7.26.10

For whatever crazy reason, I got bit by the crocheting bug...even with the temperatures as hot and humid as they have been. Maybe it was an effort to plead with the weather gods to bring about some cooler temperatures?

But ultimately it started when I had an idea for a giveaway.

I've always loved the idea of prayer shawls. Or meditation shawls. Or comfort shawls. The wording doesn't matter to me, as much as what it represents: "A comfort shawl is created to bring solace and strength to those in need, whether due to illness, loss or bereavement or to help celebrate one of life's rights of passage. Made by loving hands, they are symbols of of all-embracing love and comfort. Positive energy, prayers and good intentions directed toward the recipient are incorporated into these mantles as they are created." (Taken from a hospitals' comfort shawl program)

So, I made a comfort shawl, knowing there is pain in losing a child. Grief in infertility. Bereavement over the loss of a spouse, parent, or other loved one. Discomfort in illness. Angst in job loss. Celebration in a rainbow baby or one of your other children's birthdays. Hope in contentedness in whatever form that may take for you. All these things were in my mind as I made this, not knowing who specifically it may go to, and what experiences that person may have had, and continue to have.

For those who are experiencing summer right now, I know the idea of a shawl is just horrid. But fall and winter are coming around again. For those experiencing winter, this might be just the thing for you now. And for all, it can always be pulled out again each season if it is needed.

My hope is that when when times are hard, it may provide some comfort as it's around your shoulders, or in whatever way you might use it. That you know someone cares for you, and understands the brokenness of life.

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Giveaway info:

1. Leave a comment.
2. If you choose to leave more than one comment, for a better chance of winning, you must divulge some sort of interesting fact about yourself in each of your subsequent comments.
3. I'll used the random number generator thingy to choose the winner on Friday, the 30th.

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Shawl info:

• The colors are dusky blue, with a gray stripe.
• Made in a household with a cat present. No smokers though.
• Not infused with any fragrances, though my husband is making a ham right now, so that smell will fill every nook and cranny of the apartment :)
• I used yarn that was already in my collection which includes yarns I got in high school. This item is not all natural or homespun.
• I saw it as a light covering, rather than as warmth or for fashion purposes. I hope to make more to give away in the future, and I'll probably try some different patterns.
• If you have other questions, email me at regierdesign(at)gmail(dot)com.