A Hug for Helen...Use As Needed.

This may be my favorite 2009 Resolution completion. I have long been in love with the concept of library shawls and decided it would be the perfect gift for my dear Helen. She is one of those people who often feel "chilly"...perfect candidates for something light and warm on the shoulders.

I'd optimistically purchased a book of beautiful "Folk Shawl" patterns to knit. When I received it and looked at the instructions I had to assess the likelihood of my successfully completing the shawl pattern without the potential of a visit to Pine Rest. I found myself asking, ALOUD ,"What was I thinking????" ....the answer to that is, the SAME thing you were thinking when you purchased "I Can't Believe I'm Knitting Lace!"....What I CAN believe is that I will NOT be knitting lace...at least anytime soon! But, as usual, I digress.

Chris to the rescue! My sister-in-law, a constant source of wonderful new inspirations in knitting, sent me a photo and instructions for "The Mistake Stitch". What an unfortunate name for such a lovely pattern. It is simple but has such a wonderful look to it. It is a perfect stitch because it graciously allows the shawl to expand as you wrap it around your shoulders. I loved working on it, loved folding it into the gift box, and most of all LOVED it on Helen.

It was alittle scary...it always is when even simple math is involved. But hey, it is basically a rectangle and I'm good at knitting rectangles of all sorts ( dishcloths, scarves, afghans of all sizes) I just started casting on stitches and soon I was on the road. When the shawl was what I deemed a suitable length, I picked up stitches one and a half inches from the bottom of both shawl edges and knit up to form the two pockets for eyeglasses, paperback books, kleenex or cold hands.

It makes ME feel warmed to have found a way to give my dear friend, Helen a "hug" even when I'm not able to visit her wonderful home in Tennessee!