Shout Out on a Wednesday

I am sitting here in my jammies, at almost noon on a Wednesday, my husband asleep in his chair next to mine and I am feeling so grateful for the knitting world.

Specifically, I am thankful for the life long friends I have made through yarn. Of all things, yarn has brought me more deep friendships than I ever imagined. When I started going to knit groups & meetups almost 10 years ago there were only a few blogs on Knitting & Crochet Blogrings, a few good online yarn shops to shop at, and just the smallest group of hard to find indie dyers & spinners.  Blogrings were fun to peruse but it took a lot of work to hunt down patterns and the books or mags that patterns were referred to on people’s blogs.
My local knit group had started to meet weekly and we grew. That group of women will never be able to be replaced and no group will ever compare. Moving away from Santa Barbara wouldn’t have been so difficult if I hadn’t lost that group as well. We still keep in touch, mostly facebook and some on Ravelry, but it will never be the same as a weekly sit down over amazing coffee and food.

Ravelry. I was lucky enough to get an invite and be one of the first 400 users.  Just what was available that first couple of months was mind blowing! Sadly, it did cause my blog reading to decrease dramatically and my blog lost a lot of views but it was worth it.

Then, the forums started booming. Through the different friend connections and forums I started making friends. The Caffeine Addicts group, my own SBKnitters group, and just over the last 2 years the Alina Shea Creations group, have all been life altering for me. To find friends, companions, sisters that are spread all over the world yet bonded through some string is amazing to me.
With the loss of my former life in California, my disease taking over my body and mind, my new love, my renewal of my body, my new marriage, our new life in Kansas, our family, the loss of our son, the grief, and now the restructuring of my immediate future, I have found SO much strength and love through old and new friends. Women (and men) that have shared their struggles, their life, their ongoing commitment to overcome obstacles set before them with grace, humor, dignity, compassion. Those are just a few things I have learned from my friends.

It’s funny to feel so weak, in body and spirit, and be told by those that you adore and admire that you are strong. That you are an inspiration to them! How in my weakness and self pity can I be showing strength? I don’t know, I just know I am told that I am strong and it gives me that shove to keep going. I don’t worry about letting people down if I feel weak. I feel what I feel and until someone looks me in the face (either in person or virtually) and tells me I am giving in to weakness and not doing what is called for then I will continue to be what I am.

I believe I am surrounded by people that will force me to look at myself when I need to evaluate things and I will be able to honestly see what I need to change.  It has happened, and it will happen again I am sure!
That is what friendship is. Honesty, being open to the loving evaluation, advice, influence of your friends and family….and knowing that when you CHOOSE not to listen or take it they will love you just as much anyways!!

Now, back to my hooks, sticks, & string!