Knit to share

Like so many others, I started knitting again when my mother's health started to fail. Keeping her company in hospital rooms, I wanted to keep my attention focussed on her needs, but I also needed something to do as well. Reading was difficult; my attention was often interrupted. So I decided to knit. I soon learned that I wasn't alone in this decsion. One day, as I was looking at yarn in my local yarn shop another woman walked in. "My mother is in the hospital and I thought I could knit while I keep her company," she said. "I haven't done it in years...."

Yes, knitting is a good thing to do. It is comforting to the knitter and, I think, also to the person in the hospital bed. It's something familiar from home and a point of conversation about something non-medical. In the hard, prickly world of medicine, the knitting project is a wispy gentleness that can be brushed against a cheek, something impossibly soft and pliant for fingers to squeeze, and a pattern that is easily recognizable. It is momentary order in Chaos.


I like to share my knitting. I'm not perfect at it and I don't do complex patterns anymore. But I spend hours working my hopes and feelings into each scarf or hat. I suppose, I hope that the scarves I sent to the Think Pink Challenge--a link is provided below--will bring a moment of comfort to the women battling breast cancer.

Another Triangle Wrapped

This wrap also used the same pattern from Exquite Little Knits, but was knitted with Moda Dea's Curious in black cherry. The second yarn was, once again, Knit One Crochet Two Frosting. I think it worked better in this combination, since Curious is heavier than Fling. At first, I was afraid that the Frosting might again be too dark, but it blended in very well with the cherry.

A Triangular Fling Wrapped Up

CPY's Fling has me captivated. I knitted this short wrap from a pattern in the Exquisite Little Knits book. When I'd knitted with Fling before, it tended to "shrink" into itself. So I was pleased that by combining Fling with Knit One Crochet Two's Frosting I ended up with a wrap that keeps its shape. Yes, I took a chance with two yarns that I had in my stash. Frosting might actually be a tad too heavy but, overall, Fling makes the fashion statement. Was it cheating to add beads to the cast on leader?!