The Present — Nancy Springer

The girl named Saffron knows family and clan the way she knows earth and sky, as absolutes. Of course, after a separation of four years, she looks forward to seeing her grandmother again, and makes a gift for her, a clay spindle. When Grandmother does not know who she is or what her gift is for, Saffron's world is shattered. What good is a circle of clay now? How can anything ever make sense again?