Grandma's Mittens

My sympathies recently go to my Great Grandma G. I have been enjoying the busy Christmas season and was asked to make a special order by a couple people, Mittens for children. I am always in love of a challenge but this challenge has me reminiscing over the yearly gift from my Great Grandma.  When I got the traces of the hand both me and the person buying them enjoyed the effort it had taken to get them. It was clear those children were not interested in “making turkeys”. When I talked to my mother a little later I immediately apologized.

A finished pair I made for a client

I remember being older, my mother saying in a trip to Grandma’s nursing home on one of our many trips to the Cape, them saying alright time to do the trace. I remember placing my hand on the paper on the table and them tracing my hand, inside my hand someone writing my name and my color of choice. (It was usually a list of colors and she always seemed to find the perfect multi colored yarn for me.) Then them doing it for my brother. I was apologizing for all the earlier times though. How many times and for how many of my cousins had they started tracing our hands only to have us walk away before they were done.

Mittens for sale on my Etsy page GrandmasTools

So this Christmas I may not be getting a gift of all new mittens from my Great Grandma G but I am passing on her love to children I may never meet. Every time I knit it pass on all my ancestors love, and warmth. They may be looking at me thinking “you are going about that all wrong,” but I like to think they will be proud at the hand knit socks for my dad, aunt, and brother or the mittens for my aunt, brother, dad and Grandpa. (Don’t worry nothing has been spoiled, they either know already because they asked or don’t read my blog.) Let the love we share this Holiday season be found in our loved ones as much as it is in the memories of what they have given us.

My Great Grandparents at my Christening.  From left to right Grandpa and Grandma G, Grandma E and Grandma B. 

Let there be Light

It seems that there is one thing that many girls of my Generation share beyond Barbie, it is the American Girl Doll. I was definitely one of the obsessed. I got my first of the books in 1^st grade and it was a set of all of the dolls available at the time, the Christmas books. I devoured them. I bought more, from the scholastic book magazine through school and at museums.  Of course every girl has her favorite. Mine was Samantha. I had all her books and I wanted a Samantha doll more than anything. I earmarked the magazine, dropping not so subtle hints that I wanted her. I wanted her because she was sophisticated, she like me liked to climb trees, she made her own ice cream, she loved to help her best friend, she helped those in need and most of all because she looked like me, brown hair and eyes. I had her craft book, and I eventually I got her bed, (the brass one, not the new one Mattel just put out, where is the class?).  I loved that doll, she is probably the only reason I can braid hair today, since she is how I practiced until I could do them.

Samantha Parkenton Property of American Girl

                                                 

My family however made it out that they had other plans the year I got her. I don’t even remember what year it was but I remember getting mad anytime they even suggested that they purchase one of the other dolls. My dad wanted me to get Molly, because she was during World War II (I think he was predicting my college thesis with her.) I didn’t like her because I felt bad since her dad was away fighting and she also wore Glasses and I was still angry I had to wear them myself. I think my Grandpa K said I should get Felicity because she was during the time that made American Revolution. I don’t think he actually cared which one I got but he was just trying to help my parents throw me off track that I was going to get Samantha. My mom and my Aunt however wanted me to get Kirsten.

Kirsten Larson property of American Girl Dolls.

There reasoning was sound and the truth was I would have been happy with a Kirsten doll because she was my second favorite but I wasn’t going to let them know that. They wanted me to get a Kirsten doll because she like my Grandma K was from Sweden. Alright Grandma wasn’t from Sweden but her parents were. She was a farmer, like most of my family has been, she was blond haired, my entire Swedish side all as brown hair, and she was kind. I can tell you very little about any of the books now but two of Samantha’s stories and one of Kirsten’s still ring in my mind. Kirsten’s is about St. Lucia.

Kirsten Larson in the St. Lucia costume from Surprise for Kirsten property of American Girl Dolls

If I could go back and talk to my Grandma K. I would ask her what she knew about St. Lucia and other Scandinavian traditions. When we were cleaning out her house we did find a white angel looking thing in a plastic bag. I think this was her family’s representation of St. Lucia, the Saint of light. I know very little about the story of the St. herself but this I do know on the beginning of the darkness (around the Winter Solstice) the youngest girl, sometimes dresses up in a white gown with a red sash around her waist with a crown of candles on the top of her head, comes forth with treats for the rest of her family. I think I like that idea, that no matter how dark our lives may be there is always some kind of light. I fell in love with the American Girl dolls because of that idea, that these girls were living in an uncertain world where everything was changing but they each found a light to share. Pleasant Rolling provided us that when she created the company, sometimes we have trouble finding the light but like all things finding tradition in simple things can give us that light we have been looking for. I may not be able to ask my Grandma about St. Lucia and if she celebrated it but I can Thank Kirsten for teaching me about her and connecting me at least a little bit to my Scandinavian side.

