From beyond the grave, your grandmother's restless spirit calls out to know why the hell that blue merino sweater with the traveling cables is still sitting in the back of your bottom drawer.
The only hand-knitted sweater I own (no, I haven't made myself one... yet) was given to me by a friend whose mother had made it for her. She hated it, found it to be boxy and unflattering and ugly.
I wear the holy hell out of that sweater. It's fantastic and beautiful and HAND-KNITTED and it fits great and I hope to God I can make one just as good.
I think there are a lot of improperly appreciated hand-made objects floating around out there.
Neither of my grandmothers could knit, let alone cook, sew or do anything domestic. Considering that both were born in the mid-1890s, they rose above the status quo and had careers--a businesswoman and a teacher.
Grandma tried to knit for the war effort in the 1940s, using Red Cross yarn and some kind of balaclava pattern on dps. It was a disaster. However, she was my heroine and the only person who I'd ever let call me "Dolly".
my paternal grandmother was your basic Norman Rockwell garden variety knitter...glasses on a string, needlepoint footstool, kleenex in the sleeve...you get the idea
I remember gowing up, many different objects she made for us, but the one that I remember best is a matching crew neck sweater/mitten set of turquious/teal blue that had a "knit with love by grandmother" name tage sewen into the collar. It was soft and warm and fuzzy, like the fur of a puppy.
Years later, moving out of my parents house, my mother mentioned that she regretted not holding on to the stuff we grew out of, it would have been "neat" to hand it down to the grandchildren...
Yet again, another examply of why I am such a sentimental packrat...
i still have the quilt my grandmother made for my oldest daughter when she was born. considering alyse just turned 21, i think i'm doing well. i will hang on to it til the first grandchild is born, and just ask that it be passed around to all the grandchildren. all my kids got to use it (sporadically, but they did) and i think grandma would love that her love was wrapping around great greats.
and yes, you need to put that on a t-shirt. i would most definitely buy that (i've been sending the links to all your shirts you've been posting to my fiance for christmas hints)
you rock, franklin (gee, i'm starting to sound like a broken record)
I went to a baby shower last night and one of the gifts from the mother of the mother-to-be was a knit blanket. Before my friend had the thing out of its box, her mother put her hand to her head in that woeful sort of stance and said, "That's the ONLY thing I ever knit. I hated every minute of it, but that's the blanket you came home from the hospital in. Look, I can see a hole in it from way over here. Well, there you go." Of course everyone thought this was charming (except me who thought it odd that anyone would dislike knitting, but I kept that feeling of shock and horror to myself).
The thing that leaves me gobsmacked after reading Sister Sue's story is that someone would make something for and give it to someone, while exclaiming in high drama about how they hated making it and pointing out the errors. How does the recipient respond to that with grace and generosity? "Gee...thanks...how wonderful to receive something from somebody that they hated making and that has holes in it...."
Actually, it would be nice to have little cards on which to write care instructions. The illustrations could show the sad result of the recipient's failing to follow instructions.
My Baci was a tiny fierce Polish lady who could knit and crochet the pants off nearly everyone I know. Sorry, guys. I begged her to teach me to crochet, but she said, you can't crochet, you're left-handed. Itll be all...twisted. Hmph. I taught myself. From a book. Now I get paid to crochet.
Like Ted, I'm apalled at Sister Sue's story. What a yucky thing to receive when it could have been so charming if something else had been said. My grandma was the only other member of my family who enjoyed knitting. I'm sure she'd understand about the scrunched up UFOs in a way that no one else can.
The only hand-knitted sweater I own (no, I haven't made myself one... yet) was given to me by a friend whose mother had made it for her. She hated it, found it to be boxy and unflattering and ugly.
ReplyDeleteI wear the holy hell out of that sweater. It's fantastic and beautiful and HAND-KNITTED and it fits great and I hope to God I can make one just as good.
I think there are a lot of improperly appreciated hand-made objects floating around out there.
Neither of my grandmothers could knit, let alone cook, sew or do anything domestic. Considering that both were born in the mid-1890s, they rose above the status quo and had careers--a businesswoman and a teacher.
