Quilting from 6 to 96

 A couple of weeks ago while having lunch with my brother John, he told me about a project that parishioners in his church worked on a few years ago.  Folks from 6 to 96 years of age gathered to create quilts to donate to a children's hospital as part of their Lenten program.

As one parishioner wrote, "Lots of people had donated fabric, and many had donated funds to help us buy other needed materials.  It really felt like it brought us all together, young and old, those who sew, and those who don't, all to provide for babies in need. "

The completed quilts made one stop on the way to the hospital, adorning St. Rose Parish Church in northern New Hampshire for Easter Sunday, where the loving work of so many hands and hearts became part of the Easter joy and celebration.

A Blessed and Happy Easter

and a

Happy Passover for my Jewish readers!

Some Knitting Tips

http://www.knittingdaily.com/blogs/daily/archive/2013/03/20/becoming-a-better-knitter.aspx

I saw this post this morning and wanted to pass it along.  The tip on knitting stripes especially caught my attention as I have never been thrilled with my results when ribbing stripes, to the extent that I avoid it.  Now I don't have to limit myself!

Check it out here: http://www.knittingdaily.com/blogs/daily/archive/2013/03/20/becoming-a-better-knitter.aspx

Heels, and Gussets, and Toes, Oh My!

One down and one to go!  Our first "Socks Made Simple" course at The Quilted Purl ended yesterday with at least one of everyone's feet clad in a brand new, custom fitted sock. Before they left the shop, the students completed at least two rows of the mate to the pair lest anyone suffer from "Second Sock Syndrome."  Though with such great looking socks, who wouldn't want to quickly complete the mate and get to the business of wearing them and showing them off?

Interested in trying your hand at sock knitting?  Stop by the shop so we can discuss possibilities for a second go around with "Socks Made Simple!"

A Mother's Hands Memorial

Ethel Trask, a dear friend and my maid of honor 42 years ago, just shared this link on Facebook: http://www.mothershandsmemorial.org/.  Ethel is of Armenian descent and is naturally interested in this new memorial. I was struck immediately by the beautiful imagery in the introductory paragraphs of the piece:

A Mother's Hands

Knot by knot, her hands weave the history of her people. The delicacy of the crochet integrated into this cross stone is symbolic of the beauty and strength of the Armenian heritage. This ancient culture lives forever, just as the imprint of the first genocide of the 20th century in the collective memory of the Armenians.

The blooming crossstone is the permanent reminder that the slaughter of more than 1.5 million Armenians within the Ottoman Empire will never be forgotten, that in spite of the pain and horror of the genocide, knot by knot, the Armenian People everywhere weave their hopes and dreams, as they bloom and prosper..

Most mothers and women thankfully, will never be called upon to experience the horror the Armenians suffered, but like the Armenians, "People everywhere weave their hopes and dreams, as they bloom and prosper.."

Lowell, Massachusetts is part of my family's history.  My mother grew up there among her immediate and extended family, many of whom worked in the very textile mills which were the foundation and origin of the town during the industrial revolution in America.  Those of you who've been in The Quilted Purl have perhaps noticed the "flying shuttles" and bobbins that came from those Lowell mills.  Many years later, my two sons were born in Lowell.

Hats off to the Mayor and City Council of Lowell for supporting this worthwhile endeavor and best wishes to the Armenian community in achieving their goal.