A Gift Of Yarn and Knitting A Story



A few weeks ago, before the world went insane, I was contacted by the lovely people at LoveCrafts, asking me if I’d like to have some free yarn to play with. Would anyone say no to that? Well, not me! The “rules” to the game were simple: Choose from a really nice selection of yarn, choose one of their free patterns to go with it, and post a link after I was finished. Count me in!

It took me about a week to decide what to make, but knowing that I had a trip to Seattle coming up, I wanted something simple-yet-interesting, and also not too bulky, so it would pack and travel easily. I settled on the Twinette shawl and MillaMia Naturally Soft Merino yarn in Cloud Grey.

I’d ordered from LoveCrafts before. Their prices and sales are great, shipping is always quick, and packaging is beautiful. My yarn arrived in time for me to get started before hopping on the train to Seattle. I got right into it, and found the pattern fun to make, easy to memorize, and interesting enough without being fiddly. It was good train knitting. It was also good visiting knitting and watching tv knitting. Nothing is good hanging-out-with-an-18-month-old knitting, but I already knew that.

I’m not a fast knitter, but I got quite a lot done in the two weeks I was there. Shortly into my visit, stay at home suggestions, and then orders, were starting to happen. I wasn’t totally sure I’d be able to go home to Oregon as scheduled. I was more and more sure I wouldn’t want to take the train. As the stress built, and the reality of the Coronavirus situation sank in, I was glad to have some friendly knitting to focus on.

It was finally decided that Rick would drive up from Seaside to pick me up. By this point it was clear that he would have to keep a safe distance from the kids and grand babies, and that we would turn right around and go home the same day. It was a long day for him, and a sad day for me, leaving loved ones, not knowing when it would be safe to hug them again. It’s hard to knit and cry at the same time, but I did that on the way home.

We decided to self quarantine for two weeks, knowing we could be putting each other at risk, but not having an alternative. Nobody was doing that yet in our town, and friends thought we were crazy. Now, of course, we’re all staying clear of each other, and our sanity is no longer under scrutiny - at least not for that.

I finished my shawl under quarantine. I used 5 balls of yarn, and it came out nice and big. The perfect size to wear either as a scarf or a shawl. I still had one ball of yarn left, so I decided to add crocheted fringe. I loved it pre-fringe, but now I absolutely adore it.


Every project I make has something of a question mark in it. Will I keep it, or give it away? I never know until it’s finished. This one, which I will forever think of as the Quarantine Shawl, has so much emotion and story knitted into the stitches. In the month or so that I worked on it, the whole world changed. And yet, along the way, I was still able to create something beautiful, lasting, comforting, and even playful. It holds memories of a time we will talk about for the rest of our lives. It’s definitely a keeper.


Many thanks to LoveCrafts for their generosity, for giving me room to create, and for understanding my lateness in getting this post written (face masks have had my complete attention). If you’re looking for something to help hold your feet to the ground these days, take a look at what LoveCrafts has to offer. It’s a good time to knit a story of your own.

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