Sunday, January 21, 2007

XRK First Blogiversary

Dear Ann and Mo,

I wanted to use our blogiversary post to share with you how much Crossroad Knits has meant to me over the last year. XRK came along about 6 months after I moved to Philadelphia. It was so hard to move away from you, and I realize now how bad I was at the goodbyes that Summer. There were the teary farewells over dinner or sitting on the front porch, but I was in serious denial about leaving you.

The two of you were my go-to friends, the people to whom I could tell anything, the people with whom I could be all-me. The first two people I called when my father died. The two people who shared my love of food and laughed their way through the ins and outs of motherhood along with me. I grew to truly love your children, and admire your families. I was most at-home with you. You watched me grow into motherhood, and we enjoyed the luxury of time when we were home with infants, without carpools and committees to keep us busy.

I knew that this kind of friendship was rare, and that I would not easily find another kindred spirit here, especially in the more anonymous and spread-out suburbs, especially as we moved out of our baby years and into the elementary era. I was afraid that time and distance would change our friendship to the point that it was unrecognizable. We had such a day-to-day life together: an impromptu lunch or chance meeting at the farmers market, standing beside our cars in the carpool line, or hooking up at Crossroads Coffee and Ice Cream with a kid in tow, to knit and chat during a stolen hour in a busy day. Once I left, those interactions were gone, and I grieved that dimension of my life deeply.


We talked a lot on the phone, and we've visited several times over the past 18 months, but it is this blog that keeps me in your lives on a day-to-day basis. I see pictures of you, so I know what your hair looks like now. I see pictures of the growing kids, and am reminded of their silly expressions or their unique personalities that they had, even as babies. I've been a part of your home-renovation project and know where you are volunteering. We e-mail or talk because we have "blog business" to discuss.


I love to see what you are knitting, and drink up every detail of your creative process. I love seeing what yarns you choose and projects you attempt. I have this gauge of how your life is going by studying your knitting (or lack of it). It has been a vehicle to rejuvenate my creativity, and a way to meet a wonderful community of knitters.

But XRK has been a gift to me because I feel like we are meeting for knitting and chatting at Crossroads again, stealing moments out of our busy lives, just because we're friends. It is because of XRK that I still have you in my life in this day-to-day way, despite the distance.

And so I thank you for taking on this project together with me. Mo, your great idea to start a blog together has meant more to me than just being able to visualize what you are knitting. It has meant a deepening of our friendships and has reassured me enough of its endurance to finally begin to feel at home here in Philadelphia.

Lots of love,
Liz

11 comments:

Ashley said...

Liz, your last two posts have made me totally sniffly. You're lucky to have so much love in your life!

Susan said...

Happy Blogiversary to all three of you. Liz, very nice post!

knittingphilistine said...

Happy Blogiversary and big, BIG cheers to good, nay, GREAT friends!

Anonymous said...

What a sweet post. I hope you have found close friends in Philly but I know they can never take the place of your XRX family.

Happy Blogiversary!

Sally said...

Friends are to be treasured. The good ones don't come along so often, and when they do, you need to hold on tight! Just as you have done here Liz. Lovely post dearie! Hope to see you on Wednesday night - I'll be there to hang with my friends. :o)

Ann said...

Thank you Liz. Thank you. For everything.

Tina said...

I'm so jealous.

Thanks for doing this, for reminding me what it means to have friends. Between work and chirren, it's easy to stop having a life, you know? But we get it, how doing something creative with the hands makes one feel sane, and the writing ... bless y'all. Thanks.

Anonymous said...

another one of those "awwwwwwwwww" posts.

liz honey, you DO have a talent for writing!

I am glad you are part of my SnK group. and this blog helps me "know" your other friends.

happy blog-a-versary from the mascot and me!

HPNY KNITS said...

knitting friendships are fantastic! you guys are great. I do love photos of happy knitters shopping for yarn... that grey felted bag looks great.
Happy blogiversary!

carrie said...

i never really knew the story behind XRK -- that was so sweet and touching. you are really lucky to have found such a great pair of friends. as i'm sure you know, that's such a rare and special gift.

Anonymous said...

A very beautiful tribute to good friends.

Happy Blogiversary.