9 comments

1. Natalie / August 27, 2014 My husband was diagnosed with lymphoma at age 36. I took off from work so I could go to every chemo session with him, because he would feel awful afterwards. I would work on knitting something while in the waiting room. It gave me something to occupy my mind, it gave me something to talk about with others in the waiting room (so we wouldn’t all feel sad about our loved ones in treatment), and it amused the nurses to see me finishing projects. It even inspired one nurse to take knitting back up again after years of not knitting. My husband is in remission now, but I still use knitting to relieve stress from work or any other smaller life problems.

2. Darlene Hollingsworth / August 25, 2014 I had a double bypass, the day I got home from my operation my husband was diagnosed with cancer, he passed three months later, I then has to pack up and leave my home and went home to live with my son.. Some days all I could do was sit in a corner with my knitting in my hands and cry. But knitting helped me get back on my feet. And gave me reasons to get out and go to yarn shops and see people. Knitting and knitters are the only reason I can still take one step after another.

3. Cindy / August 25, 2014 Last year a friend’s daughter was critically injured in a car accident. Being so far away to be of much help, I decided to make a prayer shawl. I had never really seen the value of those shawls before but while I was working on it, I was constantly thinking of her and her family and it helped me. Unfortunately she passed away, but the shawl went to her younger sister who managed to gain some comfort from it as well.

4. Sabrina / August 25, 2014 Knitting was a salve that helped me though when my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer three years ago. I would sit next to her in the hospital and knit washcloth after washcloth. The click of the needles and the movement involved with knitting would give her much needed distraction and give her something to talk about when people visited. And her joy when I bound-off and passed her a new washcloth always gives me comfort. She’d proudly add it to her collection or give it to a friend. My mother was the type of person that would give her shirt off her back if someone needed it, so seeing her do what came naturally to her with something I made meant a lot. I miss her every day, but I still send her a little prayer with every stitch I knit.

5. Nikky / August 25, 2014 I had only been knitting for a few months when my father was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He passed away less than 4 weeks after that diagnosis. I spent most of that time in a shell-shocked state, but I remember I was knitting a simple scarf for my husband and that I spent hours with the litany of “knit two, purl two” in my head. I told myself not to think of anything else, just that pattern of stitches. Later that year, I also lost my mother in law. She was the one who taught me to knit. One of the last things we did together was attend a regional knitting convention. I had attended my first one with her the year before, only a couple weeks after learning the knit stitch (it was that weekend she taught me to purl) and they had a fashion show as part of the agenda. I thought to myself at the time, “Next year, I want to be part of that show,” so I worked on building my skills. Sure enough, we both took part in that fashion show one year later (me wearing my first-ever shawl). I’m glad I have that last memory of her.

6. Barbara S. / August 25, 2014 My father and grandmother both passed away within a month of each other this year. My go to project at the time was socks. I found myself feeling lost and would pick up my knitting. The hardest part was turning the heel as I had so much trouble concentrating on how many stitches I needed to pick up. I finished the first sock shortly after the last funeral service. Now that I’ve started the second sock I am thinking of all the good memories I have from both of them.

7. Kathy / August 22, 2014 I picked knitting up again several years ago when my dad was ill. I wanted to spend more time with him, but he didn’t want me wasting time on him, so I started knitting while I was with him. He was comfortable with that and I found that it helped me with the stress of his illness. I have continued to knit since then and if I don’t knit for a few days, I’m missing it!

8. Leesa Gentry / August 22, 2014 Several years ago I had my neck fused and was at home for 3 months. During my recovery I wasn’t allowed to lift, bend, stretch, or carry anything drove me crazy. After days of watching everyone else do the things I generally did for my family I was losing my mind. My grandmothers had taught me to knit and crochet as a little girl. So when it came time to think of a gift for a family friend who was having a baby, the answer was a blessing. I may have only sat on the couch, or napped but at the end of the day I could see that I had completed something. Making gifts has always been one of my greatest joy and now it has saved my mind as well.

9. Patricia / August 22, 2014 When my dad died, I knit constantly. It was the only thing that saved my sanity. Years later, when my Mom died, I couldn’t knit. I was speaking to one of her friends (who is not a knitter) and commented to her that I’d noticed I was so stressed, I wasn’t able to knit. “You HAVE to knit”. She told me. “Go get your project and get to work”. So, I picked it up again, and little by little, got back to normal knitting. And the stress melted away as I did.

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