Over the years, I made a ton of granny square blankets and straight crocheted scarves, but it wasnt until about 13 years ago that I started to search out unique items to crochet (stuffed animals, cool sweaters and basically anything that wasn't a granny square). Of course by then I could read a pattern, but if I ever got stuck, Bubbles would bail me out and tell me what I was doing wrong.... or show me, if I happened to have showed up at her condo with a severely messed up work in progress! She was always amazed at the things my generation could crochet - she had no idea it had come so far or become so popular with a younger age bracket!
Two weeks ago yesterday, Bubbles passed away at her home in Texas. For the past year, she had been working on a blanket for me to replace my original blanket, which had been destroyed in a basement flood. Because she was getting so sick, so quickly, she basically lost all dexterity in her hands in August, which left her unable to hold a hook or the yarn. The blanket sits unfinished, in her craft room and will eventually be boxed up and sent to me to finish and assemble.
It's hard for me to process that I can no longer make her presents, or send her pictures of what I'm working on. I can't call her and tell her the details of my latest yarn splurge or how I dragged Anthony to a LYS outside Syracuse over Christmas and what a good sport he was (she was already pretty out of it then and barely taking phone calls).
But this isn't meant to be a sad, first entry! No - she wouldn't stand for that (just as she wouldn't have stood for it if I wore all black to her funeral this past weekend. In her honor, I wore a white, black and green dress and Anthony wore a blue shirt). She is the reason I crocheted in the first place.... and besides the joy I take in it now, she's the reason I continue to do so. Because in every piece I crochet, a little bit of her lives on in that project and with the person who receives it.
Here in this blog, I'll talk about my current loves, my favorite finds, WIP's (works in progress), my favorite designers/patterns, deals and upcoming shows. There will be pictures - OH will there be pictures! - but the first post... it had to be for Bubbles.
