Thursday, October 1, 2015

One Stitch at a Time

It just occurred to me that I have not yet shown knitting progress on a kit I purchased soon after Julie and I returned to Colorado in May.

That month of May in South Carolina was a complete wash in terms of knitting. Even if there had been time to sit down and knit, there was not a whit of concentration left in my frazzled mind.  So just as well that my hands had a break from the needles.

During June, I finished one of The Yarn Harlot books.  A story she wrote stuck with me when she talked about a woman in her circle of friends who took on the daunting task of beginning to knit a blanket, a huge one.  The woman in the story decided to begin this project while in the midst of several personal crises, including severe depression and the break up of her marriage.  McFee, aka The Yarn Harlot, went on to write that this woman, stitch by stitch, finished one row and then another, day by day, week by week. Lo and behold, after a year, the blanket was completed.  Somehow, the working of the project, the clearing of the mind, that entire process of making a blanket required a different sort of concentration of efforts.  And it resulted in more than just a finished blanket. With the ending of that enormous knitting effort, her depression had lifted and she had made important decisions, including one to end her marriage.  What determination she had.

Back to my tie-in and identification with the woman who undertook that blanket project.  No, I am not leaving my husband. But I did decide to order from a Norwegian designer who had put together kits for the most determined of knitters.  Those who had knit up this daunting project took months to complete it, according to their notes on Ravelry.  So I took the mental plunge back in June and bought the kit, knowing I would eventually complete it because I must finish what I start... a compulsion.  It may take a while to complete, but each completed stitch will work toward good mental health.

So this is the Promenade Shawl now on the needles, started in June:

But then I got distracted with other projects, like knitting up Julie's acrylic shawl just in time for cool weather.


She wore it yesterday on her Wednesday visit to our house.  Her aide helped to choose the dress from her closet to match the shawl, and got her ready.  Julie was all smiles when Dennis delivered her to our curb.  Gene made guacamole and tacos at her request.



Joining in with Ginny and her Yarn Along!

Julie and I took a leisurely wheel over to the hospice restaurant again this week. After thinking about the Ezra book and praying about the situation, it went much better than our first outing there. Thank you all for your kind comments about the Very Busy woman, by the way.  (And no, I have not heard from Her again.)

Here we are in the sun before our lunch.  A kind gentleman snagged from a nearby bench was the photographer.



Recipes tried this week: Beer Bread, and Rosemary Bread, thanks to Stephanie who blogs here.  Ya'll have a good weekend!

7 comments:

  1. Hi Nancy! That is SUCH a cute photo!
    I love your big project! You'll have it finished before a year goes by, I'm sure!

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  2. Our family is going through an emotional struggle right now, and the other night my husband and I were trying to stop focusing on the issue for our sanity, and I asked him what his goals were. He then asked me mine, although he commented that knitting was my passion and there wasn't much left for me to accomplish with it. But I told him my dream would be to get the Di Capo kit from HF and complete it. But the price is what keeps me from taking the plunge! You go girl! You will love your Promenade when done.

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  3. Love the Promenade shawl--it's beautiful, and I can't wait to see yours when you finish.

    I also love the picture of you and Julie. You both look lovely!

    xofrances

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  4. A lovely picture of you both together. Your knitting skills are superb, the promenade shawl is quite something, hope you finish it soon.

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  5. Beautiful shawl! Love seeing you and Julie enjoying the sunshine! Have a blessed day dear friend, HUGS!

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  6. How'd the bread come out? Thanks for the shout out. This is a cute pic of you and your daughter. I have personal WIPs that should have at least a row a day. I loved reading that tidbit about the woman who found it therapeutic to knit a blanket during the challenges in her life.

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  7. Thanks for posting the very pretty photo of you and Julie. It looks like a beautiful day too. It's finally feeling a little bit like fall here.
    I read Following Ezra after you mentioned it. I really enjoyed it. There are certainly lessons there for all of us, not just parents of children with autism.

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