Shingles and a yarn story

First let me tell you I have shingles, and not the kind that go up on you roof.  Boy these are a pain!  I went to the doctor on Monday thinking I had poison oak, which I have had on occasion, she shook her head when she saw it, nope I have shingles!  Then she asked if I was under a lot of stress?   Well that got a huge laugh because frankly when am I not under a lot of stress?  I am a wife, a mother, I work, take care of my home and family, and I am a daughter to aging and complex parents.  Here I thought I was doing so well!  So I have had a week where I am not feeling the best, I had no idea shingles made you feel unwell.  They really don't hurt all that much for which I am exceptionally grateful, I think I caught them just in time to get the medication I needed to nip them in the butt right away.

Now for my yarn story.  My sons have grown up with me knitting or crocheting everywhere we go.  I play with yarn in the car, at sporting events, at home, really every second I can.  So while up in Ohio at the swim meet on Friday, sitting in the front row of the bleachers so I could peer over the edge and look down on my gorgeous boy, what did you think I pulled out of my bag?  Well my knitting of course!  I smiled at the woman sitting next to me and got busy.  I only know a few of the swim parents, I can not visit that often so I did not know who she was.  I start knitting and knitting, finally she leans over and asked what I am making, I tell her a cowl and smile and keep going.  I told her knitting keeps me calm especially when I am nervous at a swim meet.  She laughed and agreed.  She asked me about the gray cowl I was wearing, Yes the one I just posted about, I did not tell her the gray yarn and I had a big conversation, she might have thought I was a crazy woman. Just then she reaches into her bag and pulls out a baby hat on double pointed needles, a fellow knitter sitting right next to me!  We had the best time, chatting about knitting and our sons.  Her son is a junior and a star in the backstroke.  We laughed and talked about yarn, she had never been to The Yarn Shop and she only lives an hour away.  She learned to knit last year and has made dozens and dozens of baby hats for her local hospital.  Of course my son looked up several times and I believe I detected an eye roll or two headed in my direction.  This lovely woman wrote down the pattern for my gray basketweave scarf and asked for my email address in case she has a problem.  We parted ways with a smile and a laugh.

Saturday had me getting to the meet early so I could watch warm ups.  Who do you think came in right after me? My new friend of course  She sat down, introduced me to her husband who promptly said, "Oh, you are the knitter."  Yes, that would be me.  She pointed out another mother in the stands who was knitting socks, she was going great guns on her project.  We all had a nod of knitter recognition and had a wonderful morning.  At lunch later that day my son said, "Hey Mom, Steven came up to me in the locker room and said, 'Hey, your Mom knits?'  And I said, 'Yeah', and then Alex said, 'Hey my Mom does, too!'"  He then said, "Mom what is it with you and your bonding with the knitting mom's on the team?"  I had to laugh.  I think knitters attract each other just like magnets.  As I was explaining to him that knitting is really cool, and that I am an ultra cool mom but he doesn't realize it, a swim team mom stopped by our table.  She said, "You are the one that was knitting with that gorgeous red yarn at the swim meet."  Insert huge eye roll here from my son.  It was a priceless moment with impeccable timing.

Yes son, we are everywhere, we play with yarn to keep ourselves sane when you are swimming, when you are stressing us out, when you are making good choices and bad.  Playing with yarn helps us be better mother's, better wives, daughter's, friends, partners and co-workers.  Playing with yarn keeps us calm so we do not strangle you as you are going through your tumultuous teenage years, and the up and down rides of your life.  Because we Mother's are there for each twist and turn, riding right behind you even though you do not know we are there.  We feel every bump, every hurdle and every safe landing.  Playing with yarn helps us get you to your final destination without completely falling apart.  And playing with yarn has helped me this week as I have not been feeling well and learned that you did not make your Big Ten Team.  It has helped me as I have worried about you and for you. It has helped me send you positive thoughts so you can move past this.  And it has helped me to not be mad at your coach for taking 7 backstroker's, and 5 breaststroker's and only 3 who swim butterfly, I know you are number 4 on the fly list.  It will help me in the months to come as you decide what to do with your swimming career, stay at Ohio or move on.  Yarn helps.  It is that simple.