ReplyDeleteGrandma tried to knit for the war effort in the 1940s, using Red Cross yarn and some kind of balaclava pattern on dps. It was a disaster. However, she was my heroine and the only person who I'd ever let call me "Dolly".
On a postcard? Or perhaps a Xmas card (though that would have to be the kind that said 'Season's Greetings' in it)? Please?!
ReplyDeletemy paternal grandmother was your basic Norman Rockwell garden variety knitter...glasses on a string, needlepoint footstool, kleenex in the sleeve...you get the idea
ReplyDeleteI remember gowing up, many different objects she made for us, but the one that I remember best is a matching crew neck sweater/mitten set of turquious/teal blue that had a "knit with love by grandmother" name tage sewen into the collar. It was soft and warm and fuzzy, like the fur of a puppy.
Years later, moving out of my parents house, my mother mentioned that she regretted not holding on to the stuff we grew out of, it would have been "neat" to hand it down to the grandchildren...
Yet again, another examply of why I am such a sentimental packrat...
i still have the quilt my grandmother made for my oldest daughter when she was born. considering alyse just turned 21, i think i'm doing well. i will hang on to it til the first grandchild is born, and just ask that it be passed around to all the grandchildren. all my kids got to use it (sporadically, but they did) and i think grandma would love that her love was wrapping around great greats.
ReplyDeleteand yes, you need to put that on a t-shirt. i would most definitely buy that (i've been sending the links to all your shirts you've been posting to my fiance for christmas hints)
you rock, franklin (gee, i'm starting to sound like a broken record)
My grandmother bitched because my stitches were too even. My other grandmother bitched because I didn't like acrylic. 'Nuff said.
ReplyDelete(And you wonder why I learned to spin...)
I went to a baby shower last night and one of the gifts from the mother of the mother-to-be was a knit blanket. Before my friend had the thing out of its box, her mother put her hand to her head in that woeful sort of stance and said, "That's the ONLY thing I ever knit. I hated every minute of it, but that's the blanket you came home from the hospital in. Look, I can see a hole in it from way over here. Well, there you go." Of course everyone thought this was charming (except me who thought it odd that anyone would dislike knitting, but I kept that feeling of shock and horror to myself).
ReplyDeleteWow...what a perfect cartoon. Not only was it funny, and expertly executed, but it got folks thinking about their grandmothers and handknit items.
ReplyDeleteNow THAT'S talent.
The thing that leaves me gobsmacked after reading Sister Sue's story is that someone would make something for and give it to someone, while exclaiming in high drama about how they hated making it and pointing out the errors. How does the recipient respond to that with grace and generosity? "Gee...thanks...how wonderful to receive something from somebody that they hated making and that has holes in it...."
ReplyDeletePostcards, Franklin, postcards.
... or perhaps gift cards ...
ReplyDeleteActually, it would be nice to have little cards on which to write care instructions. The illustrations could show the sad result of the recipient's failing to follow instructions.
Ohhhhhhhhhhh gift cards I love that idea. I would love to adorn my handmade work with some of these adorable cartoons.
ReplyDeleteHint..Hint..Hint
:o)
That made me laugh out loud.
ReplyDeleteMy Baci was a tiny fierce Polish lady who could knit and crochet the pants off nearly everyone I know. Sorry, guys.
ReplyDeleteI begged her to teach me to crochet, but she said, you can't crochet, you're left-handed. Itll be all...twisted.
Hmph.
I taught myself. From a book.
Now I get paid to crochet.
Like Ted, I'm apalled at Sister Sue's story. What a yucky thing to receive when it could have been so charming if something else had been said. My grandma was the only other member of my family who enjoyed knitting. I'm sure she'd understand about the scrunched up UFOs in a way that no one else can.
ReplyDeleteFranklin, are you too busy knitting on that fabu donor's baby gift to post?
ReplyDeleteReturn to us, love.
Franklin, I'd like to talk to you about your art via e-mail. Could you e-mail me? DeniseKnits@gmail.com
ReplyDelete