One
afternoon last August, I was browsing through Cracker Barrel after a leisurely
lunch. Even though it was 90 degrees outside, the store was already stock piled
with Christmas and winter items. Holiday season seems to begin around July over
at Cracker Barrel! Among the cold weather stuff was a children’s book that
appeared to be stuck in with some knick knacks and scented candles. It was
Extra Yarn by Mac Barnett (illustrated by John Klassen) and I gasped in
excitement when I realized that I had found yet another children’s book about
knitting! I mustered enough self-control to hold out and read it once I got
home. I was so impressed by the story and the illustrations that I felt like I
had to share it with the world. Now that we are in the middle of a particularly cold
winter, the time and place to share seem just right.
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| Stockinette lettering! |
Extra Yarn
takes place in a small, seaside town during the winter doldrums. It has been
cold, dark and snowy for some time now, and its people are just plain fed up.
On one particularly bleak afternoon, a little girl named Annabelle discovers an
old box in the snow. She opens it up and finds that it is filled with a ton of
bright, colorful yarn.
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| A random box in the snow. |
Luckily, Annabelle is a knitter, and she gets to work
right away on a sweater for herself, and a matching one for her dog. After she
is done, she has a lot of yarn left over. She continues on, making sweaters and
hats for her friends and family. Despite all of this knitting, her newfound
stash never seems to dwindle. Any color or amount she needs is always there.
Annabelle does not question her magical discovery, and continues to live every
knitter’s dream. (Not to mention working at what is seemingly superhuman speed…)
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| A nice change! |
After every
man, woman, child and animal in town has a sweater or a hat, Annabelle’s stash
of yarn remains full. Still eager to knit, she gets creative and resorts to
yarn bombing. Soon every house, car, mooring, mailbox and bird feeder in town
is warm and colorful against the drab winter landscape. The spirits of the town’s
people are lifted as they become distracted by the warmth and beauty Annabelle
and her yarn provide for them.
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| Before, kind of a downer. |
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| Quite lovely after Annabelle's yarn "make over." |
Word of
Annabelle and her infinite yarn supply spreads far and wide. Her small town is
now attracting tourists, and among them is a smarmy Archduke from a castle
across the sea. He has a passion for fashion, and is willing to pay Annabelle
millions of dollars for her magic yarn box. Annabelle is quite dismissive of
the Archduke, and barely looks up from her knitting as he raises his offer as
high as $10 million. It seems that his dream of a lifetime supply of killer
knitwear is dashed. As it turns out, the Archduke is a huge creep, and that
night he hires three burglars to break into Annabelle’s home and steal the yarn
box… But this is hardly the end of the story, and as they say, the rest is all
spoilers!
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| Hmm, sort of reminds me of an old boyfriend... |
I love this
book because it features Annabelle as a caring and enterprising little girl. She
proactively uses her unique set of skills to help everyone in her community,
and make their world a better place. She is grateful and humble when she makes
the life changing discovery of the box. The Archduke shows up in town selfishly
hoping to gain at the expense of Annabelle and everyone else. Indeed, he does
cause trouble and heartache, but karma comes back to bite him by the end of the
story. The story is a must read for any school age child, as it features
important lessons for children such as cause and effect, independent thinking
and looking out for others.
In honor of
Annabelle’s magical yarn box, I will leave you with a photo of my own stash. It
may not be infinite, as I see it dwindle every day, but I am still proud of it!
However, the possibilities for what each skein may one day become are endless. This
is what makes every stash of yarn (be it a box, drawer or pink striped duffel
bag) truly magical.
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| My extra yarn. |
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