my mom’s knitting
October 15, 2009my mom has not knit in years. she started making doll clothes when she was 12 or 13 (1956 or so) – sweaters, booties, and hats for tiny dolls. my mom, true to form, learned how to knit from a book (like me!). it was a little book with just the basics in it – green with a drawn illustration of a 1950s girl and some knitting needles on the cover. she still has it. i will try to get a photo for you all to see. (in contrast, i learned out of knitting and crocheting for dummies).
my mom and aunt marguerite at the art museum
she tried to make herself a pink sweater and thought blocking would make it fit, but to no avail. it was way too short. it was the 1950′s, acrylic was all the rage and, of course, with no one to help her, she didn’t really know about gauge (or that blocking only works with wool). and she still doesn’t, but i’ll teach her :)
she gave up for a year or two, returning to knitting to try to make a young man she liked a sweater. think green and black stripes in soft yarn – probably with some angora in it (it was all the rage then). it took her forever and turned out small, but with loooong arms. luckily she had grown sick of that young man by that time anyway.
from that point, she took a hiatus from knitting and went the art route of working with her hands. she loved making pottery and sculpting and painting human figures. she went to school for 3 years to work towards a B.S. in education, and after that took a year break to study art, taking classes and going to museums in the bay area.
[then came the rest of university, beginning teaching, meeting my dad, him going to university, having children etc. all the while, spending much creative and artistic energy in the classroom]
fast forward to now. i am sitting next to my mom, while she knits a deep purple heathered alpaca scarf. she has retired and has time to do all sorts of new and exciting things. which appears to include knitting with her daughter. and i must say, this is actually an old thing, that she remembers how to do quite well.
this made me smile :) thank for sharing!
What a great post Cosy, and how wonderful to sit and knit with your mom! So heartwarming!!
glad you are having fun and knitting with your mama. :)
Looks like you’re having a great visit! My warmest greetings to your mother.
How sweet. I encouraged my Mom to knit and she had a friend teach her. Now we can talk about knitting. :)
what a great story! Unfortunately my mom has no patience or commitment to things like craft.. but ya never no, maybe one day!
How wonderful. And I love that furry figure/ statue next to your aunt! That’s crazy.
It’s great that your mom is taking up knitting again. I hope she has lots of fun.
Do we have the same mom? Mine is a ceramic artist (she also used to weave and felt) who hasn’t knit in years and years. I keep urging her to try it again to no avail.
Lovely!
Your mum is cool:) Ask her what yarn that is? I love the colour!
it’s alpaca with a twist, baby twist. a great deal as alpaca yarns go!
How adorable! There should be a annual Knit With Your Mom Day!
Ah, what a treat! I love it when I can knit alongside my mom or my sister…blissful!
Now…I’ve gotta ask, haven’t seen any posts lately about the BabyEggplant pattern…in the works?
I’m very anxious for it! I’m finishing spinning the yarn for BabyBelle right now…we’ve been out of town, but I’ll be back on track with it this week…hoping to hear about BabyEggplant soon though!
~Vicki
baby eggplant will be published on wednesday!
sigh. That is an incredible story and so heartwarming. Love it!
What a lovely story. Your mom looks very happy to be retired and knit with her daughter.
This is such a touching post, Cosy. It’s so nice to share interests with your mom. She must be so proud of your creative endeavors!
Hi, Cosy’s mom!
[...] cosymakes an attempt to speak eloquently on behalf of all things woolie « merry christmas! woolie christmas December 26, 2009 usually my christmas’ are a bit woolie, but up until now that has always been on my side. not this year! two lovely woolies came in the mail from my mom. [...]