cottageknits.com Blog

Where do i begin?
I am thrilled to report to you that baby Drew is home and doing well. Big brother Conner is enchanted with him and the Hoffman family are easing in to the life changes and challenges a new baby brings. After two weeks of sleepless nights, too much fast food and continuous updates to those of us at home, daughter Jamie and her husband Matt have come thru this experience a little wiser and so much stronger. I am proud of them. We are all better educated on the challenges and concerns of preemies. Frankly, i always thought it more about size (and Drew weighed in at 7.1 lbs)…now i know better.
We have all coveted the many prayers, notes and kind words sent our way. Each were treasured and we are grateful for every one… and humbled that so many would show concern for our family.
We celebrated the 2nd birthday of granddaughter Abilene last weekend. She’s growing like a weed…and she has overcome the challenges and concerns that doctors and specialists predicted after learning she had a tear and then a cyst on her tiny spinal cord. We were told she would not walk without surgery…she proved them wrong on that and continues to develop as any other two year old. We were reminded of how far she has come while viewing a slide show of the past year at her birthday party. Again, we are filled with gratitude for the prayers for her. Yes, it was a good reminder of the miracle we have seen in her life.
Our family is no different from any of yours. Never quite sure of what is just around the corner. We can do all the planning we want, but that doesn’t guarantee that is what will be. But one thing is for sure… It’s love that makes it hurt so much. It’s love that keeps us going. It’s love that keeps us together and it’s love that i feel for all of you who have shown my family so much compassion.
Thanks for letting me share my life with you….Now let’s see….what shall we plan next???

Just about the time you think you have everything “in order” things begin to (at best) tangle…or even unravel…and we are quickly reminded of what is really important in this life. You have to embrace these moments as a time to realize how much we really are blessed by friends and family.
As many of you know the Yarn Tasting 2009 was scheduled for Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon. The trunk shows arrived as scheduled and i felt like things were in order for a smooth, fun and relaxing evening.
Several of you were planning your day around a certain yarn shipment due to be delivered today..(.Friday)
Turns out our brand new grandson Drew Jameson Hoffman had other ideas…Daughter Jamie was expecting her second son due to arrive on November 27. We were fairly certain he would come early…but didn’t have a clue of what would happen next.
Drew was born on Tuesday, November 3 at 8:40 PM. He weighed in at 7.1 lbs. and 20 inches long. The delivery was fast and just as swiftly as he came he was whisked away to the intensive care nursery at CRH. He was the largest baby there and we kept thinking he would “turn the corner” and wean himself off of the oxygen he was given at that point.
But, that was not to happen…even at 7.1 lbs and only 3 1/2 weeks early his lungs weren’t ready. After a couple of scares it was determined he needed to be transported to Riley’s Children Hospital in Indy.
Once again he was whisked away…but the great news is that he made the trip with ease and things look a bit brighter today. He even held Jamie’s finger and opened his eyes to take a peek at his momma!
And about as quickly as he was moved, i made a decision that the shop needed to be closed for a day, that the much anticipated Yarn Tasting needed to be re-scheduled and i needed to focus on my family…who has made so many sacrifices in the past four years as i have tended to my “baby” Cottage Knits.
I apologize to all that have been inconvenienced by these decisions…but i trust you will all understand.
Cottage Knits will be open for business, as usual tomorrow (Saturday, November 7) and the Yarn Tasting will be re-scheduled as soon as things stabilize with Drew.
The Cascade shipment has arrived, thanks to some very helpful folks who made that happen….
There really are lots of things i want to tell you concerning upcoming classes, new inventory and upcoming events..and hopefully i will be able to get you caught up on all those things in the next few days. I thank you for your patience …and thank you for hanging in there with me…you’ve heard it before…we really are all better together!
Happy Knitting!
~cathi