A dear friend of mine lost her husband a few weeks ago.  Really both Marcia and Bill were dear friends.  I worked with them at Lenawee Intermediate School District.  Their's was a great love.  They were husband and wife, best friends and soul mates.  They prove the lyric "Love is lovelier the second time around."  Bill was stricken with  pancreatic cancer several months ago and they fought the good fight until the end.  It made me reflect on loosing Dick.  I can't imagine waking up every day without his head on the pillow beside me.   I can't imagine not seeing him in the Lazy Boy with his Detroit Free Press doing the puzzles.  I can't imagine not having our annual Detroit Red Wings Training Camp trip to Traverse City.  I can't imagine not laughing every day with him.  I know there are endless things Marcia must endure every day without her beloved Bill. I searched for a way to bring a little light into her day.

I decided I needed to knit.  I needed to put my memories and feeling about Bill into one spectacular piece for Marcia.  Marcia and Bill (like me) are color people.  I knew it needed to be something that looked happy.  I found just the pattern.  It was Euphoric that I found in an ad in Vogue Knitting in January.  Remember?!?!? 

I started it in February but didn't finish.  After Mom's death, knitting didn't bring me comfort for a while so I put Euphoric away and forgot about it.  When I decided I wanted to make something for Marcia that was colorful and happy I thought of Euphoric.  Is there any pattern happier than this!?!

​So here is how My Euphoric turned out.

It is beautiful, even if I do say so myself.  I was so excited when I finished that I had to take it up and let Lydia model it.

I am so happy with the outcome.  Knitting does say many things.  This particular piece says, "Marcia, I want to ease your pain.  I want to put a smile on your face.  I want to give you my memories of Bill wrapped up in this scarf.  I want to give you a happy space."  For me it said, "This really scared me.  I can't imagine being in Marcia's shoes but I may be there some day and if I am, I want to find peace, serenity and solace in knitting." 

I have so many favorites things; good books, great wine, the first cup of coffee in the morning.  My favorite things for this post are Linda, Knit 'N Purl and the Coastal Condo.  I really didn't have an opportunity to share our great experience the end of July.  I was all consumed with making Magic Balls and the I-75 Yarn Crawl.  

​When I got to the Myrtle Beach airport, Linda was already there waiting.  We picked up her bag. (I can travel with just a purse now.  I am so proud.) We got the rental car and we were off.  Since Knit 'N Purl is between the airport and Sunset Beach, we just had to stop.  Ten minutes after leaving the airport we were there.

Here we are!  Linda's first trip to the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.  It was great to step into this friendly atmosphere with my knitting bestie.

The magnificent Molly was there.  I love her.  Knit 'N Purl was finishing up on their Christmas In July sale.  I picked up several bargains.  

I love La Boheme and there it was on sale.  Who could resist 50% off.

I've already shared this yummy yarn for the mermaid tales.

Do we see a theme going in colors!?!?!?!  This is really beautiful. 

I have no idea what this beautiful Malabrigo is for.  I must have a grand plan.

Linda and I headed for the Coastal Condo and Linda and Jan's Knitting Room formally known as the 4 Seasons Room.  We each brought our Heaven and Space Linda and Jan KAL to work on BUT I had just purchased the yarn for the mermaid tale.  Let's just say Linda continued with the Linda and Jan KAL and I was a slacker.  We got up the next morning and I said, "Want to go to Knit 'N Purl?"  Can you imagine Linda saying anything but "YES!"  We hopped in the rental car (which wasn't too hard to catch on to) and off we went.

We both purchased Cascade vest made out of Kauni.  Good thing for me it had to be shipped because my purse couldn't fit it.  Besides we had this great surprise coming some time in the future.

Linda became enchanted with the Cornelia Tuttle scarf called Morton.  Remember?  I fell in love with it last November.

It is the perfect travel knitting: beautiful yarn, small project, easy pattern.  Knit 'N Purl didn't have the right yarn but Linda had plans to make it in the future.  

In the six days we were at the Coastal Condo, we made 3 trips to Knit 'N Purl.  I had planned on designing a Sunset Beach Yarn Crawl where Linda and I could discover new yarn shops but we were happy here.  I ended up leaving all of the yarn I bought and the Heaven and Space at the Coastal Condo because I could only fit the yarn for the mermaid tale in my purse. Just think of what is waiting for me when I get back.  Surprises! Surprises!

Last week Linda and Denny came to Michigan for a visit.  I decided I would surprise Linda with a birthday party.  She was surprised since her birthday is in October.  This was Linda's gift (well, one of them.)

I gave Linda my finished Morton scarf!  She was so excited.  It it beautiful and looks beautiful on Linda.  I just got a text from Linda with this picture.

