"We Shall Be Knit Together"

As many of you know, the last year has been a rough one.

It's been a year of finding my footing again after experiencing a devastating loss. A year of navigating a world without my best friend and life partner. A year of profound change.

Through it all (and through much of the preceding time during his illness), one constant source of support and comfort has been that of friends - in particular, the group with whom I gather every Thursday evening at The Lancaster Yarn Shop, in the words of shop proprietor and all around Yarn Whisperer, Wendy Ellis, to "knit and natter"...

From the beginning, sharing nothing more than a love for this beautiful hand work we do, these women welcomed me, as they have countless others.

We're a diverse group - some young, some middle aged, some older. Some mommies, some not. Some financially comfortable, some struggling. Some heavy, some thin. Some working outside the home, some not, some retired. Some liberal, some conservative. But we have this love of knitting in common. It stitches us together as surely as the projects on our needles are stitched.

In a world of crazy schedules and electronic communication, these Thursday nights provide grounding, and a real connection. As it has been throughout history, knitting together is an act of friendship and community. It's done in a space devoid of judgement or criticism, where we can be ourselves, and receive encouragement. A place of safety and support.

I wanted to do something to honor this, and the painting above is the result. Some of the women are loosely based on the women in my group (some more than others, lol), and some are not. The scene in the background is loosely based on The Lancaster Yarn Shop, in Intercourse, PA - but perhaps also your own LYS (local yarn shop?)

I'm thrilled and honored that the original will hang there in the shop - my happy place and home away from home. :)

And if you'd like to give it a place in your own home, prints are now available in the Etsy shop. The printer will drop-ship in the US and Canada, which saves a bit of time (European orders may take a little longer, as they have to come here first).

Thanks so much for taking a peek at my latest work, and please do leave a comment. I'll be back very soon with another piece to share.

In the meantime, be well, and keep knitting. ;)

♥ Carolee