cottageknits.com Blog

It’s here again. School is in session, the pool is closed, and before long we will begin to hear Christmas music in the mall. Ugh. Don’t get me wrong…i love Christmas. It IS the most wonderful time of the year, but the older i get, the quicker the months fly by. I wonder, is it my age? Probably so. No matter, i shall embrace the day and attempt to make the most of one of my most precious commodities…time.
Do you even want to know that there are only 122 days until Christmas? That’s how many waking hours? Yikes!
With that in mind, i ponder how i might simplify the coming season in order to actually enjoy the sights and sounds of the season. Experience has told me that it all begins much sooner than when the cold winds blow….i have observed many wise and wonderful folks working steadily on their knitted projects throughout the year. They make their list in January and they seem to actually stick to it!
You will recognize them. They are the ones that are smiling and relaxed from Thanksgiving thru New Years Eve….no all-night knitting for these folks. Oh no, they have their cards addressed and gifts wrapped before December 24th. And for once, i want to be like them….just once!
So i have begun to make my list…and for a change, i will not try to be SuperKnitter and i’ll knit only for those who will appreciate my efforts and will not spread myself so thin that my family will wish to send me away for the months of December and January. Hey! It’s a realistic goal….now where are those pattern books?

I will admit it, the focus on knitting helmet liners for soldiers came from guilt on my part, due to a promise broken.
Last fall i was contacted by my home church and asked that Cottage Knits “adopt” a soldier and his family. Chris Allen had just recently been deployed to Afghanistan. Chris left his family and home to serve his country and protect this nation. I readily agreed, with visions of all sorts of comforts we might knit for not only Chris, but also his wife and children.
Not long after that commitment we learned that one of our own, Barb Lee had been diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer and had only a couple of months to live. My best friend Teresa was the niece of “Aunt Jo” and our concern was for Teresa as well.
We had adopted Aunt Jo as our own. Cottage Knitters fell into action doing what we do…attempting to comfort her, Teresa and ourselves by knitting up prayer shawls and blankets, fixing meals, sending cards and flowers and anything else we could think to do to make her final days the best they might be.
Meanwhile Chris was doing his duty by serving his country. His family continued to keep on keeping on… My promise to care for this family went unfulfilled. Actually, i realized that i needed to contact the church and explain the situation at hand and then something would happen, and my attention would be elsewhere.
The days and weeks passed by, Aunt Jo lived for six more short months. In the meantime Cottage Knits lost another “lady of the knit” unexpectedly. We were barely able to take it all in and then i remembered the promise once again. By then i was past the point of embarrassment and resolved to contact the church and retrieve the contact information. I planned on calling Chris’s wife and explain to her what had happened.
And just when i thought i had it all figured out i heard that Chris was home. That was wonderful news for sure. I made a vow that somehow i would attempt to find a way to honor him.
Knitted helmet liners seemed to be the answer. My goal is to gather 100 which are to be taken to Camp Atterbury during Labor Day weekend. I posted the free pattern on the Cottage Knits website during the month of July and have hosted knit-ins each week.
Every afternoon during July and August a roomful of women have gathered at the yarn shop to knit together and watch “war movies” such as Kelly’s Heroes, The Wackiest Ship in the Army, eat popcorn and knit these gifts for our soldiers. They have been faithful and the stack of liners continues to grow.
By chance i have come to meet a Floyd Crouse, a veteran whose sister has knitted, upon his request, dozens of helmet liners as well. I have been inspired by his commitment to see these liners made and then delivered for use. He is determined to see that as many soldiers as possible receive a hand knitted liner. You could say we have united forces to see this through.
Another group of volunteers have come together to tag each liner with a “stay warm” tag. You see, it’s really not about me…or any one of us…it’s a community of people who care, a vow to honor, in some way, those who serve our country…. and a way for me to say “Chris, thanks for a job well done.”

Just when i begin to think “It doesn’t get any better than this” something new comes our way.
The Cottage Knits adventure took a new turn….On Sunday afternoon 12 women joined me at the Inn at Irwin Gardens for an overnight retreat.
We arrived with our bags packed with knitting projects, pj’s and plenty of midnight snacks to share.
The Inn at Irwin Gardens opened as a registered Bed and Breakfast in Febuary 2010. Located in the heart of downtown Columbus, IN across from my home church, i have long been intriqued by this wonderful corner of Columbus.
So imagine my excitement as i walked through the gate, knowing i was about to spend time with a group of my friends who were gathering for a knitting retreat!
Inside the garden walls…
Eve and Jim Jackson call themselves the Innkeepers, but they are so much more than that. They have done their homework in learning the history of this wonderful place. We gathered in the library and after brief introductions we were taken on an informal tour of the magnificent property. Built in 1864 and updated in 1910 it has been wonderfully maintained. The character of the home is unique and the modern architecture and wonderful gardens was inviting and a perfect retreat for those of us who came together for a night of knitting and fellowship.
We were given our room assignments, wandered around the vast hallways and nooks…and then came together in the garden. We brought our knitting to the veranda and spent much of the evening there. It was a perfect setting, overlooking the gardens while listening to the sounds of the fountains and laughter as friends began to unwind and settle in. Eve, also a knitter, was able to join us. We shared stories and got acquainted.
We stayed up too late, ate too much, told tales we have heard before and knitted through the night into the wee hours of the morning. Then, one by one we headed off to bed for a restful night of sleep.
We woke to the smell of coffee and breakfast and again gathered on the veranda for a bit more socializing before we headed to our homes and work, feeling refreshed and ready to take on the world.
The first “Knit-Inn” was a success! And just watch out for what comes next! Lucky me!