Patience signed up for an after school knitting club last January and I got to tag along with the other munchkins for an hour each Tuesday for about six weeks. Everyone except Vivace tried it out and it was fun. I learned how to knit, something I've always wanted to do, and now I supposedly can help the kids when they get stuck. I learned the knit stitch and one of Dante's teachers gave me a pattern for a dishcloth. I was so proud of myself! I can knit dishcloths! And it keeps me awake during sermons (not that they're boring but I listen better when my hands are busy so it's been a great occasion to practice and my attentiveness has been greatly improved).
Ok, so anyway, a neighbor of mine caught wind of my 'achievement' (probably because I came crawling to her for help one Sunday afternoon). She works with a local refugee resettlement group, and the local yarn shop was doing a "knit a quilt square" project to make blankets for the refugees, most of whom come from warmer climates (Senegal and the like). So I agreed to knit a square. What a stretch that was. I had to learn to purl, and to calculate gauge (still not sure of that... and I really struggle going back and forth between knit and purl - must be doing something wrong there). It was a challenge, but it was good practice. That said, it took me TWO MONTHS (mid March to mid May!) to finish that square. But I did it! Again, I was so proud. It was plain solid rose color. Nothing fancy. There was no way I was going to finish if I had to learn anything else new so I stuck with "boring". But it was done by the deadline (more or less) and it was relatively nice - pretty even and only one accidental yarn over "oops" that I decided we could live with (and they agreed). There were several hundred squares donated (mind you some folks churned out a dozen - I did ONE!). They were able to make several nice sized blankets and it felt good to help in a real way while getting necessary practice!
So 15 minutes ago (and four months later) my phone rings and it's the yarn shop. You see, each person who knit a square got entered in a raffle. And I won one of the raffles! I have no idea what I have won, or if I'll even know what it is, but they have "set aside a few items for me" and I can't believe I won! Wow. What fun. I learned how to knit - it has blessed me - I blessed some poor person I'll never meet with a plain block - and now I get a "prize". What a rewarding new hobby I've found. I'm really encouraged. And I'm definitely blessed.
Now to keep working on my knitting. . . . . :-) Dishcloth anyone?
-Shiloh
3 comments:
And I was just about to buy your Christmas dishcloths. Will rethink.
Mother/URL
Well, mom, honestly, I've knit about five dishcloths total (I'm not fast - maybe one a month?) and I've given most of them away. At the moment, I'm working on a headband instead of a dishcloth (my 2nd headband - almost done!). I don't think that at the speed I'm working you need let it affect your Christmas decisions. :-)
Oh, and to follow up, my "prize" was a fun nylon tote bag (for carrying my knitting in if so desired), and a wool "soak", no rinsing required, to clean my fine knitted items (granted that would not be my dishcloths of course!). At least I know what these things are! I was a little worried.... Constance and Vivace conned me into buying some more yarn while we were there and I'm busy using that to make Patience and Constance matching headbands ... Not sure what Vivace wants me to do with his choice. I think he just liked having input. His is green. The other is pastel multicolors.
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