This is a story about friendship, neighbors, knitting, and marrying off your kids!
I met my friend Erin back in 1996 (that’s a guesstimate) through the Pee Wee football program on Bainbridge Island, in Washington state. Her son Pete and my son Kevan both attended school together and were the same age, only I lived at the north end of the island and Erin and her family lived at the south end of the island. The boys attended different grade schools, but came together during middle school years, and graduated together in 2003 from the same high school. At a pre-season football picnic for high school ball, we learned that both of us knit.
By the time the boys were seniors in high school, my family moved out to the south end of the island. All of us were well acquainted by this time. Erin lived in a neighborhood that was very social. They had margarita parties in the summer when it was too hot to cook, and they had parties during the holidays when they were feeling festive. Erin was so gracious to always include us in her partying, even though we didn’t exactly live in her neighborhood. We lived close by, but outside the neighborhood. The Mandells always knew how to have fun, and how to be gracious! The Mandells had 3 children all together (boy girl boy) and we had the two boys.
By this time, their oldest (Chris) was off to college and our oldest (Chris) was off to college, and their daughter Meghan was knitting too. The Mandell ladies had style, and Meghan was a fierce designer, trying stitch combinations and making up patterns, one even got published. The boys graduated from high school and the Mandells moved to California, and we moved back to the north end of Bainbridge Island. Soon their Chris got married and then our Kevan got married.
In 2013, I took a trip down to California for TNNA and I stayed with Erin & Meghan. We had so much fun…..I got to meet Erins extended family, we had awesome weather, I got to attend her church….of course we all went to TNNA together to experience that, we knit and watched the Super Bowl. It was on that trip that I learned that Erin & Meghan had learned to weave and they had weaving looms. We saw lots of weaving actually at TNNA too.
Meghan got engaged, it was her turned to get married. Erin & Meghan designed Meghan’s dress and wove the fabric to create her dress with. I couldn’t just tell you about the dress without a backstory. First of all, I believe that we all have a backstory, and it’s my philosophy that, that is life, in and of itself.
Meghan is now a VanderBeek, and her brother Pete is now engaged to be married this summer. The only one left, is my oldest Chris and all the kiddos will be married off. 
