When is a Blanket More than a Blanket?

At the factual level, this blanket was the result of a conversation in a car park. A friend offered to do a blanket for Northern Loops to pass on to Project Linus even though she could not come to meetings. We laughed as I pulled the skeins of donated wool out of the boot of my car, which held more wool than a flock of sheep.

With all the many things going on, I forgot about it until I got a phone call that the blanket had been left at Castlehill for me. I was delighted at the thought of it, and the recollection of the conversation made me smile.

When I collected the blanket, I could feel not only the warmth of the wool and the lovely cables that invite the fingers to play with them, but what it represents. Because someone might sometime take some comfort from it, a friend spent her time and energy thinking about how to make her stitches mean something to someone that she will never see and who will never see her.

Now this lovely blanket reminded me of what we're all about when we are at our best. And in the middle of a gloomy winter it gave me a much needed reminder of what Northern Loops is all about. Each and every stitch is an opportunity to celebrate our best selves. Doing a little something for someone who needs it just because we can.