I’ve been thinking more and more of
returning to my knitting blog. Since retiring from my Nursing job with the Head Start
Program in July 2016, I find I have more time to pursue my knitting and other
assorted interests.
In the summer, our household added
a gentleman from my church who needed to rent a room.. After much prayer and
contemplation, I felt God calling me to meet this need. It provided him with
needed shelter and gave me a worthy Christian service to address some of his
health needs with my expertise in nursing.
The companionship was a win-win situation for both of us and this arrangement
has worked out well thus far. It has
also given me a subject to knit for.
He is a one legged amputee and as
winter approached, the need for hard-to-find, well fitted socks presented
itself. As I was sorting through my UFOs
(unfinished knitted objects), I ran across some Opal socks I had started for my
Dad who had passed away 5 years ago. I feel a little sad that I never finished
them for him, but now I have an opportunity to repurpose them. Originally, I designed a sock that was not to
be constrictive (for swollen ankles), with a 2 by 2 rib on 80 stitches. I had only finished the ribbing for an ankle
sock at the time. Since Mr. C was a taller man with a large foot, I decided to
make a knee sock. I adjusted the heel and
gusset to fit his larger ( Size 16 shoe) and higher instep. At the end of the ribbing I changed to a 2 by
3 rib for about 1 inch before starting the heel flap. This accommodated the
higher instep without binding the foot at the ankle joint. The sock was now renamed Chris’s sock. How nice I only had to do one sock…..perfect
to avoid 2nd sock syndrome.
Another UFO that has
been languishing was the Celtic
Throw I was making my son. The blanket is made with 2 strands of worsted
weight yarn held together. The pattern is very beautiful with a Celtic design, but as it grew, it
became very difficult to manage with the weight of it. This, however, will be exactly what my son
likes. It was planned to fit a twin bed
but I decided to end it shorter and resulted in a square throw. I think it will
still give good coverage on a bed or sofa.
Yet I am glad it is now finished and ready for Christmas giving.
Having Mr. C in my
home has given me an opportunity to meet and get to know some of his
friends. One is a single dad with 2
preadolescent daughters, that hold an affection for Mr. C. They are always concerned for him. These beautiful charming girls has given me a
chance to make some knitted items for them. It seems they like Minions. So I made a couple of Minions hats for them
for Christmas. It was a fun project.
Christmas is always a time of
remembering; remembering your childhood
Christmases, the traditions you had while you raised your children, the people
who shared Christmases with you who are now gone. There are glimpses of
melancholy and sadness that are fleeting. However, I am trying to rejuvenate the Joy of
Christmas and this year I had a little time on my hands. So I decorated…… and
celebrated Advent with my new housefriend.
It is such a joy to bring the Spirit of Christmas to one who has no
family and never had a real joyful Christmas in the past. I hope yours is a Merry Christmas and Happy
New Year!
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