#18 South Carolina

Name: Dorene
Ravelry Name: 2sticks
Location: Pawleys Island, South Carolina
Occupation: Physician Assistant (retired)
In memory of My Dad, Robert Delaney
and in honor of all cancer survivors

Greetings from Pawleys Island, South Carolina!

To me, the beach has always conjured up the most heartwarming memories. As a child, I always recalled every summer we spent as a family at the Jersey shore. I remember my Dad, and the safeness that I felt as he held me so close as the waves approached. His arms were my haven and never wanted our time together to end.

Four years ago, this Christmas season, right after having relocated to Pawleys Island with my newly-retired husband, I was diagnosed with cancer. I knew then, that being at the beach was exactly where I should be. I retreated to the beach, and found comfort in my memories that the sounds and smell of the ocean had evoked. The beach is and will always will be my little bit of heaven right here on earth.

On Christmas eve, the shawl arrived at my home. And could not have thought of any place in the world where I would rather be when I knitted it, other then my beloved beach...

My contribution to the shawl was done in memory of my Father, Robert Delaney and in honor of all cancer survivors.

Dad, I miss you so much.

#17 WEST VIRGINIA

Name: Treva
Ravelry name: TerriLynn
Location: Culloden, WV
Occupation: personal assistant to a Realtor.
In memory of my parents. I lost them both in the last 3 years to different types of cancer.

#16 PENNSYLVANIA

Name: Diane
Ravelry name: dplantlady
Location: Bethlehem, PA

#15 New York

Name: Andrea
Ravelry name: ajurgrau
Location: Close to NYC, NY
Occupation: Nurse practitioner
In memory of Lucy Voulgaris.

New York!

It has been a pleasure to host our shawl these last two days. I knit my rows yesterday, and took The Shawl to New York City for some sightseeing this evening. You can see further silly details of our adventure on my blog. She was excellent company, though I may have been a questionable influence...

You can see her lounging as I bought our train tickets in Grand Central Station. She knows how good she looks... I will pack her off and send her to her next knitter first thing tomorrow morning. I totally enjoyed her company!

#14 VERMONT

Name: Sylvia
Ravelry Name: Sligo
Location: West Glover, VT
Occupation: Freelance copy editor and proofreader
In honor of my parents and anyone surviving with cancer.
In memory of Gloria Kidd Brown.

In honor of Gloria Kidd Brown

I knit my six rows of the traveling shawl last night, and had a wonderful feeling as I was knitting of connecting to all the other knitters who have and will have worked on the shawl by the time it is completed in October 2009. I rarely have such moments of connectedness to others around the world. The most vivid memory of such an experience for me is childbirth. I remember each time I gave birth reaching out to other mothers around the world laboring at the same time as I was. It was good to know I was not alone.

But we are also connected to people around the world in the most difficult of times. I think of difficult times in our lives as opportunities to learn compassion for others. Our community church was attacked by an arsonist last week, and it was such a blow to so many in our small town. In the first week people seemed to say,"What kind of person could do this kind of thing?" There is so much frustration around the unknown. What really struck me in this experience was that the feelings we in our community feel about our church must be intensified a thousand times or more to match the intensity of feeling of those whose ancient mosques have been destroyed in the Middle East over the past several years. The history, the family connections, the pain. And how difficult it is to suffer such a blow knowing who the culprit is and not having any recourse because of the lawlessness of the situation. I have long felt compassion for the people of Iraq and Afghanistan, but the arson in the church next door brought their experience closer to home.

I guess I'm thinking that disease is an awful and awesome opportunity to learn compassion for others and the struggles of their lives, which may go unnoticed by the majority of us. I am honored to be a part of this project, which brings disease and awareness of disease to the forefront.

I knit my rows in honor of several Vermonters who shall remain unnamed, and especially in honor of Gloria Kidd Brown, the mother of my friend Stephan Cantor. Gloria died in 2006. She was in her lifetime a breast cancer survivor. A strong and vivacious woman, Gloria was an architect, a baker, a potter, a mapmaker, a community activist, and a wonderful mother, grandmother, and friend. Soon after she died, a friend published a book of Gloria's recipes and wisdom, from which I'd like to quote two passages. One is one of Gloria's favorite quotes, from Winston Churchill:

"If you're going through hell, don't stop."


The other is from a letter she wrote a year before she died:

Dear God,

You probably know I have a problem.

You know, You passed me by in the language category. I'll forgive you for that because You outdid Yourself in doling out the friends category.

