A Note on Knitting from Barbara: Knitting is my passion and has been for most of my life. My first exposure to it was from my mother. She died when I was eight and was sick for five years before that, so I have precious few memories of doing things with her. One of those memories, though, vivid to this day, is of holding my hands up for her hank of yarn, so that she could wind it into a ball. Did I dream up the yarn shop in Family Tree before I concocted the rest of the plot? Nope. The premise of the book came first, then the characters and their individual threads. The yarn shop was the gift I gave myself every few chapters. That shop was a haven for me, just as it is for my characters. Working with Berroco, one of today’s biggest yarn names, in conceptualizing and designing the Family Tree patterns has been extraordinary. Each pattern is named after a different character and represents an item that character would have either knitted or worn. I love the yarns these patterns call for, love the colors and the designs. My dream is to make every item in the Family Tree Collection myself. Interested in taking a look at the patterns? The Family Tree Knitting Collection pattern booklet is available wherever Berroco yarns are sold. If you don’t see it in your local yarn store, ask. Or, to buy it direct from Berroco, click here. Have fun!