My Friend Ruth

I can't remember when Ruth and I met, nor where, but it seems like we knew each other forever.  We spun and knit and joked.  We made pillow cases at her house one holiday season to give out as presents.  We shared our love for animals, food, the environment and politics.  She always came over to help do inventory in late July or early August or would just come sit and knit with me on the shop deck for a couple of sunny hours.

Ruth often modeled for my original designs and was my best test knitter.

In 2007 above, modeling the Distaff Basket and early October 2012 below modeling We Shawl.

She was also an enthusiastic teacher and demonstrator of fiber arts.

Showing simple weaving, Roc Day 1/2009

 

Teaching spindling at one of my Open Houses, July 2009

As an active member of our Spinning guild, Ruth was on the Roc Day committee and fully participated in guild programs.

 2nd from right, 2010

modeling the monster squash we were trying to guess the weight of, fall 2011.

She was an original member, with Carole L and me, of our weekly Knit Knite which started at Wegmans then moved to its current incarnation at Panera's.  Ruth taught most of the Nurse's Aides in our county through a program at Oak Hill Nursing Home.  She loved dressing up on Holidays for the nursing home festivities and often brought her guitar in to sing alongs.  The is the last picture I have of her (Oct 31, 2012 at Knit Knite) before she had her first seizure in December.

Ruth spent December, 2012 through late July, 2013 striving to get ahead of her brain cancer, and for a while she did, but it was an aggressive tumor and by June she was losing ground.  Ruth entered Hospicare in August where they took amazingly loving care of her.  On the 31st she was resting so peacefully we knew it was a matter of days before she left us. She passed to another plane on Wednesday morning, September 4, 2013.  She will be sorely missed by not only me but her family and all the friends she lovingly touched over the years.