MrsDoF's Dear Ones

We moved to this house in May 1983, when second son was a couple months old.  Our neighbors to the east were friends of my in-laws, and the lady had arranged for a welcome/ birthday party for our then 3 year-old son.
Our neighbors across the street to the north were invited.  Their oldest daughter is about 8 months older than our oldest son, and they played together just fine on the porch and catching lightning bugs in the yard.

I felt very welcome, indeed.

A couple weeks later, again we found ourselves on the neighbor’s concrete porch, this time with a huge bowl of popcorn to share.

The little girl, called PJ then, announced there was a baby in her mommy’s belly.
Her mom looked taken aback, but sputtered that Yes, it was true,
the Due Date would be close to Christmas.

Having a new baby myself, and the depression which followed,  I didn’t do anything extra about being a great neighbor.
There were play dates, and greetings while doing yardwork, but much of memory is a blur.
Sometimes sewing tips or rhubarb crisp was involved.

The birth announcement was in the newspaper on a cold, snowy blowy day, during a month when I was trying to keep a crawling baby away from the kerosene heater because the power wasn’t reliable.  Christmas Eve Services were cancelled, which tells how bad the weather was.

After the Spring thaw, when neighbors were doing more than nods in the breeze, I finally got to hold baby girl Rachel Ann.  She’d had troubles from birth.  She seemed so tiny next to my son, who was walking by then. 

Over the years, we have been ‘house’ neighbors, but not ‘best friend’ neighbors.  Enough information that says we are holding our own with life, not great, not dreadful.

Yesterday, we got word that Rachel had passed away.
Her dad told my husband; her sister told me.

most of the obituary in this morning’s paper

Rachel ++++++

Monday, May 28, 2007 12:49 AM CDT

Rachel Ann ++++++, 23,  died at 8:35 p.m. Saturday (May 26, 2007) at her residence.

There will be no services.

She was born Dec. 27, 1983, in Normal, a daughter of Robert and Linda ++++++.

Surviving are her parents; her beloved sisters, Roberta and Phyllis; her special brother-in-law, Clinton; and a large extended family.

Rachel attended ___ Academy in Normal for 13 years and received her diploma. She was a member of ___ Church.

Rachel was a precious gift and loved by all who had the privilege of knowing her. She loved her sisters and her Aunt “Ebby” very much. She loved Jesus and praying with her special friends, Jane and Sue. Rachel was a selfless princess who captured the hearts of those around her. Her positive attitude and concern for others will never be forgotten. Even in her illness, Rachel was an encouragement to others.
She was loved very much and always surrounded by people who loved her.

Then came a personal request of me as a neighbor, quite unexpectedly, and which I was glad to accept and carry out.

It seems that Rachel loved to play with yarn.  The craft store was one of her favorite shopping destinations.
I have a very dim memory of sitting on my front porch step with hook and yarn and trying to show Rachel how to loop crochet stitches.  She didn’t quite get the idea, and I worried that it could be me being left-handed and unable to get the idea across.

She was good at tying knots, and so she worked what she called her macramé.  Some very cute decorations.

On Sunday afternoon, her older sister came to my back porch with a bag of yarn in her hands.  This one was special.  Bright colors, soft.

Would I be willing to make this into some sort of small blanket to use as a keepsake of our Rachel?

This would be quite an honor.  Oh yes.

So last evening I began a lap robe.  I had to twice change up the hook size, and decided for the wooden one inherited fom my Grandma, who used it to make rag rugs.

This morning, I finished weaving in the ends, Husband took a couple pictures, I bagged it up along with a tiny cross enclosed in a sympathy card, and across the street I walked.

They cannot believe I worked all that yarn overnight.

They love the results.

~~love and Huggs, Diane

This morning I took 7 little baby hats I’ve knitted on the loom to church for show-n-tell.  Some folks who read my Dear Ones e-mails like to see the actual items before I pass them along.
I dropped the knitting loom into a canvas bag just in case anyone asked how I make the hats.  I figured I would be too busy to actually do anything with yarn today, since I had a bit extra set-up for the type of snacks on the tray to serve during Fellowship Hour.

