Casting On Stitches In the Middle Of A Project

31 Days In October 

Joining a group works with writing and knitting and could with so many other activities. It's always bumpy at first in the getting to know you stage but so worth it.

Day 18-

Sometimes in the middle of your work it becomes important to cast on some new stitches. 

I am currently working on a sweater. The pattern told me to divide off the stitches for the sleeves and put them aside on waste yarn.

Now I need to connect the body of the sweater to continue knitting. That requires casting on several new stitches to accommodate the armhole. Where do these cast on stitches come from?

When it comes to writing, adding a new character is similar. In my book Rubato I needed someone who could take on some suspicion. You know, another character who might have murdered the pianist. *Spoiler Alert*

Yolanda was perfect for that job. She appeared on the scene with a bang. When my detectives were locking up the scene of the crime at the end of the day, Yolanda came running down the hill. Where did she come from? Why was she here?

     Reggie locked the front door and followed Stevie outside when they heard loud screaming. A tall, blonde woman with wild, long hair came running down the driveway. 

   “Stop! I need to get in there.” 

    Reggie moved in front of the door to block her way. His arm involuntarily moved across his chest to protect himself. “Excuse me ma’am. This is a crime scene. Step aside.”

    Sobbing now, the woman lost her bravado and looked up pathetically. “You don’t understand. My tools are in this house. I right now need them.”
    “Wait a minute. Who exactly are you?”

    “I am housekeeper here. I heard in town that Judith died,” she blubbered a little.“My job needs my stuff out of there.”

     Reggie saw that Stevie was moving between them. “Please, calm down. Let’s go sit down over there.” She took the woman’s arm and guided her to an area with chairs. Reggie followed, taking out his notebook. Why was Stevie taking over? He felt a momentary irritation but he let it go. The woman had a slight accent to her flawless English. Was it German? 

      “When exactly did you last see Judith?” Reggie’s voice was even but there was an intensity to his question.

       “Tuesday is my day to clean. I got here at 9 o’clock and Judith said that she would not need me and sent me away. She had people coming and told me to leave my stuff.  She gave me hundred dollars and told me she would call me later. But, she did not call me.” The woman’s agitation returned. “I need to get in the house.” 

   “We can’t let you in until the crime scene investigation is complete. How long have you worked for Ms. Whitesides?” Reggie said.

   Abruptly, she bolted out of her chair and ran up the hill. Reggie ran after her but got caught by a branch extending out onto the driveway and lost his balance. He righted himself and resumed the charge. When he reached the top of the road the woman was gone. The street was empty. With hands on his hips he paced back and forth. He heard Stevie behind him, out of breath.

   “What the heck was that all about?” she asked. 

    Reggie was angry at himself for losing his balance. He could have stopped her.

   “Who did she say she was?” Stevie asked.

    “She didn’t say. She only said that she was the housekeeper.”

    Reggie looked down at his notebook, writing a quick paragraph about the interchange. “Did you catch her accent?” he asked.

    “Not really. Do you think she sounded foreign?” Stevie turned without waiting for a reply and started back down the hill. “I’m going to double check that the house is secure and grab the bag of Judith’s papers before we go,” she called out.

   Reggie waited in the car for her. He tapped on the steering wheel with the palms of his hands. Stevie got in and Reggie peppered her with questions. “Who can we talk to next? Anyone close by?”

    Stevie adjusted her seat and took out her phone. “I have an address for a Tony Chavez just north of here. I found his name and address in Judith’s list of piano students on her phone. Let’s find out what he knows about his piano teacher.”

Just like I eased in some new stitches into my sweater I also eased Yolanda into my story. The new character had an important purpose; the new stitches allow room for the body of the sweater to grow. 

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