Debbie Macomber - The Knitting Diaries - The Twenty-First Wish / Coming Unravelled / Return to Summer Island

DEBBIE MACOMBERis a number one New York Times bestselling author. Her recent books include 44 Cranberry Point, 50 Harbor Street, 6 Rainier Drive and Hannah’s List . She has become a leading voice in women’s fiction worldwide and her work has appeared on every major bestseller list. There are more than a hundred million copies of her books in print. For more information on Debbie and her books, visit www.DebbieMacomber.com.

New York Times bestselling author SUSAN MALLERYhas entertained millions of readers with her witty and emotional stories about women and the relationships that move them. Publishers Weekly calls Susan’s prose ‘luscious and provocative’ and Booklist says, ‘Novels don’t get much better than Mallery’s expert blend of emotional nuance, humour and superb storytelling.’ While Susan appreciates the critical praise, she is most honoured by the enthusiastic readers who write to tell her that her books made them laugh, made them cry and made the world a happier place to live. Susan lives in Seattle with her husband and her tiny but intrepid toy poodle. She’s there for the coffee, not the weather. Visit Susan on the web at www.susanmallery.com.

CHRISTINA SKYEis the New York Times bestselling author of thirty-two books. She is a pushover for Harris tweed, Scottish cashmere, Chinese dumplings, French macarons and dark chocolate. Not necessarily in that order.

A classically trained China scholar with over two million books in print, she has appeared on various national television programmes, including ABC Worldwide News, Travel News Network, The Travel Show with Arthur Frommer, Geraldo, Voice of America, Looking East , and Good Morning, Arizona .

She generally has her knitting right beside her while she works. But don’t expect speed. ‘The sheer pleasure of colours and texture running through my fingers helps me concentrate on the mystery of characters coming alive before my eyes. Knitting pulls me to a quiet place where a story unfolds at its deepest level. It’s my best writing tool.’ Test-drive her knitting patterns at her website, where she explores the writer’s path, the joys of knitting and details about all her upcoming books.

The Knitting Diaries

The Twenty- First Wish

Debbie Macomber

Coming Unravelled

Susan Mallery

Return to Summer Island

Christina Skye

www.millsandboon.co.uk

The Twenty- First Wish

Debbie Macomber

To

Candi Jensen

in gratitude for San Francisco yarn crawls,

wine on your back porch

and best of all

your friendship

Dear Friends,

The summer I turned twelve was the first time I picked up a pair of knitting needles. My mother wasn’t a knitter and I pestered her all summer because I so badly wanted to learn. Mom finally broke down and took me to a yarn store, where those wonderful ladies patiently taught me. The first thing I made was a purple vest for my mother—as a thank-you because she found a way for me to knit.

I believe I inherited my love of craft from my Grandmother Adler, my father’s mother, who died before I could have any memories of her. My older cousins have told me stories about Grandma sitting in her rocking chair, sound asleep and snoring while still crocheting. Yup, Grandma Adler was my kind of woman. Several of the pieces she crocheted have been passed down to us cousins and they are cherished treasures.

From the time I learned to knit until this very day, I’ve always had a project going. My writing career took a sharp turn upward after The Shop on Blossom Street was published. Combining my passions of knitting and writing was clearly what resonated so strongly with my readers. Knitting was and is an authentic part of my life.

When knitters get together, surprising things can happen, especially if those knitters also happen to be authors. The idea for this anthology came from Christina Skye, who is highly skilled as both a knitter and a writer. We were on a yarn crawl in San Francisco, driving from yarn store to yarn store with our friend Candi Jensen, when Christina casually said, ‘We should think about writing a knitting anthology together.’ We took the idea to our publisher and from that point forward it was a go. Susan Mallery is a new knitter, but she added some great ideas, so here we are.

I hope you enjoy The Twenty-First Wish and this return visit with characters from Blossom Street.

As always I love hearing from my readers. You can reach me at my website at www.DebbieMacomber.com or at PO Box 1458, Port Orchard, WA 98366, USA. OK, needles ready …

PS You might recognise Candi Jensen’s name. She’s the talented producer of the Emmy-nominated PBS series Knit and Crochet Today and one incredible knitter and crocheter.

Courtney’s Wedding Purse

MATERIALS:

100% Cashmere 2 ply. Jade Sapphire Exotic Fibers

100 yds color ivory.

Needles—U.S. 2, single point.

Beads (TOHO recommended)—Approximately

330 #08 silver-lined crystal, 14 #06 silver-lined crystal, 2 accent crystals, 2 crystal hearts (to decorate the ends of the I-cord). Optional lining for bag.

String 330 #08 Beads

Cast on 214 stitches.

Row 1. Working from wrong side:

TO BEAD ONE WORKING FROM WRONG SIDE—Knit 1, slip next stitch as if to purl, slide bead up next to needle, continue knitting.

* Knit 1—bead 1, repeat from * to last 2 stitches, knit 2.

Row 2. * Knit 1—purl 4, repeat from * to end of row.

Row 3. * Knit 4—purl 1, repeat from * to end of row.

Row 4. Right side facing; knit 1—purl 2—place bead—purl 2, to end of row.

TO PLACE BEAD BETWEEN STITCHES—

Purl next stitch, slide bead up to needle, purl next stitch, continue knitting.

Row 5. Repeat row 3.

Row 6. * Knit 1—purl 2 tog—purl 2 tog, repeat from * to end of row.

Row 7. * Knit 2 tog—purl 1, repeat from * to end of row.

TO BEAD 1—Bring yarn to front of work, slip next stitch as if to purl, place bead next to stitch, bring yarn to back of work, leaving bead sitting in front of slipped stitch.

Row 8. Right side facing; Knit 2—bead 1, to last stitch, knit 1.

Row 9. Purl.

Row 10. Knit 1 * Yarn over (wrap 2 times), knit 2 tog. Continue from * to last stitch, knit 1.

Row 11. Purl 1—Purl into wrap, continue to last stitch, knit 1.

Row 12. Knit.

TO BEAD 1—Bring yarn to back of work, slip next stitch as if to purl, place bead next to needle, bring yarn forward, purl next stitch.

Row 13. Wrong side facing; Purl 1—bead 1, continue to last stitch. Purl 1.

Row 14. Knit.

Row 15. Purl.

Row 16. Knit 2 * bead 1—knit 5, continue from * to last 6 stitches, knit 6.

Rows 17, 19, 21, 23. Purl.

Row 18. Knit.

Row 20. Knit 5—bead 1, to last 3 stitches, knit 3.

Row 22. Knit.

REPEAT ROWS 16–23, until piece measures 4 inches from eyelet.

Knit 1—bead 1, to last stitch. Knit 1. Purl next row.

Knit 2—bead 1, to last 2 stitches. Knit 2. Purl next row.

Knit 1—bead 1, to last stitch. Knit 1. Purl next row.