knitting in books

i enjoy reading books about knitters.  but i get a bigger kick out of reading a book, only to discover a random knitter is in it!

a couple years ago i reread my judy blume books.  i discovered that a lot of her books contain a minor character who knits.  a grandmother (starring sally j. freedman as herself, are you there God?  it's me, margaret), a babysitter (it's not the end of the world) and if i thought longer, even a mom.  i even posted a message on the board of her website, inquiring as to whether or not she was a knitter herself.  she replied to my question, saying that while she wasn't a knitter and didn't had the time to learn, she thought it was an interesting craft.  how cool is that?!

i reread the little house books last year, and they are chock full of knitters and crocheters.  ma knit, laura knitted fine lace for mary's petticoat at college, and i remember laura receiving a crocheted/knitted (can't remember which) fichu from her "maid of honor" at her wedding.  laura and manly raised sheep in the first four years.  i wonder what kind of wool those sheep gave!  i loved imagining what kind of knitting needles they used.  and how's this for irony - last week i watched an episode of "little house", and noticed that oleson sold skeins of yarn!  i wonder what brand it was?  they were neatly wound, long skeins, laying on the counter - i'm guessing they coats and clark?  maybe lion brand?

jennifer weiner must be a knitter.  cannie knits in certain girls, she must have learned after good in bed.  i love reading her descriptions of hats, mittens and sweaters.  

i'm sure if i read the classics, i'd find a lot of knitters there!