Knitting...for the Next Generation

This stunning rainbow belongs to the latest finished Baby Genius Burp Cloth; it was created with Ty-Dy cotton. New to me, it is heavenly soft, and has more subtle shadings than Peaches & Creme. I couldn't resist buying a bunch! My dear retired husband and I took a drive to Brevard, NC last week to see Charlotte's Fibers. Charlotte is a tall, beautiful woman who is intelligent and multi-talented. Her shop is clean and neat as a pin; it is well lighted, easy to move through and the yarns are displayed wonderfully. Parking is a breeze and, conveniently, a bookstore and a little deli/cafe are on either side of the yarn shop. I didn't want to leave.

I restrained myself, and purchased only a fraction of what I would have liked to, with the knowledge that I would return in the fall. (My little knitting group makes trips together now and then; we want to know where to find the most wonderful yarns, and want to gab over lunch, too. So I have checked it out and the group will make a day of it in a couple of months.)

It is a nice big squeezable ball of yarn; my new choice for bibs, burp cloths, ballband warshrags, etc. I think it will wash well, and will let you know; I will wash and dry the completed burp cloth before I bind off on the second one. They generally shrink from top to bottom, and since this goes over the shoulder, I want it long enough after washing and drying.







Aren't these the prettiest colorways? I have fallen in love with them all! I promise to share the finished projects; I anticipate there will be many. (I am trying to figure out how to log cabin with these yarns - I would like to do something wonderful that shows them all off in one big way.)

Mom taught me to knit when I was nearly 60 and I grew to love it as she did; she would love these yarns we buy today. She is now 88 and can no longer knit. She has dementia and has been losing bits and pieces of her life since...well, we're not sure, but probably around 1990, or a few years before that.

She's a cute little thing right now. She still loves a joke, and can even make a few of her own; we love seeing her laugh (below). But she can't comprehend time's passage or the fact that she gave birth to three children who still call her Mom; she doesn't know where other states and other countries are; she has lost her common sense; she recalls her childhood in tiny fragments only when we remind her of the good times she had as a girl. "Oh, my! You remember all those things?" she says to me. "Mom, only because you told me stories of your life when I was young." I tell her the stories now, of her parents and brothers, their vacations, who she married, and name her children, and then her grandchildren. She's lost most of the names, but understands the importance of family and is grateful for hers.


When Mom and I visited this week, I wanted to share some family news with her. It took some explaining and careful listening on her part, but she finally understood that she would become a great grandmother in the winter, and that it was very good news!





I hope she will be able to enjoy a tiny bundle in her arms once again. She still loves and feels love. That's the best part of life, after all, isn't it?


Beth