Jodi wandered into our yarn store one day. She had a beautiful, unfinished pastel yellow blanket in her hands and a look of sadness in her eyes. Jodi’s story did not begin on a happy note. She explained to the employees that her sister was pregnant. Her mother was knitting this lovely baby blanket for the new arrival, but was unexpectedly taken from this earth, leaving the blanket still on the needles with more stitches and love to be put into it.
Jodi felt overwhelmingly compelled to finish the blanket for her mother. There was only one tiny problem. She didn’t know how to knit.
Jodi showed up at Knitting Next Door, mom’s needles and the unfinished blanket in hand. She spent the next several days into weeks traveling to the yarn shop. She gradually added stitches, then rows, sometimes with laughter and sometimes through tears. I’ve never seen anyone as determined as Jodi was to complete a project. She is an amazing woman!
Of course, this story does have the happy ending you were hoping for. She finished the blanket in time for the delivery. There were lots of tears, both happy and sad when Jodi presented the blanket to the new arrival, little Makenna Lin.
Jodi’s mother must have been an amazing woman, also. She gave two gifts after her passing. She gave the blanket to her daughter, Jill, for her new arrival, and the gift of knitting to her daughter, Jodi. Jodi continues to knit today.
