LEARN MORE

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

KNIT & CROCHET

Ina makes no mention of performing any kind of handcraft in her correspondence to Vance. She speaks of canning, baking, gardening, cleaning, sewing and reading. But she never says that she sat down to knit, crochet, or embroider. I know that she re-made shirts and dresses and she alludes to quilts now and then. She even made Myrtle a doll to muffle the tick-tock of her alarm clock. But I don’t think she enjoyed handwork. Perhaps she wasn’t “turned that way,” as the saying goes. Well, whatever she did, she was busy. My half-brother Chuck says he remembers Ina as industrious, and he recalled her being busy with the washing and ironing. (Thank God for today’s labor-saving machines.)

However, Ina’s eldest daughter, Pearl, loved to knit, and here’s what Ina had to say about it: “I feel sorry for Pearl. She has trouble with her right arm and hand. They think it neuritis and she has so much to do all the time. She has been knitting mittens for the men folk. They use the knit ones as linings in the others. She loves to knit though. Besides knitting, she also makes gloves from animal hide. She is making Myrtle and Shirley each a pair. They are made just like any glove and are very nice. She had a pair when she was here in ’33 that she’d made. She says she loves to do it.” [Note that in the photo above, dated September 1918, Ina pretends to read while Pearl has her knitting.]

Aunt Ethel also loved to knit.  (Ethel was Ina's fourth child.) She made several stylish outfits for my Barbie doll, and I still have them. I also remember a vest she made for me when I was in high school. I saw the dress pattern in a magazine and a knitted vest made from a kit was featured with it.  Mother agreed to make the dress for me, but she didn’t knit, so Aunt Ethel said she would make it. Mother ordered the kit which we delivered to Aunt Ethel, and in no time she returned  the finished product. I think she was quite happy to do it. I still have the vest in my cedar chest, though sadly I will likely never wear it again.

My mother taught me to crochet when I was about 10. We had purchased this little booklet of doll clothes patterns (see above) that included crochet and I was totally taken with it. Crochet patterns were scarce – most patterns were knit -- and knit is still easier to find than crochet. I studied and studied the booklet, then asked my mother if I could make the tea dress for my Jill doll (see photo  left). I was sure she would say no -- that the patterns were much too advanced for a child who didn't crochet. Instead she said, “Why yes!” We bought a ball of crochet thread and in no time I was crocheting away.  I overheard Mother talking to my sister in the kitchen. “I didn’t think I’d ever be able to teach Kathy to crochet,” she said. “I’ve tried before and she just didn’t seem interested.”

Well, you know how it is. Motivation is everything. I didn’t want to make rows of single crochet.  I wanted to make something! When I finished the tea dress, I made three or four muu muus for my large family of diminutive dolls from the same booklet. I marvel when I think of those first items I crocheted. It’s hard to work with thread. I would advise anyone to learn with yarn. But I myself learned with thread making doll clothes. KW

10 comments:

  1. I remember when patterns were so resonably priced (cheap!). I have a similar book of knitting patterns for Barbie and Ken that my cousin Dianne sent to me when she was working in Montana.

    I want to see the muu muus!

    I can't imagine making gloves from animal hide--that must have been exacting work. Wouldn't it be wonderful to be able to see a pair?

    And I'm with you--I do thank God for my wonderful labor-saving machines. Truly they are gifts.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I want to see the muu muus, too. I can't find them, which makes me wonder what else is missing.

    Yes, patterns were cheap back in the day. Even so my mother insisted on the disciplined approach: buy one at a time and avoid duplication.

    Yes, it would be fun to see a pair of the gloves. They didn't come my way.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Assuming Ina didn't know how to knit, who do you think taught Pearl and Ethel? I suppose maybe Ina knew how but just didn't prefer it (wasn't turned that way, or whatever you said).

    Speaking of the old days...I'm re-reading Mama's Bank Account. SUCH a good little book!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hallie -- LOL. I just had to laugh because you're re-reading Mama's Bank Account. Your dad and I were just reminiscing about your reading and re-reading your favorite books and watching and re-watching your favorite movies. In fact, today he invited me to help him solve a geocache puzzle based on "Go Dog, Go!" I said I read that book to you for a year when you were 4-5.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Go Dog Go was a favorite at our house, too!! Still love it.

    And Hallie, I'm with you--I reread books over and over, and rewatch my favorite movies, too. It's like visiting with old and very dear friends. I'll have to look into Mama's Bank Account. Oh wait, I just Googled it, and remember it, except I remember it as I Remember Mama.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I Remember Mama is the movie with Barbara Bel Geddes. I have that, too, but the book is just slightly different. Both are very good!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Great photo. I love the smile on Pearl's face. Can't you hear the photographer (Grandpa Jack?) say, "Now, act natural and read or knit or something. And don't look at the camera". In this photo, Ina is age 48 and Pearl is 26. Having a photo taken inside someone's house was not the norm in 1918. You are so very lucky to have this treasure.

    ReplyDelete
  8. At any moment Ina and Pearl might giggle. I don't know who served as photographer, but it might have been Bertha. Of course, you are right on with their ages, Leah.

    Chris, if you haven't read Mama's Bank Account I believe you would enjoy it. I love the way it ends. I often repeat it to myself.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I wonder what kind of animal skins she used for those gloves - deer, rabbit?

    ReplyDelete
  10. Ina just says "skins." And that's all I know.

    ReplyDelete