I recently read an article from a newsletter that I regularly receive from www.crochetmagazine.com where I was reminded that when faced with the possibility of having a long term illness or disability some people might decide to give up. Here are some women that decided to not give up but to put their focus on service and finding joy in what they have.
From Marie: ..... My mother is 76 and legally blind due to the wet form of mascular degeneration. She loves to crochet, as do I, and she thought she would never be able to do it again after losing most of her sight, but I have found a way to help her crochet.
Mom uses a large hook, usually size N or M, and because she has trouble seeing the stitches to crochet into them, I suggested she use patterns that call for crocheting into spaces rather than stitches, since they are easier to feel. Granny patterns are perfect for this, so she has been making granny-square and granny-rectangle afghans. Mom has trouble starting them, so I do the first two rows to get her going, and then she is off.
This is great therapy for her to keep her mind and hands busy. Mom donates the afghans she makes to my church to give to those in need. She's a true believer in "where there's a will, there's a way."
From Janet: I have a friend who has been completely blind for at least 20 years. She was an avid crocheter before she went blind, and she still is. Because it took a number of years for her to lose her sight, she was able to adapt the hooks she used and the way she crocheted to her slowly diminishing eyesight. By the time she could no longer see, she was already crocheting by feel.
..... The afghans she makes are colorful and beautiful, and they all go to several of our church's charities.
From Chani: ..... I actually rediscovered crochet because of a temporary, yet almost complete, visual impairment. In 2007 and 2008, I was undergoing treatment for diabetic retinopathy, and at one point, I was almost completely blind. Visual aids didn't even help. I was in despair, scared that I might never be able to do anything creative again.
I decided to pick up a crochet hook and some spare yarn just for something to keep my hands busy. I thought that because it's counting stitches I could do crochet by touch. My work might not be perfect, but at least I could still do it.
I would sit for hours, working and counting my stitches. It was amazing therapy! At 25, I was facing the prospect that I would be completely disabled and never able to work creatively again. But I discovered that even though I couldn't see I still had crochet. Maybe I couldn't follow a pattern, but who cared? I had never learned how to read one anyway! As long as I could feel and count, I could still crochet.
Eventually, I finished a queen-size blanket. A few weeks later, I gained vision back in one eye. I was nervous to look at the blanket and see every missed stitch and every flaw. When I finally looked at it, though, I thought it was the most beautiful project I had ever completed because I had made it when I was losing everything else that I thought was important. I never realized when I was learning how to crochet, using my fingers as hooks at age 4, that I had been learning one of the most important tools I would need later in life.
This article came from the following link
http://www.crochetmagazine.com/newsletters.php?mode=article&article_id=550&key=NL00
Pictures
https://www.allfreecrochetafghanpatterns.com/Striped-Afghans/Exquisite-Granny-Stripe-Crochet-Blankethttp://www.jonesandvandermeer.com/products/Crochet-Hooks.html
Comments
Post a Comment