Patterns of Inspiration: The Sunset Shrug

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The front door slammed and Dawn, at the window, watched her teenagers board their bus. Until late afternoon, this day was hers. Now that Lexie and Mike were in high school and she wasn’t driving them every afternoon to sports and lessons, Dawn’s life had entered a new and interesting phase.

She hadn’t formulated grand plans. Her intuition said to go with the flow. Today she’d start crocheting something just for herself. Called a “Sunset Shrug,” the design displayed a golden sun amidst colorful nebulae.

Dawn loved the yarn, Heartland, for its softness, warmth, and drape. Heartland developed easily into the bands of rich hues the pattern specified, and as her hook swiftly connected one shade to another, she found herself thinking of Miss Sanchez, who’d taught Earth Science in high school.

The image was so vivid, like she was back in high school again—Miss Sanchez standing before the class, rapidly explaining atmospheric layers or volcanic activity, energetically writing on the board.

Dawn remembered Miss Sanchez’s handmade shrugs and scarves as clearly as she recalled her lessons on natural forces. She loved that class. Miss Sanchez was so cool, so pretty, and so smart. She had undeniably inspired Dawn to major in geology in college.

Now, as she crocheted the Sunset Shrug in her peaceful home, Dawn thought it might be interesting to continue her education. Her kids were practically independent, and if she took two courses every term, she’d have a teaching degree by the time they left for college. She imagined standing before a group of note-taking teenagers, just like Miss Sanchez. As she turned to write on the board, the back of her Sunset Shrug would radiate an image of nature’s beauty, for all to see.
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All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

A story by Selma Moss-Ward.

Selma Moss-Ward writes and knits in Rhode Island. You can find her work on our blog, as well as Lion Brand’s monthly newsletter, Pattern Journal, which you can subscribe to here.