IN A SkNIT: Compassion and Aging

One of the things about running a yarn shop is that I am a part of the community.

Not just a shop owner and knitting adviser.

Also a person who hears all the good and bad things that are in my clients live's. A bartender of sorts I guess. People come to relax and to relate and, sometimes, for rescue.

Rescue of the knitting/crocheting kind and of the personal kind.

Over the past years I have received a handful of items that were started by someone ill or now deceased for completion. I find it really difficult to say no to these requests. Yes, I know, not very business like. But...I yam what I yam!

Yesterday was about the saddest request I have ever received. Sad for me mainly because the couple involved were still a "real couple" even in their mid 80s.

A few months ago the couple was in purchasing yarn for the woman to knit a sweater for her husband. She sat dressed to perfection calmly waiting for him to choose the yarn and the style he wanted. He, in his jaunty hat that she had knit for him many years earlier, hemmed and hawed and touched all the yarn before settling on Manos wool Classica.

Back to yesterday. The gentleman, now donning a jaunty tartan hat, came into the shop carrying a brown paper bag. Alone. Already I am worried.

When asked how he was doing he responded "Not well."....aw geez....

Well, the story is, his wife has been knitting the sweater and has it almost finished but 2 weeks ago she started forgetting. She (who once taught knitting) often can't remember how to knit. She often doesn't remember him. She is, in his words "Losing her mind."

Such sadness. How much I wanted to be able to do for him. What I will do for him is finish his sweater.

And, I will not charge him for it. I just can't.

She had finished the back and both arms and most of one front. You can tell where she started to forget. Instead of decreasing for the arm hole she increased. It must have made her feel so helpless. The poor woman. The poor man.

Today he popped in to bring the rest of the yarn I would need to complete the project.

And Chocolate

And a hug.