Good heavens, I've got friends all over the place. Like all friends of friends, mine have helped me many times through my life's journey. Sometimes they make me crazy worrying about me though! They even gave me a wad of ready cash to help fix my ol' house. Can you beat that? Oh, excuse me, I guess You could.

A formal and serious letter is called for--or, knowing me, a simple note might do? I just want to let them know how much I really love them, how very much I admire the talents of each and every one and appreciate their generous gift for my 74th going on 75th birthday.

As usual I will be most thankful to hear what You have to say. Maybe You have already said it!?

I believe in You,
Glo ooooo ooooo oooo ria


Here is a photo of Gloria's daughter, my friend and neighbor, Stephan Cantor, holding the Travleing Shawl.





It has been an honor to be a part of this project.
Sylvia

#13 MAINE

Name: Cheryl Virginia
Ravelry name: Cheryl1952
Location: Brunswick, ME
In memory of Mrs. Priscilla Mongomery. Mrs. M or Miss Pris brought her love of theater and the performing arts to my old high school. Priscilla was diagnosed with breast cancer and students, present and past, rallied for her to live. The auditorium was renamed in her honor. Brave, true and loyal to her passion, family and students, as she directed and tried to keep spirits up and prepare them for her death.

#12 NEW HAMPSHIRE

Name: Deborah
Ravelry name: jstdt3t
Location: Hudson, NH
Occupation: part time paraprofessional at junior high and test knitter for Knitpicks since 2005
In honor of Emily, my niece, who is a two time survivor of leukemia and has currently been cancer free for 6 years.
In honor of Corinne, my 97 year old grandmother, who is a 10 year survivor of uterine cancer.

#11 MASSACHUSETTS

Name: Marie
Ravelry name: mgb
Location: Great Barrington, MA
Occupation: Legal secretary
In memory of my dearly missed friend, Dianne Allene

The Traveling Shawl makes a public appearance at Marie local yarn store, Wonderful Things.

Marie concentrating on lace.

The Quality Control Department (aka Deb) inspects Marie's work. Thank you Deb!
Marie's rows finished, ready to be on the road to New Hampshire.

#10 RHODE ISLAND

Name: Vesna
Ravelry name: Batty
Location: State line of MA and RI
Occupation: Taxonomist
In honor of Stephanie, who is currently fighting breast cancer.

#9 CONNECTICUT

Name: Polly Talbott

Ravelry name: pttalbott

Location: Saybrook, CT

In memory of Anne Talbot.

#8 NEW JERSEY

Name: Grace
Ravelry name: needles54
Location: Lake Hiawatha, NJ
Occupation: Knitter
In honor of Faith Yaskovic
In memory of Grace Crawford Mulholland

#7 DELAWARE

Name: Krista
Ravelry name: knitdelaware
Location: Wilmington, DE
Occupation: Banker
In honor of the survivors, the women who get up and fight everyday and make the most of every minute they have.

#6 MARYLAND

Name: Kathe
Ravelry name: Downegirl
Location: Mount Airy, MD

Occupation: Retired editor, full time knitter
In honor of my sister Vera who had breast cancer that was caught early and successfully treated with minimally invasive surgery. Well and happy in England now
In memory of my dear mother-in-law who, although she didn’t have breast cancer, instead had ovarian cancer. However that is not what she succombed to - it was the horrible disease ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease).

#5 VIRGINIA

Name: Megan
Ravelry name: Megweaver
Location: Fisherville, VA
Occupation: College Librarian
In honor of my Aunt Janet, who had a double mastectomy and whose cancer is in remission.

#4 NORTH CAROLINA

Name: Marie
Ravelry name: mshanley
Location: Hendersonville NC
Occupation: Retired software engineer
In honor of my friends Donna, Lynn, Linda, and Vicki, all fellow breast cancer survivors
In memory of Meredith

#3 FLORIDA

Name: "S"
Ravelry name: furballchaser
Location: Tampa, Florida
Occupation: Homemaker and volunteer
In honor of my knitting friend, Jan, who made it
In memory of Sally who didn't

#2 GEORGIA

Name: Fleegle
Location: Northeast GA

#1 ARKANSAS

Name: Kay
Ravelry name: naturalstateknit
Location: Central Arkansas
Occupation: Homemaker/Knit and Crochet Designer
In honor of my cousin Pam
In memory of Evelyn Howell

The journey has begun!!!!

The Yarn...

We have the yarn...
we have the pattern...
keep checking back...
we will soon have lift-off!