My dear twin brother Bill passed away in his sleep in January. I am so grateful that he went Home peacefully and is now reunited with Mom, Dad, and all those loved ones who have left this earth. I miss him. I keep asking myself, how did this happen so quickly…way too quickly for him to be gone from our lives. But, I have wonderful memories: his calling me "Si" (short for "sister") when we were little, the fun we had as teenagers playing badminton and croquet in our yard and winning the "sock hop" contest one night at youth group, the joy I felt when he was ordained as an Episcopal minister, the support and caring he always gave me, the pride I felt whenever I visited St. Thomas Church while he was here in Baltimore, hearing wonderful sermons and seeing how loved he was there, the blessedness I felt when he officiated at Max's and my wedding.
I shall be forever grateful that he had my wonderful sister-in-law and my dear niece and nephew surrounding him with love and care. When we were in first grade, the school we went to insisted that we be put into separate classrooms. But, I hated that because then I always worried about him, wondering if he was OK. ( I believe our Mom, upon hearing about my unhappiness, promptly arranged for us to be put together in the same classroom! ) When my sister-in-law married Bill, I was finally able to stop worrying about him…they took such good care of each other and I knew he was safe and happy.
Bill, you are gone too soon but I know as you said in your mealtime grace, we will "feast together in Paradise" someday.
So many of my students, Mays Chapel Methodist church members, friends and family have reached out to Max and me with sympathy, prayers, and caring. If I have neglected to thank you, I want to do so now. How I treasure each one of you…I feel comforted by all you have done.
And, in the midst of grieving, I am continuing to live my life as he would have wanted me to do, doing the things that give me joy: teaching, knitting, and growing in my faith. So, I have planned my spring semester of knitting classes. The meeting dates of the various groups are in the calendar below. If you are interested in joining one of my classes just email me at notesfromknitclass@gmail.com to get more information or to register.
And, as Elizabeth Zimmerman, the "grandmother" of knitting often said "Knit on with confidence and hope, through all crises." So here's one project that is on my needles right now: the "Finite Infinity Scarf/Cowl".
Infinity Scarves or Moebius scarves are worn by slipping over your head either once (for a longer look) or twice (for a double, up-close to your neck look).
I decided to make one that I don't have to put over my head twice for the warmer way to wear it (and thus messing up my hair!) so elected to make one where the beginning and ending edges are not joined. I put buttons at one end and buttonholes at the other end so it really isn't "infinite" but is "finite" or un-joined at the ends, but can be joined by buttoning the ends together.
Here are some pictures of the 2nd one I've made (the third one is the one on my needles still! ). I can wear it so many ways:
And I used an easy "one row elongated stitch" called the "Veil Stitch" which makes it soft and lacy looking .
To share my joy of knitting I am making the Finite Infinity Cowl/Scarf available for free. You can download it at:
Spring will be coming soon (the groundhog didn't see his shadow!! ) and with it new life and new opportunities. Life changes so quickly and unexpectedly, so dear blog readers, don't neglect to tell your friends and relatives how important they are to you and that you love them. The last words my brother and I said to each other were "I love you". Do it today!
Mary
