Chest of Bone: The Knit Collection

Vicki Stiefel's fantasy-suspense series launched with Chest of Bone, the tale of a Mage, a Monster, and a Mission. Her mystery/thrillers include Body Parts, The Dead Stone, The Grief Shop (Daphne du Maurier Award Winner), and The Bone Man. She co-wrote (with Lisa Souza) 10 Secrets of the LaidBack Knitters. Vicki taught fiction writing and modern media at Clark University. She mentors writers and students, and critiques writing in a variety of genres. She adores her family and is passionate about scuba diving and fly fishing and knitting, as well as musical comedy scores, which she sings in the shower. The Afterworld Chronicles' second novel, Chest of Stone, will hit shelves Nov. 2017, and she is pounding the keys on the series' third novel, Chest of Air. Chest of Bone: The Knit Collection is her second knitting book.

Chest of Bone: The Knit Collection contains five evocative knitting patterns, a short story, character bios, and excerpts from the novel, Chest of Bone. The collection includes a sweater, a shawl, a vest, and two mitts-with instructions and images-by iconic knitwear designers Karen Clements, Norah Gaughan, and Rosemary (Romi) Hill. Vicki Stiefel's story, "A Very Special Project," was written expressly for the collection and is part of her Afterworld Chronicles. Why a knit collection based on a novel? The novel's protagonist, Clea Reese, is a passionate knitter and animal lover. Because of Vicki's love of knitting, she wanted to turn her imaginary knit creations into real ones. After Norah, Romi, and Karen read the novel, they dove into the adventure: designing pieces worn by four of the novel's primary characters. The collection-intended for a variety of skill levels, yarns, and gauges-is the first of its kind purposely created in collaboration with a novel. Clea Reese, the novel's hero, is pursuing her mentor's murderer, so she dons Karen's stylish, yet cozy, vest for the cold New England winter. Norah's sweater echoes the bold and complex facets of James Larrimer, a compelling man with a haunted past and a deadly mission, while Clea's foster mother, Bernadette, is seldom without her shawl, designed by Romi. In the novel, Clea decides Larrimer needs a pair of half-fingered mitts, so she knits them up, while also crafting a fingerless pair for her teenaged charge, Lulu, a girl she loves deeply. Both mitts patterns were created by Rosemary. Clea's knitting is magic, literally. She's also a cashmere goat farmer, and any of the five patterns would work up beautifully in that luxe fiber, as well as in merino, alpaca, and a spectrum of other fibers.