Wednesday, January 17, 2018

Welcome to the Flock

The sun is shining and the temperatures are going to climb out of single digits this afternoon. Hooray. It will be nice to walk further than to the mail box and around the cul-de-sac. I am sitting in the corner of the love seat with my feet in a patch of warm sunshine and a cup of tea on the side table while I savor these mittens. They were a Christmas gift from my daughter. Like all knitted gifts, they are a love story.

One holiday break during my daughter's college years, I taught her to knit. Then she became a graduate student in physical therapy and married. She had little time for knitting. Eight years ago, when she was pregnant with her first son, she knit two toys, an elephant and a bunny. They were not uncomplicated projects. She finished the elephant but the bunny was missing one ear. Now she is a mother of three and little Jonah at 22 months found the bunny. He kept bringing it to her saying, "Mama, fix it." So in November when she came to teach for a weekend, she brought the bunny. Together we struggled over picking up the stitches. The instructions are designed to create a pleat in the ear. I helped her but we, mostly me, picked them up backwards so the ears are not symmetrical. Jonah doesn't care, he just wanted a bunny with two ears. She knit the ear. She watched You-tube videos while she made increases. She sat beside me and I showed her how to kitchener the top together.

Since she had nothing to knit on the plane ride home, I gave her a pair of needles, a ball of washcloth yarn, and a pattern. She wanted to knit some two color mittens like the ones my sister had made for her. I tried not to squeal with delight that she was interested in and had time for knitting. We talked about yarn and she ordered some before she left. I helped her just a little with the pattern instructions. Her first pair of color work mittens came in our Christmas package as one of my gifts. They arrived with a poem she wrote about knitting them. They fit, are extremely warm and so pretty. I was so touched by this gift. After she finished them, she ordered yarn for another pair. A good friend has asked her for a cowl so she has a project in her queue. She is a dear daughter and I am delighted to share knitting with her.

Meanwhile in Texas, my daughter-in-law made nine Christmas stockings on a knitting loom. She created the designs for these stockings. All the family members, including the dogs, have new matching stockings. Jacque has big heart and she is a wonderful daughter-in-law. She has driven me to several yarn shops in Fort Worth during our visits and patiently waited while I wandered around those stores. She crochets and is now creating designs for t-shirts. Two new knitters in one month! To them I say, "Welcome to the flock." May your fiber endeavors bring you joy, peace, and comfort.


As for me, I continue with my sweater - so far, so good. I should put the stitches on waste yarn and try it on. There are a few imperfections in the dye on this skein. I could have cut them out but decided to embrace what they bring to the sweater. There are plenty of other things to worry about in this world. I am listening to The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte. Some sources call it one of the first feminist novels. It is interesting that after Anne's death, her sister Charlotte prevented this story, a woman who eventually leaves an abusive mate, from being republished. I am reading a book of poetry, Rock, Tree, Bird, a gift from my knitting sister. It also came with a pair of beautiful color work mittens. The book is written by Nebraska's State Poet, Twyla Hansen. Hansen worked as a professional horticulturist and writes with a strong respect for the environment and her agricultural background. The poems are lovely to read on a winter or any other day. They are one antidote to the constant font of troubling news in our country. 


So as I join Kat and the Unravelers today, I wish you good knitting, good reading, and time to enjoy the sunshine.

10 comments:

  1. Those mittens are stunning! What a special gift from your daughter & the story of her return to knitting is lovely. And so nice, too, that your DIL also has the yarn bug. My Grandma taught me to knit (dishcloths) over 20 years ago & 8 years ago I taught my Mom to knit at Grandma's hospital bedside. How wonderful when generations are stitched together through a yarn connection. :)

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  2. Oh, my! Those mittens! Gorgeous!!

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  3. I loved reading your family knitting stories; thank you for sharing! She really is a dear daughter, and a proficient knitter to knit such beautiful mittens for you. It's wonderful that you can share the love, joy, peace, and comfort of knitting with your daughter and daughter-in-law!

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  4. How lovely to have fellow yarn enthusiasts in your ohana. I love how your grandson wanted the bunny and for his mama to fix the ear. Cute. The colorwork mitts are excellent!

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  5. I loved reading about your knitting family! So precious! My daughter can knit but doesn't like it (?!?!). I keep trying to talk her into it. My son knits and made a scarf, currently he has a hat on the needles, he knits in spurts. He has fantastic tension and even stitches - he lacks time since he is a grad student.

    My mother in law used to knit before macular degeneration. My mother knitted. My sister knits and my one sister in law knits :) So like you I am surrounded.

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  6. THE mittens are a work of art. A treasure. I too have a knitting daughter as you know. IT brings so much joy to us .

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  7. Such a sweet post from a sweet mom. Thank you for the warm welcome and you are right Jacque is so very kind.

    I’ve got the second pair of mittens done (!!) and the cowl cast on. I’ve been perusing the project possibilities. What’s next?!

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  8. I think there would be nothing better than sharing your craft with your children. How wonderful!
    Those mitts- oh my, they are amazing.

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  9. those mitts are amazing!!!! I'll give you the credit and say you were an awesome teacher!! honestly....great tension....the whole 9 yds here. Great present!!! Think I might need to find that book of poetry....sounds interesting,and you've never ever steered me wrong with book recommendations!

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  10. I know you are beyond excitement with two "new knitters "in the family; the Christmas stockings are fun and I love the story of your grandson and the pink bunny! Delightful. I must share the poet and poetry book with my friend...she's from NE and likes poetry...the mittens are indeed a piece of artistic work.
    Cheers~

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