And Happy Yule to all of my followers.

Nutty Christmas

So at work a few weeks back the food specialist who assigns what we cook gave me a little treat that I in turn took all day to make. .. chestnuts. I sat in front of the yarn all day knitting and sewing and every now and then when a visitor walked in I would take one out of the bowl make an x on it,  then I would dig a little put in the ash fill it with coals, cover them slightly with ash and place said Chesnut on top. As the x peeled back I would take it off and eat them.

I will ignore the fact that the whole time I had Chesnuts Roasting on an open fire sick in my head and enjoy the fact they were, to use a 17th century phrase, toothsome. Now I am not a nut person, nutty yes but not overly fond of nuts in general. In truth unless it is the ocassional penut butter on my toast or penuts with my dad I don't eat them.  My Grandma K however was.  Every Christmas on one of the tables in the living room would be alittle pewter tray, a silver hand held nut cracker, and an assortment of nuts. If I asked nicely she would crack on open for me. I remember acorns, walnuts and others but most of all I rember being more fasinated by her opening them up then eating them.

So here is to a nutty holiday,  whether it is the nuts in your life or the nuts on your plate.

Plug it up...

In October I came upon my first house emergency but it also gave me my first kitchen hack. My Hot water tank went. My dad ended up driving down and at least got me water back in my house because I couldn’t find a plumber who could at least get me water until I could decide how to handle buying a new tank with money I didn’t have. So for a month I was with water but without hot water. Doing dishes was easy, except one problem. I had no way to plug the sinks and had one tub to put in.

In the tub I put the hot water but how to plug the rinse water without a plug how to keep what little water I had heated in the sink. In comes some Yankee ingenuity.

So no plug, take a metal lid of a jar that is slightly smaller than your sink and place it so the lip is facing up. You will still have some go down the drain but it will be a small amount and at least keep the water where you want it till you’re done. You save four bucks and it gets the job done.

Peace

Across time, around the world there is one word that is always talked about but never reached. Peace. So this Thanksgiving, no blog, just one word, one thought, one struggle, Peace. As we sit down and we eat, or watch Football and parades, take a moment and be Thankful for what we have and pray for Peace.

Freedom from Want by Norman Rockwell

Time Check...

I was unpacking boxes from my move and I found something interesting. Well I found a lot of interesting things but something not only grabbed my attention but it also made me laugh. It was a USA Today newspaper from Monday November 28, 1983 that was wrapping some of my grandma's glasses. That is over 30 years ago, I wasn’t born, I wasn’t even a thought, my parents may have been engaged but definitely not married yet and other then yellowing and the date didn’t look much different from today's. See that is the thing I love about the past we think we are so far removed from things going on but we really aren’t.

Yea technologies change, (the Internet didn’t really exit in 1983), and locations of war change, (we were at the end of the Cold War and the War on Terror was not even beginning), Clothing styles are always changing but moments in life those don’t change We get mad, we get sick and things happen. We fight the daily tasks, work to keep a roof over our head, put food on our table, heat our homes and keep water flowing. Some of these things are easy, some not so and some have changed a lot through history. I think that is sort of why I laughed as I looked at the paper. One look and I wasn’t quite sure what year it was written.

Why? Well let me tell you what the three topics on that day’s page on 4D. “Teens have mixed views toward homosexuality”, “Corn my hold clue to wheat allergy cure”, and “Winter: Season of discontent for diabetes”. In recent months these topics have just as page 4D topics as they were. The first one opened that people felt homosexuality was a choice, and then went on to statistics on how people felt about it. Glad to say those statistics. The second was a South Carolina scientist who was looking at if the fact there wasn’t as many carbohydrates as corn did and if that was why wheat caused a bad reaction. Glad to say or sad to say this was confirmed true. The final one was looking at how 70 percent of all new cases of insulin-dependent diabetes strike the young between November and March and warned that the symptoms of diabetes could be confused with the flu or gastroenteritis and so hospital should be careful to make sure to check for diabetes because untreated a “victim” could go into a diabetic coma and perhaps die. One I have never thought my diabetic family members as victims and two untreated anything can kill you.

