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THIS WRITER WALKS INTO A BAR…

October’s Gifts, Part 2: Despicables, Biases, Midlife Angst, and… Ice

Four to chew on, with or without pumpkin spice

Barbara Andres

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Photo by Nadia Clabassi on Unsplash

Lonely WIPs ain’t getting love from me today

Ten years ago, I went through a knitting phase. Hats, baby blankets, shawls, bags, even a silk sweater with rhinestones I designed myself. Yes, really. I belonged to several online knitting forums and groups, remarkable communities that transcended gender, politics, class, and geography.

We lifted each other up.

When I needed hats and blankets for cancer patients’ chemo comfort bags, handmade creations from across the country started appearing in my mailbox. I was able to fill fifty bags for a local hospital in a remarkably short time. The knitters were my people. I was their people. When someone asked for help knitting anything — hats, blankets, scarves — for any cause, we were quick to offer our talents and our time.

WIPs be damned.

A WIP in the yarn arts world is a Work in Progress. Any knitter will tell you they have a bag, bin, or whole craft room of them waiting to be finished, even as they start that next irresistible new pattern or a baby blanket for the cousin who just…

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Barbara Andres
Barbara Andres

Written by Barbara Andres

Muddling through, one story at a time. Grab a cup of tea, pull up a chair, and let’s get curious together. On Bluesky: @terriersrus.bsky.social

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