The first rule of Knit Club is you do not stop talking about Knit Club.

There was a lot of tension in the room, a lot of white knuckles.

Some heads were bowed, some were raised in equal amounts of exasperation and ecstacy.

Lips were moving, silently counting, and then tightening in anticipation.

Ray Gendron, apparently, was about to say something.

"David," he began, looking directly at the top of your Hub correspondent's head, "it is usual, upon entering a Legion, to ... "

Ray kept talking of course, but the sound his voice was interrupted by the sound of my hand removing the forgotten bandana faster than an Arrow could fly.

And by the laughter of the Knit Club, it seems Ray was flying in familiar skies, defending the honour of the Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 6.

Ray doesn't knit, but he does help keep things lively. He also carries bins of yarn and scarves and sweaters and socks and booties to and fro, mostly under the direction of his wife Beth Gendron, one of the Knit Club's organizers.

Ms. Gendron, founder of Sarge's SOUL Legacy and Veteran Knits Appreciation Apparel, joined forces with fellow crafter Kate Wilson and her church group to help "better the lives of Canada's best" by donating knitted apparel to veterans, active duty members, and the charities that support them.

Their Knit Club meets every Wednesday morning from 10:00 a.m. to noon at the Owen Sound Legion on 2nd Avenue West.

They're looking for new members and contributors – you could drop off finished items if you prefer, perhaps help out with the yarns by donating a few balls or skeins now and then – or pull up a chair at the Legion table.

There's only a handful of knitters around that table now, helping craft the astonishing array of knitted and crocheted items for birthdays, November 11 and Christmas, births and other special occasions.

"We're hoping we can find people who want to help us," explained Ms. Gendron.

"No experience necessary!"

From the variety of items and styles, to the wealth of knitting know-how around the banquet tables, it would be an easy learning curve from making toques on a loom to orchestrating three needles and a ball of thin yarn while holding two conversations and keeping an eye on Ray.

Kate Wilson, left, Jondré Crampton Beckett and Beth Gendron, above right, join Janice McWhinney, below left, and Doris Wilcox at Knit Club.

No idle hands around this table: Norris Wyatt, above, Doris Wilcox, Kate Wilson, Jondré Crampton Beckett, Beth Gendron, and Janice McWhinney, below, show a variety of styles, yarns, needles and final products.

Ruby Mulligan, right, and Donna Garrow check out Knit Club swag.

You name it, they knit it!

"David." All conversation stopped.

"Come with me."

Ray, apparently, had something to show me.

And he did – a bottle of dark sand in the Legion's museum he brought home from Juno Beach a couple of years ago, its weight seemingly much heavier than the small jug that protects it should allow.

But I'm thinking, as we walk through the Legion, that he might benefit from one of those cozy toques, or perhaps a cute tea cozy, to keep his head snug and warm during Knit Club sessions.

The sombre small bottle of sand stops me from sharing this with him, and instead I think of my friend Lew.

Lew was on Juno, on Day Two. He was just 18, pretty much fresh off the farm.

In retirement he lived year-round on the Canadian Shield, on an inland water-access lake a couple miles from the eastern shore of Georgian Bay.

Lew had less hair than Ray and he would have loved a hat, some socks, a scarf, to keep him warm, physically and emotionally, warmth crafted with love, given in grace.

.............

– by Hub staff
David Galway