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Love this sweater...maybe I'll add it to my list of sweaters to make...Garter Yoke Sweater Speaking of sweaters...made a little more progress on my current project. My problem is that I come home from work so tired that I just can't stay awake long enough to get much done. Oh well...
No news yet today...the big excitement in my house is this sweet little girl's 4th birthday!
Mazie Grace's 4th birthday
Big celebrations will be going on all day!
That's it for now...
Each time I go to visit my mom in the nursing home, I can tell immediately if it's going to be a good day or a tough one...if the shades are up and she is smiling, it will probably be a good day for her...and for my dad and I, as well. But on days when we round the corner to her room, if the room is dark we know that the torment of dementia will fill her day with fear, confusion, paranoia and a deep, vile depression.
Today was a very good day...she was laying in her bed...eyes closed, with a peaceful expression on her face. My dad and I both breathed a sigh of relief when we saw her. The minute she heard my voice she opened her eyes and smiled a glorious smile. We had a nice visit...as I was working through the house I grew up in that we are getting ready to put up for sale, I found her Bible. I took it to her, hoping it might spark some happy memories as she read through all of the pages filled with her handwritten notes and cross-references. My mother always loved to go to church. She was a Sunday School teacher for as long as I can remember. Church had deep meaning for my mother...she truly walked the talk her entire life. But...looking back, I know that the church was always a major social outlet for her since we lived in such a remote area and she had such limited opportunities to interact with others.
She was mesmerized by her Bible. It actually originally belonged to her mother. It was passed on to my mom. As she went through all of the notes and cards that were stored within the pages of the Bible...all placed there by her ages ago, she continued to ask me "Why would I write that note?"..."What was I going to do with this note?"...she did not take her eyes off of it for the first 30 minutes we were there...I could see flickers of memories light up her face as she recognized familiar memories...and also the confusion she tried to cover as she struggled to understand those things that made no sense to her.
She also was excited because I gave my dad a cell phone over the weekend...while we were visiting, we called mom's sister and mom got to spend time with her...it ultimately ended in tears as she had to say goodbye, but she enjoyed hearing her voice.
All in all, a good day and, all in all, last week was a good week. I managed to knit at least a little bit every day...which is now my daily goal...even if it's only for one row or just a few stitches...I've just got to keep the creative juices flowing...it makes such a difference!
All the best!
Wow...it's the end of a long day...it's the most perfect kind of evening...cold, raining and cozy with lots of progress on a sweater coming along. But I somehow feel this coziness is bittersweet. I traveled today to my hometown. My life has made such a drastic change over the past year that I hardly recognize it. I now make the 4 hour trip every-other-weekend to visit with my dad who now lives alone and my mom who is now in a nursing home...forever. The story itself is sad and long and I won't bore anyone with the details. Suffice it to say the past year has been a rollercoaster. And along this rollercoaster ride, I've found my way back to knitting and crocheting and sewing...it's a great way to focus my mind on something other than my troubles.
I've spent this evening listening to the rain and letting the stitches fly...I'm so focused on completing this sweater...I actually started it back in the fall when we were at our worst struggles with my mother's illness. This thing has taken on a life of its own...and I'm determined to finish this one and NOT shove it into a bag and cram it into my pile of unfinished projects.
Today one funny thing happened that made me laugh out loud...I had stopped by the drug store to load up on drugs because I am now being blessed with another cold...UGH...while I was there, staring at what seemed like hundreds of cold medicines, a woman walked in alone talking to herself at the top of her lungs. She was had wearing the most beautiful knitted hat...I couldn't stop staring at...when she turned her head I swear I nearly doubled over laughing...she had taken a regular cell phone...the kind that flips open...and shoved it underneath the hat with the ear piece on her ear and mouth piece at her mouth...she was using it like a bluetooth...now that's what I call being creative.
Okay, about to call it a day...success metrics for today: I knitted 5 inches of the sweater front!
So I'm totally back into knitting and all things needley! More to come soon but after a year of not posting, it's definitely time. Here's a photo of the sweater I'm working on. Just cast on the front and hope to keep this one moving along. It's a super-easy knit...and works up pretty quickly.
More later!
