In honor of Bruce

This past month, so many things have happened. I don't know that this is the time or the place to say everything, but one of the many downs this past month was the loss of a friend. He was a good friend, a great knitter, and he will be missed terribly. His name was Bruce, and he was a huge fan of lace. Bruce was incredibly smart, not just book smart, but everything smart. And he never lorded it over anyone; he was always happy to give a word of advice when asked or help you understand something. He had a quirky sense of humor (let's face it - math jokes aren't everyone's cup of tea, but Bruce enjoyed a good one), and the depth of knowledge he had about science, math, and his favorite - knitting, was amazing. The ability to pick his brain over something so small seemed to be one of his favorite past times. No question was ever stupid (only the unasked one) and no detail to small to be described to the utmost perfection. In honor of Bruce, I picked up my shawl again, and will finish it in his memory.

It doesn't look like much now, but that's the beauty of lace. It's the "ugly duckling" of knitting. It starts out all crumpled and horrible, then once it's stretched out, it turns into the most delicate and beautiful work of art.

You will notice the lovely bobbles hanging from the work - those are my stitch markers. Gotta love that! I made them on the cheap. Not bad for a $10 investment. And it makes the lace go incredibly smoothly while working the pattern. Now I get it.

Unfortunately, Bruce was the only one at TWNY to teach a lace class. A mutual friend of ours I think got to pick his brain more than anyone else, and I hope that she will continue his tradition at some point (or someone will pick it up). She also has a lovely tribute to Bruce on her site. I only hope to reach his expertise someday with lace and other knitting. So, in loving honor of Bruce, please knit on.