I received word this morning that my friend and mentor Bev Galeskas has passed away. Even if you don't know recognize Bev's name, as a knitter you will be familiar with her company Fiber Trends and the fabulous and oft-knitted felted clog pattern.

Bev and I first became acquainted way back in 2000 or so. I had gone to Missoula with DD#2 to shop at a newly-opened yarn store there, and discovered that the owner was selling "kits" made up of yarn and photocopies of Fiber Trends patterns (one of which was Lily Chin's Reversible Cables Afghan). I called Fiber Trends and of course, Bev answered the phone. We had a short chat, and at the next Stitches, Lily came running up to me to give me a big hug and thank me for letting her and Bev know about the copyright infringement.

The next time I saw Bev was in late summer 2008, when she came to do a trunk show at Camas Creek Yarn. We reconnected and she asked about the possibility of being a distributor for my knitting patterns. Bev is really the reason I got my butt in gear and made individual versions of all of my Twists and Turns designs. And I learned a tremendous amount about "the biz" along the way, from an expert.

Bev stayed with us last fall after another trunk show at Camas Creek. She looked quite healthy, so I was shocked to get an e-mail from her a few weeks later, letting me know she had been diagnosed with cancer. She outlasted the initial prognosis, so I was lucky enough to be able to see her again this September, when I took DD#1 to college. Bev invited me to stop and spend the night at her house on the way back. We walked from the warehouse down to the Olive Garden and had a wonderful dinner.

I will always remember Bev as one of the most gracious people I've ever known. She was a pioneer in the self-publishing business, and all of us indie designers owe her a great deal for forging the way for the rest of us. I will miss her a great deal.