Knitting for Sanity

As I was blog surfing earlier, I discovered this:

It was created by SilverRose in response to a post by Mamacate.

I, too, knit socks for sanity. Last summer when my mother-in-law was suddenly hospitalized I found myself in the emergency room desperately knitting the sock that I always carry along with me. The attending physician even commented that I would get a lot done on it. The next day, nearing the end of the sock and pair in progress, I found myself at work for an hour. Under my desk was a large bag of sock yarn intended for my knitting club. Hey, I was desperate and under extreme stress. I figured I could take a skein and replace it later (I am good that way). Stressed out as I was I could not decide on which skein to take so ... I took the whole bag. Well, it was the end of the school year, no one would need it until September so I would just store it at home for the summer. Yeah, right.

Later that day I grabbed a pink striped Opal ball and cast on the pair that I am wearing right now. Over the next few days as I kept Mike company in the waiting room of MICU, I bounced from project to project but the socks were always with me. I knit them while attending the kids' end of year parties and while stopped at traffic lights. After mom's passing, I knit incessently while out and about, even while walking the kids to camp. Always socks while on the move. I took a second ball from the school stash (I still had not gotten to a store to purchase any) and knit a pair of socks for my brother-in-law. (Steve, if you are reading this then keep reading to understand why you never got them.) I was so tense while knitting them that the 72 stitches that used to work for Mike's feet wound up far too tight. If you know anyone with a size 12, narrow foot, let me know, I have a great pair of socks for them. That was the pair that I was working on in the corn maze. It was also that pair that was knit so fast that I found myself calling home to make sure that Mike grabbed the heel yarn so that I could turn the heel during the kids' gymnastics show (not while they were performing). (I was on the road and did not think I would get up the foot quite as fast as I did.)

Finally I found myself at Labidie Looms in Pennsylvania and picked up a beautiful skein of soft purple hand-dyed sock yarn and knit the Angel's Rest sock. I do not think I realized the significance of the pattern name until right now. Now, I continue to knit socks but a little less intensly. They helped me get through a difficult summer and for that I am grateful.

Today I cast on a new pair for my darling daughter after she fell and gained two boo boos. Just a plain pair but the act of casting on made me feel better and brought a small smile to her face through the tears.

Tomorrow ... a tale of a mother's pride in both of her children.