Her name was Silver, Maud Silver

Miss Cara persevered.
"Her name is Maud Silver. Louisa says she has solved many difficult cases besides being an extremely expert knitter."

Have you met Miss Silver yet? She is a detective in the mould of Miss Marple, but she's a continental knitter, whereas I always imagine Miss Marple as an English knitter. She appears in about thirty novels by Patricia Wentworth written in the 1930s to 60s. They go in and out of print but are usually easy to find in charity shops and jumble sales.

The quote above is from The Benevent Treasure, in which the mystery involves secret passages, hidden treasure, murder and true love (there's always a love story in Miss Silver novels).

In Spotlight Miss Silver indulges in some yarn tasting:

Miss Maud Silver was choosing wool for a set of infant's vests. After the Khaki and Air Force yarn she had knitted up during the war, to say nothing of useful grey stockings for her niece Ethel's three boys, it was a real pleasure to handle these soft blush-pink balls - all ready wound, and so much better than you could wind it yourself.... This pale pink wool was a most charming colour, and so soft and light. She paid for her purchase, and stood waiting for her change and the parcel.

As the case progresses, so does the knitting, until finally the case is solved and the knitting is complete:

The fire burned bright. The room was comfortable and warm. Miss Silver had finished the vest she had been knitting and had begun another. An inch of ribbing ruffled on the needles in a pale pink frill. She looked at Justin and Dorinda with a benignant smile. Nothing please her better than to see young people happy.

I have only just realised, on rereading a few of the novels for about the sixth time, that whereas Miss Silver is the only knitter there is quite often a character who embroiders. However, in contrast to dear Miss Silver, the embroiderers are always selfish, feckless or cold-hearted, if not downright evil. Knitting = useful, intelligent, creative, therapeutic. Embroidery = useless, stereotyped, uncreative, time-wasting! (Yow!)

I do recommend these novels if you like detective stories in the classic 'golden age' style (what I believe are called 'cozy' murder mysteries in the USA.)

Comments

[Jill]

My mother was a Miss Silver fan - I read some of them at a very early age - probably before I was 10! I'd forgotten all about them. Ruth Rendell also brings knitting into some of her books - there is a short story in which a wife kills her husband with a fine metal sock needle. And on University Challenge last night where it was two teams of professionals one of them - a woman - listed knitting as one of her interests!