The Knitting Woman
by
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Part I: pages 14-15 Have you been out on the streets of London in the early hours before dawn? 'No, should I have?' Not should. It's an experience you can get free of charge that's all—at least if you live within the vicinity of London. 'You are going to tell me that your next real encounter with the Knitting Woman was on the streets of London before dawn?' Yes, and to be precise, a cold morning in September. 'All that time on. You hadn't forgotten her, obviously. What were you doing on the streets of London at that time of day, for goodness sake?' Is that any business of yours? You know my trade. 'I know your trade!' London Transport ran an all-night bus service in those days. It ran from one side of the metropolis to the other, once every two hours I think—I can't remember precisely. Enough to say I had missed it, and so I set out to walk from Notting Hill to Liverpool Street. I'd not done it before, not at that time of night. In daytime, yes, many times. It was quicker, especially in the rush hour. 'Happy days.' I agree—for some. I went via Covent Garden, round by the market (it was my intention to call at the all-night Post Office). These were streets I knew well by daylight: James Street, King Street, Garrick Street; all fine sounding names. It was a still night, hardly a breath of air—the sort of night that kills off the last of your runner bean crop. The pavements were stone dry and cold. I could smell the urine and the meths. A horrible concoction. 'Quite a brew.'
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About the Book
The knitting woman’s story is told by a scholar who has, through chance, crossed her path and who cannot get her out of his mind. The knitting woman is in her mid to late twenties (possibly), without a name and who never speaks. (She may be dumb and a little hard of hearing.) Her antecedents appear in the novel but a little detective work is necessary in order to smoke them out. The novel progresses as a sort of journey, for the knitting woman is a lady of the road. The setting is initially London and moves via Shrewsbury to West Wales. The time is between 1960 and 1980. A picture of the narrator himself emerges as he consults with his mentor on the many issues thrown up by the Knitting Woman and her predicament. A certain David (who may be a Goliath, for the novel’s alternative title is Goliath’s Dream) is a traveller too and he is inextricably bound up with the main character. His dealings with the eccentric Lady S are both amusing and pathetic. David’s long suffering young friend, Jimmy, strikes up a tragically short-lived relationship with a much older, more sober lady. With The Knitting Woman I pay homage to Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men without in any way seeking to emulate the great author. I simply had in mind that work’s brevity and pungency. John Vetterlein 2005
About the Author
John Vetterlein was born in 1935. He spent the years of the Second World War at Redbridge, on the eastern approaches to London, and considers himself fortunate to have survived the V1 (flying bomb) and V2 (rocket) attacks. His father served throughout that war in the Royal Air Force. Having studied physics and mathematics, Vetterlein went on to work in civilian hospitals as a conscientious objector to military National Service. Before continuing his studies in chemistry and pharmacology, he worked as an astronomer and lecturer. In 1971, following a short spell as a secondary school teacher in London, Vetterlein moved to Wales in order to concentrate on writing and music. He worked in the Music Department, University College of Wales, Aberystwyth from 1983 until its closure in 1990. John Vetterlein is a true polymath. He is a prolific writer: his fiction output alone includes sixteen novels, six books of short stories, long stories, plays for radio and twenty poetry collections. An active musician, John Vetterlein is a member of the Haydn Society of Great Britain, the Rachmaninoff Society and the Ralph Vaughan Williams Society. His association with Orkney goes back to 1970. He has lived on Rousay full-time since 1990 from where he pursues his interests in astronomy, hill walking, music, photography and writing.