Skip to main content

Crafting a Legacy

Before my mom taught me to knit, crochet and sew,
that knowledge was passed to her.


My Grandma Hansen was a tough lady. The kind who wouldn't tolerate rude behavior or disrespect from anyone old enough to control the tone of their voice. She could still a child squirming through church with an outstretched hand. She was also the kind who, with a wink and a smile, would slide an M&M across the table to a kid to shy to ask for one, then elicit a whispered, "Thank you," with a gentle, but expectant, "You're welcome."

Grandma Hansen in 2005.
Grandma was also a crafter. She gifted many crochet dolls to her grand-daughters. One Christmas, each grand-kid was given a pillow case. Mine, a black and white panda print with lace on the cuff, is still in circulation. Another year it was a pajama set, wrapped and topped with a little crochet animal. My brother's gift topper was accidentally sent out with the wrapping paper, and she made him another. It should be noted, at this time, the number of grandchildren was quickly overtaking the 30 mark. It is probably incalculable the number of mittens she turned out in her lifetime.

Page through Grandma's pattern books and you will find the names of expectant mothers written next to the pattern they had chosen for their baby's coming home sweater. Grandma always cautioned them to look carefully at the sweater — not the baby — in the picture before a final decision was made.

Grandma Hansen passed away just before my first child was born. I think about her a lot. I can hear her laugh whenever Laney says something outrageous, which I know she'd have gotten a kick out of. I wonder how often she would have had to holler at Oliver to put the ottoman back the way it was supposed to be. Sometimes, his smile is just like hers, and I wonder if it would work as easily on her as it does on me. Probably not.

One thing Grandma didn't do was use a lot of fancy yarn. She also didn't make a lot for herself. She wore the same hat and mittens, which I'm pretty sure she made, for as long as I can remember. I think about her all the time while spinning. Especially if it is a particularly nice fiber blend. Sometimes I finish a skein and wish I could hand it to her and say, "Here, Grandma. Make something nice for yourself." Or I could make something for her. Or do both.

It would have been especially fun to spin with Grandma; let the knowledge flow the other direction for a change. Even if she didn't actually spin herself, you can bet she would have let me talk her ear off about fiber, spindles, wheels and frenetic shop updates. Perhaps she is here with me every once in a while, laughing along with her wild great-grandkids, looking stern when they cross the line.

Laney is starting to knit now. In that, Grandma and her legacy live on.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Evergreen asymmetry

This is a chart I've been meaning to get to for a while. The Christmas before last, I was making a whole bunch of Christmas ornament gift toppers . I wanted each to be unique, so some of the miniature sweaters were adorned with duplicate stitch in traditional knit motifs. I hit a snag with the tree. A row of perfect triangle trees is cute. A single triangle tree is not so cute. A chart for a small tree is not hard to find. One which is not symmetrical is. Enter the sketch pad. My goal was a scraggly tree, which was small, but was still recognizable as a tree. This is the result. As a matter of personal preference, I think this looks best when the chart is turned upside down and is used on a piece being worked from the top. That way, the top of the tree comes to a nice point.
Post a Comment
Read more

Little bits of cozy

As snow settles in, I find joy in the small things that make life a little bit more cozy and sweet, two of which I'd like to share. The first is a recipe for an almost instant brownie. Spoiler alert: I knit these stocking ornaments as gift toppers this year. But even if you weren't on my gift list, you won't be left out. The pattern is now available for all, free on ravelry. I used to keep my cupboard stocked with microwavable, mini brownie bowls, for emergencies, but lately they've been hard to find. There was a packet of instant hot chocolate on the counter which gave me an idea. What if I could just make a brownie with that? A quick google search revealed several recipes for almost-instant, single serving brownies. All were basically the same: flour, sugar, cocoa, salt, oil, water and vanilla; all with similar proportions of each. I figured instant hot chocolate was basically the sugar and cocoa pre-mixed. Another quick google search proved my hypothesis p...
2 comments
Read more

Leopard print mittens, because I can

My favorite columnist, Mark Steyn , has a bit of advice proffered when speaking to classes of aspiring writers. He tells them, in addition to becoming writers, they should aspire to do something else as well. What doesn't really matter, as long as they do something. It's been a while since I've read the column, but the gist is, it's a more fulfilling and useful life when one is capable of actually doing something beyond thinking about how to write about things being done. I would agree, capability is a wonderful thing. I've been surrounded by capable people my entire life. Need something built? The boards are in the shed; nails or screws? Need to replace a faulty light switch? I know a guy. Need something turned on a lathe? I know a guy — or three. Have a craving for handcrafted candy? Well, there is a secret family recipe for that. Just stand at the stove for a few hours, stirring to soft-ball stage. Being surrounded by so many people better at everything can b...
Post a Comment
Read more