Purls of Friendship or whatever we end up calling ourselves, met last week for the first teaching session. We were fortunate enough to have a very skilled teacher who volunteered her time to teach those who had never picked up needles before.
Let me preface this post by saying I am not a knitter! I can, however, knit. I learned a few years ago while living in NJ. I needed an outlet so I would go out on Wednesday nights for two hours and knit. What I ended up with was a nice, red scarf that was too itchy for my son to wear! I happen to pick up this new hobby during the Red Sox playoff season in October of 2007. Knitting provided me with something to do as I watched those games and stressed. My husband made me knit every game because he believed that somehow my doing the same thing every game would have a direct affect on the outcome of the game! So the scarf was finished and it hangs in my closet as a reminder of my accomplishment.
After the scarf I decided I was better equiped to do hats. The pattern was simple, knit in the round until a certain length is achieved and then use some skill to bring the hat to a point. I got it! So for the past few years all I have knitted are hats. Baby hats mostly. I like to give them as newborn gifts. Last winter I made the boys matching hats. It is something that is quick and yet when the hat no longer fits I am not devasted that I spent so much time on something only to have it tossed aside.
So how did this little hobby turn into Purls of Friendship...well like most of you reading this, a loved one was diagnosed with Cancer. Her story is hers and I will not share it. For this is not as much about the patients as it is about those of us on the outside left trying to do something. I can give dinners, send supportive texts/cards/emails, go out for a glass of wine or simply sit in a living room and watch TV. Yet, none of those things can take away the strain of battling Cancer. I don't know what it feels like to sit in waiting rooms for chemo treatments, or have repeat CAT scans followed by results that may just bring more questions. I don't know what it feels like to be told to go live your life in the next six weeks because after that the road will be long and filled with chemo and/or surgeries. All I have are my own thoughts and emotions when trying to help and care for someone I love who has been given a diagnosis that sucks. So in order to focus those feelings I had to come up with an outlet. Something that one day, hopefully, will give me and others who want to, a way to brighten the day of a person: a mom, a dad, a wife, a husband, a sister, a brother, a daughter, a son, an aunt, an uncle, a cousin, a godmother, a godfather, a friend, a coworker, a neighbor or a total stranger. Something that will provide some warmth, comfort, and maybe hope in an otherwise dark moment.
What I envision is not new. One just has to Google Chemo Caps to find a list of patterns or groups that are doing just what I am setting out to do. I have simply reached out to friends and asked if they too wanted an outlet, a way to get out the negative thoughts and feelings that we struggle with and turn them into something tangible that may one day be helpful to a patient. Our caps will not be perfect, nor do they need to be because life is not perfect. Our caps will be made with love and hope and will be given out one day as a way to show support. The cap may go to someone we know or a total stranger. It will not matter. Just as Cancer does not discriminate, nor will we.
I invite you to join in on our discussion. Share a story, a thought or a prayer. Release something within yourself if you need to. If you know how to knit grab your needles and get going! You do not need to sit in my living room to be a part of this. Knit with a loved one in mind or a stranger. Put your name in this or do it silently. If you do not know how to but want to learn, find a local knit shop and sign up for lessons, or contact me and join our group. All of us have a reason to pick up a needle. Whatever that reason is, you are invited to be a part of this.
Thanks for visiting, come back often and know that as you might stuggle to help someone with Cancer, or if you are fighting the battle yourself, you are not alone.