A friend asked me to show her how the yarn and pegs work.  She caught on fairly quickly, and seemed quite content to loop around, knit off, loop again.
shonuff, I got called to the kitchen for clean-up.  Next thing I know, my friend said she had to be going, but I counted 8 rows on the loom she had worked.

During a congregational meeting, I finished the hat she had begun.

As soon as she could after the meeting, a young girl came over and asked if she could learn how to loop the yarn around the pegs.  She got a little group around, watching at first, then trying their own way to work with the yarn.  Their mothers were very patient, and two say they will be buying the looms and signing up for the class at Michael’s Craft Store.  Now that they know the girls have an interest, and how easy it is to do the loops and correct most mistakes, this could be a worthwhile investment.

To see a kit hanging on the shelf at the store might raise interest, but to see someone in the corner of the Fellowship Area and working with the loom seems to be much better advertising.  If there were enough money to earn a living, I could be working at the craft store already.
However, time is worth something, and nobody wants to pay a proper salary for hobby knowledge.
Besides, I don’t ever want Yarn to become Work.  I do this for Fun!  which is why I usually give references to established classes rather than lessons.

worked with 4 ply acrylic yarn
going to the newborn nursery at the hospital

~~love and Huggs, Diane

ps Isn’t that red-white-blue just the cutest?  I thought I was going to run out of the multi, so I looped in some red for a nice stripe.  I still have a tiny bit of the patriotic—enough for a stripe in a different hat later.  Imagine handing over a baby wearing that hat to a new mother on the 4th of July…..

Only worked a half day this morning.  The kids I would have as Job Coach had Graduation Rehearsal in the afternoon.  There were many other adults with more authority than I carry, so I was fine with the early schedule.

About a block from the school, I noticed a Garage Sale sign.
If Husband had been with me, he would have shrugged and said “Baby Junk” because the most prominent item was a swing and a table full of pink shirts.

However, I had nowhere else to be.  I parked safely around the corner and walked right past the swing and tiny tot clothes.
On the next table was a gallon size zipgrip plastic bag with a sticker of 25c on the corner.  Visible inside were three, yes 3, balls of cotton yarn, 4-ply, just the kind I use to make potholders.  Two still have the paper band around them.  When I picked it up to see if there were detrimental problems, I noticed a crochet hook in the bottom of the bag. I asked if that was the actual price for the whole bag, or was it mismarked?

The lady said she didn’t know from yarn, that her daughter-in-law had come to visit and forgotten the package.  She had called to ask what to do with it, maybe send it, but was told to put it into the sale.
I guess I seemed excited with my find, because then she ventured to ask what I would be doing with that kind of yarn.
I told her all about my potholders, that I crochet for charity events, that the price of yarn at the store has raised 35c a ball since Christmas.
She seemed relieved about helping with a worthy cause.

I came home and took a nap on the couch with Mahalia snuggled in next to my ribs.

When I woke up a whole hour and a half later, I decided I wanted some ice cream on a lovely Spring day.  I left a message on Husband’s voice mail saying I would be at Latte Time.  I ordered a double dip in a waffle cone.
He got there about 40 minutes after I did, so I got a small decaff Mocha Bianca chiller so he wouldn’t have to drink alone.

While he cruised blogs using the laptop, I worked an acrylic yarn baby hat on my knitting loom.  Dang, I’d better get a nice picture in time for Memorial Day, seeing that the colors are red, white, and blue.

This evening, I carried my bag over to show the neighbors.  Yes, there are other items which can be made, but my main interest is baby hats for the hospital nursery, so that’s what I’ve made so far.  They might decide to purchase a set of looms and take the class.  The best advertisement is an enthusiastic crafter like me!

Almost time to make popcorn and watch NUMB3Rs.  I’m not quite so tired this week as last.  Half day on a job is good in so many ways.  It leaves me time and energy to be socialable.

~~love and Huggs, Diane