SHE FINISHED HER HEAVEN AND SPACE!  Mine is in my knitting basket at the Coastal Condo waiting for me to come back and give more love.  I am such a slacker!  I am still on color 1.  This has a very different look than the one I made for my friend Kay. Kay's was steamed but we are going to leave this one unsteamed for that scrunchy look.

I am always in wonder at the diversity you can create with the same pattern.  I love both looks.  It has been the month of Linda and I have loved it.  We will need to depend on phone calls and FaceTime to get our Jan and Linda fixes.  True friendship survives the test of distance!

I think my life is getting back to normal. (What ever normal is.) This has been an amazing 10 days.  On Friday, August 3, Jocelynn Brown published her article in the Homestyle section of the Detroit News and Free Press about my new obsession of repurposing yarn.  It was so fun.  The link to the article is www.detroitnews.com/staff/27489/jocelynn-brown/.  

It is fascinating to work with a journalist on an article.  We emailed.  Talked several times.  Jocelynn is such a nice person.  My cell was loaded with emails and texts from friends extending hearty congratulations.  WOW!  What an absolute high!

Then Tuesday started the I-75 Yarn Crawl.  I did complete 50 Magic Balls for Survivor Shawls equaling about 25,000 yards of fiber.  There was a time I thought the most I could finish was 30 then 40 then finally I realized I was really going to reach my commitment of 50.  It feels so good. I started the middle of May, worked most every day except when I was with Barb and Linda at the Coastal Condo.  Some weeks I worked 20-40 hours making Magic Balls.  It really did become an obsession.

The Adrian Daily Telegram wrote an article which was pretty amazing, too.  I got many more texts and emails.  7th Heaven or what!?!?!?! Yarn Crawlers loved the shawl and the story.  I worked at Ann's By Design Tuesday through today (Sunday) and am pretty tired.  It was such fun to introduce people to my favorite project ever.  I may be down to 6 tubs of pink yarn from a high of 13.  The end of pink yarn MAY be in sight.  Pink yarn has been a stable in the Stash Studio since 2010.  Friday night and last night I luxuriated in selfish knitting.  It felt so amazing.  Something I relearned is how much I brainstorm with myself when I am knitting.  I planned many, many next treasures.  I brainstormed new things I could do at Ann's By Design.  It was so relaxing.   I have been so sporadic in writing since my obsession with making 50 Magic Balls.  I have many stories to catch you up on.  So stay tuned.  I'M BACK!!!!

My almost-a- week with Linda at the Coastal Condo was amazing.  We did it all: shopped, talked, laughed, explored, drank wine and of course, knitted.  

This has been renamed from the 4 Seasons Room to Linda and Jan's Knitting Room.  I am going to save the Sunset Beach experience for the next time because I have something too cute to share.

First, I knit baby things for friend's babies.  Then, I knit baby things for friend's grand babies.  Now, I've knitted my first gift for a friend's great-grandbaby.  My dear friend Evie's granddaughter Shelby just gave birth to a baby girl Peyton Avery on Monday.  The tiny tot weighed in at 6 pounds 15 ounces.  What a bundle of joy.  I couldn't let this momentous event go by without the celebratory knitting.  While at the Coastal Condo, I found this precious yarn at 1/2 price so I really couldn't pass it up.

It's Ella Rae's acrylic and wool that is soft as a dream.  I could hardly believe it was acrylic.  No squeaky knitting with this.  As you can see I bought two different colors.  Not only is Evie going to be a great grandma for the first time, the gorgeous Carmen who keeps my hair tamed and beautiful is going to be a grandma for the first time.  Both babies are girls, so I picked out one pattern I loved to knit for both.  Someone may knit the new bambinos booties or a sweater or a blankie but no body is going to knit. . . 

a mermaid's tail.  This just has to be the cutest thing for babies 1st picture.  I found the yummy Ella Rae and began to knit in Linda and Jan's Knitting Room.  Just think of all of the love, joy and happiness that was knit into this adorable piece.  Summer in the Myrtle Beach area always includes a thunderstorm sometime during the day or night.  Often Linda and I would sit in Linda and Jan's Knitting Room, drinking coffee (or wine), laughing and knitting to the symphony of thunder.  It was magical.  All of that laughter and magic was also knit into the wondrous mermaid tail.  I got home on Sunday, finished the mermaid tail on Monday and got a text from Evie saying little Peyton had been introduced to her new life at 2:00 a.m. Monday morning.  We're meeting Butch and Evie tomorrow for lunch so I can give her this.. . . 

Can't you just see little Peyton tucked into this precious thing for her first baby picture!!!!!  

​The I-75 Yarn Crawl begins next Tuesday.  I still have a few magic balls to make and directions to write but the end is in sight.  When I think of the many, many hours I've spent (somewhere between 150 and 200!) making magic balls, I can't help but think all of the knitting I could have been doing.  When I'm done I will have measured, balled and donated around 25,000 yard of fiber to this project.  Guess what !?!?! I no longer have 13 tubs of pink yarn.