Right after Jackie died last winter, I knit a lot of stripes. They were all for little bodies. It was so meditative and allowed me to find color in darkness. And use up bits and bobs from my stash.

When you’ve been knitting a long time, you realize how much little tiny bits of leftover from all of your projects you accumulate. It’s not possible to keep it organized and stored just for repairs on that one project; and so it piles up and you figure out how to use it over time.

And in having tons of little leftovers in colors that spoke to me, I made a bunch of no plan striped pullovers for my nephews. Each was unique and I didn’t try to stick to any one thing. It was freeing and just what I needed.

You can see each striped sweater finished here, here and here. I’ll always remember those sweaters, even after those kids can’t wear them anymore. They helped me when I needed it most.