A baby sweater. A yarn snob. A photo of the baby in the heirloom sweater. And a business was born @adaneknits.

But I get ahead of myself. This was thirty years in the making.

Today I submitted a query to Interweave Knitting, pitching for a piece that stories the first time I picked up knitting needles on the fourth floor of Swedish Hospital while my mom was dying.

I taught myself to knit, turn, purl, cast on, cast off under the florescent lighting. I focused on my hands. The panic was kept at bay. Fundamentals of knitting fiber together turned out to be the fundamentals of holding myself together.

I will let you know if the essay lands anywhere. And if it doesn’t I will post it here.