FreshSqueezedLymeAid

I've loved knitting from the moment my Gramma showed me how. My life got wrapped up in string...and I've loved every stitch.

It wasn't until I got my 4th PICC line in as many years that I decided it would be cool to make myself an 'arm sock'. I envisioned something to keep my tubing in place and look awesome at the same time. I was on a 'medical vacation' in California, and simply had to check out the local yarn store. I was itching to find the perfect yarn for my armbands; something with stretch, made of natural fibers, that was washable. A tall order for a ball of string, but I am a dreamer and know nothing is possible unless you start somewhere ;) !

A teeny, beautiful yarn shop, shelves piled with rainbows of yarn, specializing in 'warm-weather knitting' (i.e.: plant-based fibers!); I was in heaven! As soon as found the perfect yarn, a shaft of brilliant sunlight came through the open window, and a breeze ruffled my hair, and the yarn sparkled in my hand (okay...so this was all going on in my mind, but you know what I mean :P ). I just knew it would be perfect.

And it was.

I made my first 'IV Comfy Cover' after fiddling with gauge and stitches. It was a 'sea green' color, in a basic ribbing. I wore it to the doctor's office and showed all the nurses and other patients, who just loved it. I felt I was helping turn something as scary and icky as a intravenous catheter into something more positive and cheery.

I realized as soon as I showed more patients with IV's that I had to make more, so I could share the smiles. I loved Etsy, and I knew right away that this was the kind of community I wanted to be a part of. Everyone is so talented and friendly, and there is a wonderful sense of community, even though I've never met a single other shop owner!

My workspace is always wherever I am...I knit where I go in my wheelchair, which is fun; people always ask me questions about my 'play' (who could ever call this work!?).

I am the hands behind my small business, and my wonderful parents give me a hand with shipping. I live on the breathtaking Vancouver Island, and the sights and sounds of the seaside are my constant inspiration, and the subject of my photo-card work!

So I guess what I'm saying is being ill doesn't have to be all bad. You have to look around you to find times to smile and laugh. There are amazing opportunities waiting out there for all of us, and for me that was lessons to learn & something new to create: an IV Comfy Cover.

There is incredible about taking a humble ball of yarn, and two sticks and creating something beautiful. Knitting is a story, a story of beginning as one tuft of cotton in the field and growing up to be hat, gloves, or even an 'arm sock'.