The page in question. 

So there you have it time moves forward but not always topics in the newspapers. 

Read the labels...

So you have taken up knitting and now you are very confused trying to read the label try to figure out what yarn is best for your project. Let us start with the weight.

Sometime on the label it will say the weight and sometimes it will be a number. From 1-6 it goes from fine to supper bulky each with its own uses. 1 is fine or finger weight, good for sock, mittens, lace, baby things and if you are crazy very fine sweaters. Knitting using size 000-3 needles or higher if you are making lace. 2 is sport good for thicker socks, mittens, baby things, hats and if you want it sweaters. You tend to use needles size 2-5 when working with this. 3 is light worsted excellent for think socks, sweaters, scarfs, hats and just about anything else. This yarn tends to be 4-8 in needle sizes depending on what you are working on. 4 is worsted perfect for Aran (cabling work), afghans, thick warm hats, mittens and house socks. Needles that work best are 5-10 but you can go down to 4 if needed or up to 12. This is what most people knit with on a daily basis. 5 is bulky good when making thick things, sweaters, blankets, rag rugs and work best with size 8 to 15 needles. Finally there is 6 or super bulky. Thick yarn with large needles equals quick knitting and warm and fluffy things.

Then there will be a small section sometimes that will tell you the gage. A small square, with a number of rows, stiches equaling how big of a square that will make, with little needle or crochet hook inside will tell you the gage. Of course you can change the needle and I recommend it. You can test the gage beforehand if you like too as well, but if you like to live dangerously I say have fun and don’t. Go till you feel it is right, turns out it isn’t take it apart and try again. Experimentation is fun.

Of course there is also direction care. This doesn’t differ from the images on your clothing.

Have fun knitting.

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Knitting without needles?

So in the ever expanding adventure of being a knitter I have struck out and created the most epic of all of my knitting projects. Well the start of an epic project. A few years ago I bought a kit to make a Tudor era (1485-1603) knitted waist coat (basically a sweater by todays standards) at Plimoth Plantation. I came up with the idea more recently to knit it the way they would have this means no pin needles (1800s) and no circulars (1940s).

The first problem I have come across with this idea, is that the average needle you purchase today is well 7 inches, you can find longer but they were either 10 inches (still too short for a sweater) or I couldn’t find how many inches it was supposed to be. I found some on amazon but the description was not enough to make me consider risking a purchase so what to do I need needles around 15 inches. Time for the Old Yankee in me to make an appearance, Need something you can’t buy, make it.  

Pick a sharp knife

I started with dowels from Jo-Ann's (you can get them at any arts and craft store or hard ware store.) Remember to bring your needle gage reader so you have the right size that you need. I needed size 8. I tried a few dowels in my needle gage till I found the right size. Now needles when working with double pointed always seem to be worked in 5s. Four needles hold the project and one rotates. Although needless (sewing or knitting) haven’t survived as far as I know all painting and logic show that if you knit you would at least buy a set of 5. This meant I needed to buy 3 dowels. Three dowels cut in half would give me 5 needles and one extra in case I messed up.

Mark and cut...

So first I measured, this is where the old phrase measure twice cut once come into play. I measured more than twice and my cuttings were still a little screwy. I cut each dowel in half or sort of in half give or take a 1/8th of an inch. Hey I take after my grandmothers not my grandfathers, I knit I don’t build. However, they were enough to make me happy. Then I took out my jackknife, (Alright I took out my jackknives and checked the blades to find the sharpest one) and started wildling the tips down. If you are going to do this yourself make sure the knife is sharp, a dull knife is far more dangerous then a sharp one. Another hint for this mark where you want the decrees in needle to start and work from the tip back. I had to keep reminding myself to go slow and I had a few mishaps but I was happy with the outcomes.

Widdle slowly

End result five long double each a little bit of a different size than the others but other than some wood dust on my floor and a few miscalculations I am happy. Hey any time where I work with a knife and I don’t draw blood is a victory in my book. Now to start on my Grass (Green) Tudor Knitted Waist coat…. after Christmas.

Finished product... with a machine Made one.