubby Charmer bag and I'd love to have your input if I've got the blocks laid out correctly. Enjoy your day.....

P.S. I'm going to post tomorrow a picture of her scarf so you can see how beautiful it is,
Everyone should have a friend like this - she's fun and entertaining and things in her world are seldom dull.
I would have had myself a pity party over my lost scarf and left it at that.