12-31-2019

I have one last finished object to share for 2019! I finally finished the Time Trades Shawl that I started last May. If you’re a knitter, you’ll understand the story I’m about to tell… I happily started this project in the spring, sure that I’d finish it in time for the #summertimetrades knitalong to end. Instead, as you probably know, my mother was diagnosed with brain cancer. I carried this project bag for four months between the hospital, the acute rehab center, her home where we tried to give her a handful more days, back to the hospital, and last to the nursing home in my town where she finally passed. Back and forth, I carried this shawl project, knitting just a few rows here and there. My mother would say, “what is that?” And I’d reply, “oh, you know me, always working on some shawl that I never finish.” At one point, I was mad at myself - all this sitting in hospitals should have been prime knitting time! Why wasn’t I being more productive?? I finally realized that it was because I sat beside her bed, holding her hand most of the time, that I wasn’t knitting. After she passed, I decided to pick up this project and finish it by the end of the year. This project deserves to live in 2019 with the rest of everything we endured. But, it has memory… And, in addition to the sad memories it brings up, it tells me that my mother would finally be proud of me for finishing something! So, I wear my last finished project of 2019 and start to dream about 2020. Let’s hope for peace on Earth - and finished projects - in the coming year.