Many people don’t think of knitting and caregiving going together. Well, they do in more ways than one. One of the most obvious is that knitting is a way to pass the time.  Many knitting projects are portable, and are handy to take along for an uncertain wait.  Like when a caregiver waits at a doctor’s office or for medical testing or treatments.  The right project can also be dropped when the caregiver needs to give care, and picked up later. Knitting is also a stress-reliever.  And it can be a solution or at least a partial solution to caregiver stress. I learned to knit about the... (Read More ...)

Caregiver stress can quickly become overwhelming.  It can sneak up on you, taking more and more of your time, energy and resources.  Or it can quickly escalate with a crisis or sudden deterioration of the one you are giving care to.  Both quilting and knitting can help you deal with caregiver stress. When my mother could no longer quilt, she enjoyed watching me piece and quilt projects.  And when she needed a hospital bed, the quilt as you go squares from an unfinished quilt made covers for the bedrails.  They added padding to the hard metal rails.  And the sunny yellow and bright blues... (Read More ...)

Today I wrote this blog post on “The Knitting Yarn.” It has to do with overcoming grief in a way you might not expect.  What Do Inspirational Quotations and Butterflies and Lantana Bushes Have in Common?  Wondering how inspirational quotations, butterflies and lantana bushes are connected? One of the best — maybe the best — plants to attract butterflies is the lantana bush. Its blossoms are often two colors, and vary in color even on the same plant. It likes well-drained soil, and once established doesn’t need a lot of care. I have one in my back yard. Last year my sister rescued... (Read More ...)

Mothers often share knitting and inspirational thoughts with their daughters. Today I wrote a Mother’s Day post on The Knitting Yarn, and am sharing it with you here. Did you first learn to knit from your mother or grandmother? Many knitters did. Like many crafts, it connects the generations. Today is Mother’s Day, and I found a poem I thought you might enjoy…   A Mother’s LoveThere are times when only a mother’s loveCan understand our tears,Can soothe our disappointsAnd calm all of our fears. There are times when only a mother’s loveCan share the joy we... (Read More ...)

  Today is Day two of the 3rd Annual Knitting and Crochet Blog Week from Eskimimi Makes.  And today’s challenge is to be creative with photography.  So, I decided to challenge myself with finding a way to combine knitting and caregiving, and set a scene.  Knitting can help pass the time, and it can also result in making something for the knitter or the one needing care. Sometimes it’s a way to get the one needing care interested in something, to take her thoughts off her illness.  Or maybe she can even “supervise” if she’s knitted in the past.  She might be excited to receive... (Read More ...)

  Play AudioPlay Video Today is the first day of the 3rd Annual Knitting and Crochet Blog Week.  Today’s topic is Colour Lovers.  And this post has my answers to some questions about colors knitters often get asked.   How do you choose colors for your knitting projects? Mostly I love choosing a color that the recipient will want to wear.  Whether it’s for me or for a gift.  So when possible for a gift, I try to get yarn in colors she or he will love.  When I look at the colors in my stash, they are colors that comfort me. There’s some bright red and green for Christmas, bright... (Read More ...)

  Play AudioPlay Video Yesterday I attended an Open House for instructors at my local Joann Fabrics and Crafts Store. I realized late the night before that it would be a good idea to wear a knitted heart, since Valentine’s Day is only a few days away. Don’t you think it’s a good idea for the knitting instructor to be showing Valentine crafts at the February Open House? I could not find the one I made a couple of years ago. No problem! I got out the pattern I created a couple of years ago and tweaked it. With only a few yards of yarn, I knit a heart in about 30 minutes. Rather than... (Read More ...)

I have finished my first sock of 2012! And what I have decided is I’m working on my own version of a generic sock.  Right now it’s knit cuff down, because the arch shape seems to work best that way. The arch shape is based on Elizabeth Zimmermann and Meg Swansen’s “Arch-Shaped Stockings” pattern, available from Schoolhouse Press. My current interest in socks started while caring for my mother. In her later years, it was often hard to keep her warm.  And her feet in particular would get cold.  The socks available in the stores were seldom what she wanted, so I decided to knit... (Read More ...)

Play AudioPlay Video Daylight Savings Time 2011 (officially Daylight Saving Time 2011) has ended in the U.S. Do you notice a change in your caregiving? Whether you’re giving care to a baby, an adult or animals, it doesn’t take long to realize how sensitive they can be to light – and to time changes. Try to explain to a hungry child or pet that it’s not time to eat for another hour because the time just changed.  Yeah, right. It’s no surprise that many farmers hated Daylight Saving Time when it first went almost national in 1966. And ever notice how it also can affect adults? Maybe... (Read More ...)

Play AudioPlay Video Does knitting relieve your stress? If so you’re not alone.  Knitting stimulates the Relaxation Response.  And if you’re a spinner or a crocheter or other crafter, your craft probably does the same thing! “I take my knitting everywhere to take the edge off of moments that would otherwise drive me stark raving mad.”  ~Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, At Knit’s End:  Meditations for Women Who Knit Too Much Knitters and other crafters have known for centuries what medical science has confirmed in the last 30 years.  Knitting is relaxing! Do you find yourself drawn... (Read More ...)