Hooked

NOTE: Scroll to the bottom of this post for the announcement of this week's giveaway winner.


Guest Post By Beth Gormong of Bag N It All

My dad and mom both grew up on farms in Indiana, but I was raised in town. So visiting Aunt Helen’s family nursery in central western Indiana was exciting to me. There were rows after rows of trees and flowers to wander through, water features to gaze into and decorative pots to hide behind.  But the best part of visiting my Aunt Helen was the day she taught me to crochet. My sister had helped me embroider at the age of three. My mom taught me to sew pajama pants for my brother at thirteen. But my Aunt introduced me to the world of yarn. That first project was meant to be a baby afghan. But when I took over the half finished afghan, my fingers held on a little too tightly to the yarn. Over the course of a few rows, the rectangle had morphed into a triangle. That didn’t matter to me. I was hooked. (No pun intended.)

I crocheted off and on for years. My biggest project was an afghan that grew and grew as I lay a prisoner to my bed while pregnant with my youngest. When the doctor ordered bed rest, the crochet hook and balls of yarn were placed next to me. I crafted my way through the days. I crocheted till there was no yarn left, and the finished project was enormous Though it matches nothing in my house, I can’t bear to part with it because of the memories it holds in each tiny stitch. So it has its own special shelf in my linen closet. And I put away my hooks.

Years later a friend taught me to knit and the obsession began again. Now I have a cabinet full of yarn, needles in every size, and enough books of patterns to knit my life away. Fortunately, bed rest is only a memory now. And knitting is a craft that fills my free time instead. When I’m sitting at the end of a field waiting for my farmer husband to finish the row, I just reach across the seat and finish a few rows myself. When I wait at the school to pick up a daughter, I knit a few more rows. When I’m alone at home during planting and harvest season, I knit more than just a few rows.

My latest project is yet unfinished. It’s a scarf for the 2012 Super Bowl. Indianapolis hosts the 2012 Super Bowl and is asking individuals to knit up a scarf or two for the Super Bowl volunteer in Colts blue and white of course. Mine is from a pattern from the booklet, “Simple Hip Knit Scarves.” The pattern is Claredon. I’m knitting the blue now. The white will come later. So if you have some free time this month and would like to contribute, check out this website for more information: www.indianapolissuperbowl.com/super-scarves.

And the winner of our $25 Burpee Seed Gift Card is...

Congrats Linda from Parker's Paradise! Contact us at IndianaFarmers@gmail.com and let us know where to send your gift certificate. Happy Planting!