When Linda first reached out to me to arrange to pick up her order in our office I expected it to be a run-of-the-mill meeting with a customer.
But when I met Linda, she was anything but ordinary.
You see, Linda is a fighter. Someone who takes what life gives them and makes it better. She is someone who doesn't give up easily. Someone who keeps trying.
But I will let her tell you her story in her own words:
"I first learned to knit and crochet when I was 7 or 8 years old from my grandma. I did the usual blankets and wash cloths till I had gifted everyone I knew and my mom had no more room to stash the wash cloths. I later made baby blankets for all the babies I knew and all 4 of my kids got a blanket as they went off to college.
My life then took a turn and I suddenly became ill and ended up having both hands and my legs amputated. I was busy for awhile getting my life back on track, as you can imagine. After things slowed down I found I was unable to do so many things and I was bored. I wanted to DO SOMETHING!
I saw a video of arm knitting, but I was unable to hold the stitches on my stumps without them falling off.
I felt defeated once again. And then I saw Larissa's video of hand knitting. I thought that this might be something I could do with some adaptations.
I thought about how I could go about it. With some helpful suggestions I went about gathering all the materials. I tried a couple of different approaches and found what worked best for me. I developed a method using a cuff with a crochet hook as my fingers. It takes me a whole lot longer to do a blanket than the rest of the world, but I CAN do it.
When I finished that first blanket I was so proud of it, although now looking back I see just how rough of a first attempt it was. I am now down the road and have made several blankets and even a baby cocoon.
I am so thankful to Larissa for opening up my world again to being able to create things with my own two stumps (lol). I hope anyone who hesitates to do this will give it a try, it really is possible."
When I met Linda in person and heard her story, I cried. To hear a story of such extraordinary resilience and perseverance in the face of adversity is both humbling and inspiring. Humbling to know that what I do makes a difference in people's lives. Inspiring because you, my followers and customers, inspire me to continue, to keep going, despite an occasional desire to give up.
Linda reminded me that day that we are all connected. That one action spurs a reaction, just as in the case of my videos popping up in someone's computer exactly at the time that they needed them.
I feel eternally grateful to have met Linda, to hear her story and the impact hand knitting had on her life. It motivates me to keep going and to continue to bring this wonderful art form to others around the world.
Thank you, Linda, for never giving up and for sharing your story with me. And for reminding all of us that anything is possible, if you set your mind to it.
We hope Linda's story inspires you to start hand knitting or to keep going if you're struggling. Don't give up. You can do it.
And please, share YOUR story with us! Send it to our email: info@becozi.net, we would like to create a page on our website with amazing, inspiring, interesting or funny stories from you, our customers!
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And if you're thinking of getting some Merino wool to get started, the timing is perfect as it is on sale for $30 per pound compared to $32 per pound. You can use your coupons too!
You can also get our felted Merino on sale as well. And to top it all off we now offer bulk sale for super chunky Merino wool: when buying 20 pounds or more you get a discount of 20% off! What a deal!
We hope you take advantage of these offerings and take a chance on yourself - try hand knitting and see how much it can change your life.
Happy Summer and BeCozi!