Thanks to Monique for translating my description into English!
The masked ball was already in full swing. Melissa was a little off in a corner of the room and watched the goings-on. The breeze, which on the Canale Grande coming through the open windows was fresh and she was glad that they yesterday just finished making the Chrysopolis-Stola which she wore. In the middle of the room where hundreds of masked people cavorted and danced, the air was hot and stuffy.
Melissa was bored. This was already the fifth masked ball in which she participated and she knew most of those present, despite their masks. Should she wait or did she prefer to go?
She went to the window and looked out into the night. Suddenly she had the feeling of being watched and turned around. Not far away stood a man whom she most certainly had never seen before. A mask concealed his face. She could only see his eyes - eyes like a cat, gray-green with an amber-colored ring around the iris. He was a bit bigger than most men present and wore his blond hair tied up in a pony tail. The man came up to her and invited her to dance to. Actually, Melissa wanted to refuse, but she moved as hypnotized by him. Something in this man, she moved her like magic.
Melissa danced the whole night with the stranger. He had come from another country because he spoke with an accent, which she could not assign. In no time at all it was midnight, and thus to the unmasking time so quickly passed.
At the last dance, the stranger escorted Melissa out onto the terrace. Melissa anxiously waited for the stranger’s mask to finally fall, but he bowed before her, told her that he would go and he would come back again. So suddenly as he appeared at the masked ball, the stranger disappeared.
Melissa lost her fun on the masked ball and took a gondola ride home.
The next morning a messenger brought a package for Melissa. It contained wool so fine and soft as she never had in her hands before. It also contained a card by the stranger. Some days Melissa touched and looked at this wonderful wool until she knew what she wanted to knit with it. She sat down and drew a pattern and began to knit. Now she sat down at the window and looked again at the Canale Grande from the house in hopes of the seeing the stranger.
The shawl was nearly finished and still no sign of life of the stranger. Melissa was disappointed and dejected. She thought he stranger would present himself when the cloth was finished. Sometimes she thought that the evening at the masked ball had just been a dream, so unreal did it seem.
Meanwhile, the Carnival season began. The stranger has still not appeared. Melissa would prefer to remain at home rather than the loss of hope when the stranger did not reappear at the balls. Every time she left the ball feeling disappointed because the stranger had not appeared.
The last ball of the season Melissa went against her better judgment. She wore her shawl and stood as the year before in the corner by the window and watched the room. For her the evening was almost over when she discovered a newcomer was received. Her heart began to race. It was the stranger! She looked to the entrance in hope. Their eyes met and the stranger went straight through the crowd towards her. Again they danced the whole evening together. When it was time for the unmasking Melissa was led by the stranger to the terrace. Melissa feared he would go again as last year, but this time he took his mask. Melissa was led to a waiting skiff which took them out into the lagoon where his ship was anchored.
…
By now you are asking yourself - What is the deal??
…. At the moment I am in a “romantic” phase and designed a shawl. I have tried hard to find the right wrapping story for this event …
This is the announcement for the next knit-along. Here is where the group will take place. We knit a cloth again. I am pleased to announce a brand new yarn to try that in the next few weeks will be available in Germany. Once the yarn is officially available, I will share with you with further the information about how much yarn is needed for the cloth. I estimated that we will start knitting in about 5 weeks.
Do you know the people want a knit-along? Again the group will be closed to new members during the knit-along, so I ask: Please do a bit of advertising so that those who are interested joining us are here in good time.
The pattern is free and the wool is not sold by me. But I will give you a source, in the event that you want to use the original yarn to knit.