I now have my mom’s knitting bag. It’s sitting by my chair, just as it sat by Mom’s chair over the years. Her knitting is still in it, just where she left it the last time she picked up the # 2 needles to work on the blue ‘owl’ baby sweater, size 0 to 3 months. That’s all she knit during the last years of her life. Always for the sewing group, which raised money to give to organizations helping the needy.
Up until the last year of her life, Mom would faithfully go to the meetings every Monday afternoon. Someone would pick her up, and although she always took the bag with her, toward the end, she didn’t do much knitting. To celebrate her 100th birthday her knitting group friends planted a tree at her assisted living facility. They loved her just sitting there smiling while they knit away.
I’m not certain what I’ll do with the bag. Maybe it will stay by my chair to offer silence, solitude and simplicity. After all, that’s what Mom always gave me. Along with the unfinished owl sweater (including needles, instructions and tape measure) is a folded obituary of one of the sewing group members. She was young, only 79, when she died. Mom had 22 more years being with her knitting friends every Monday.
Up until the last year of her life, Mom would faithfully go to the meetings every Monday afternoon. Someone would pick her up, and although she always took the bag with her, toward the end, she didn’t do much knitting. To celebrate her 100th birthday her knitting group friends planted a tree at her assisted living facility. They loved her just sitting there smiling while they knit away.
I’m not certain what I’ll do with the bag. Maybe it will stay by my chair to offer silence, solitude and simplicity. After all, that’s what Mom always gave me. Along with the unfinished owl sweater (including needles, instructions and tape measure) is a folded obituary of one of the sewing group members. She was young, only 79, when she died. Mom had 22 more years being with her knitting friends every Monday.
