The Gift of Yarn - Knit and Crochet - Part 1 of 2

Good morning,

This hat and scarf were made from yarn given to me by the mother of a friend who works with my husband.  Tomorrow I will publish the pattern I designed for this special yarn;  today I'll tell you the story of how I received it.

Our friend and his mother are Norwegians so it was special at Christmas a couple of years ago that his mother was on board the ship with us where the guys work. Our Friend's Mom had brought her knitting and was making children's socks to donate to charities in Norway. I was busy making Christmas tree decorations out of #10 thread to give as gifts. I gave Friend's Mom some of the decorations I had made and showed her the other items I was making at the time: doll clothes for 18" and 11-1/2" dolls, sweaters, hats, household items, etc.

Before she left the ship, Mom gave me several balls of Norwegian yarn. Oh, what a gift! I love Norwegian yarn! She gave me five partially used balls of the same kind of wool: different amounts, no labels. My husband, also born in Norway, saw the yarn sitting in our stateroom and said, "I could use a new hat and scarf to wear at home while walking the dogs." What a perfect use for this yarn! The dog walking at home sometimes happens when it is dark outside so this was perfect. The scarf and hat patterns are totally ad lib. They fit perfectly because I measured, then held the items up/tried them on as I worked.

Shortly after Christmas we came home to the USA for vacation and our friend went home to Norway on vacation. A couple of months later we returned to the ship a week before our friend who arrived with a whole suitcase full of yarn for me from his Mom. Wow! There was soooo much yarn! She had cleaned out her stash and packed it into a suitcase that literally exploded with yarn popping out everywhere when we opened it. There were little partially used balls of yarn and whole hanks and skeins, some as many as 24 of the same dye lot!

I grouped all the small amounts of different colors and made this afghan; I supplied the black for the border. I sent the afghan home to Friend's Mom in the same suitcase that brought the yarn to me with a big THANK YOU for the treasured yarn she had sent to me. From the rest of the yarn that came in that suitcase I have made four sweaters, more scarves and hats than I can count, Christmas decorations, doll clothes, baby blankets.... Click here for the raised flower afghan pattern.

So, thanks again, Friend's Mom! You are a wonderfully generous lady.

Lois

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dalebarn Dale of Norway Kids Book # 51

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~