Library 126: Bailey Memorial Library (Clarendon)
126 down, 84 to go.
Library 126! The Bailey Memorial Library in Clarendon was the 126th stop on my quest to read, write, and knit in every public library in Vermont.
I read: A Coat for Anna by Harriet Ziefert, illustrated by Anita Lobel
I wrote: a library post
I knit: fingerless mitts for my mother
Clarendon was my last Vermont library of 2024. Clarendon is just south of Rutland, which is a population center in Vermont with a library that has a large collection and long hours. For this reason, Clarendon operates almost as a branch library of Rutland in geography, but not management. If locals can’t find a book they want here, it’s likely faster to drive to Rutland than to request it via ILL.
Linda was working during my visit and gave me a tour. She told me that reptile day is a popular library event, and that they have a delivery service to take materials to patrons who can’t drive. That’s a kind service.
The brown, fuzzy chair I sat in to knit came straight out of my childhood neighborhood and was a relic of the 1960s. I felt right at home.
After knitting, I picked up a display copy of A New Coat for Anna, which I hadn’t read before. It’s like a children’s version of Vanishing Fleece by Clara Parkes or Unraveling by Peggy Orenstein in that it tells a sheep-to-garment story (with Frog and Toad vibes). Anna needs a new coat, but her mother has no money, and shops are closed after the war. They trade a gold watch for wool from a spun yarn. They harvest lingonberries to dye the wool themselves. They trade a garnet necklace with a weaver, who weaves the yarn into fabric. They give a teapot to a tailor, who builds the coat with scissors and needles and thread. Et voila.
It is a story of community and patience and creativity. The spinner says she needs time, and to come back when the cherries are ripe. So they wait. Hand made things take time. This book honors that reality. Handmade things are slow.
So is visiting every library in Vermont. 126 down, 84 to go! In this year since I started the quest, have met quirky humans, knit with crafty crafters, overheard thoughtful conversations, and witnessed the vital role libraries play in communities. It’s more than books.
Many thanks to the kind humans I met in libraries this year, and to the kind readers who read these posts, for being part of a memorable year.
I used to go to the contra dance in Clarendon when I was a teenager
So appreciate every Knitting in libraries entry. Thank you