Yes. It's old (not in a good way)... just old. It's acrylic. It's pilled. It's a 70s color.
Yes, I bought it at Canton Trades Days last week. May have paid more than these skeins of yarn would have ever cost.
What can I say... occasionally, there is a piece of handwork that just tugs at my heart. I can almost feel the life of the woman who went before me... crafted into her work... the joys... the sorrows... the good times and bad... Her life.
I had a seven day hiatus from knitting, other than a short while I'll share about next. We had non-knitter company and I also had work I needed to do.
I try to put my knitting aside when I am with non-knitters. I value their time and their visits. I think they often feel like you are not paying attention or are bored with their company if you knit in their presence... Not so. And, that's one reason I love time with my knitting friends. They know. They know that their joys and sorrows are knitted right along side my own... as I listen to them and they to me... and our lives play out on the pieces we pour ourselves into...
We knit our lives... back together or ripped apart... into masterpieces or sturdy forms of function... whatever we need... we knit.
So, when I see another woman's work... a piece of her life... sitting in a junk bin... sometimes, I know her... sometimes, I hope she knows I know her... and that, for this moment, her life is tenderly washed and held as precious.
My one indulgence in knitting was Friday afternoon with my Bonus Granddaughter and Daughter, Gracie (on the left) and Audra (on the right)... I so enjoyed time with them attempting to pass this art along... I'm not sure they will embrace it at this point in their lives... It was many years later for me... but if not, I hope the seed will rest safe until they are ready... and then blossom to bring them the same joy that knitting brings me. Selfishly, I would wish sooner than later... but, things happen in their own time. And, I'm good with that.
And, joy of joys! We met these precious Little Ladies and their parents for dinner! My sweet Blayklee was wearing her Clara Dress... talk about making a Noni's heart sing. ;) I hope one day to see her daughter wear this dress... a Noni's dream...
Sending wishes for a wonderful week to each of you...
blessings ~ tanna
47 comments:
you purchasing that afghan and your paragraph about life being knitted and torn apart brought tears to my eyes today.
aw...that's so true! When I see afhans at thrift stores or even the auction trash, I pick them up. :)
Love seeing your creations on your grands! That little dress is adorable!
What a sweet post! I love the color too.. My mother crochets and she says it just relaxes her.. She is on her feet 9 hours a day..
I love this post, you put in words what I feel each time I see one of your pieces...how awesome
Oh I have one of those throws...not from First Monday, but from my grandmother..it is in blue and was done for me for graduation...1979!
You are a gifted, wonderful, beautiful woman Tanna! Your writing is so eloquent and heartfelt - very moving. I love your beautiful granddaughter Blayklee - she is a doll! I would love to learn to knit but have to get dogs out of my lap first :)
I love it Tanna...some things just have to come home with you...beautiful photos....
Oh that afhgan. I love it! Who would give it away. The colors are beautiful.
How great to pass along a craft you love so much! That dress is stunning!
I love the afghan and the colors are just beautiful to me. I hope your daughter and granddaughter love learning to knit and enjoy it as much as you. I am still plugging along...trying hard to learn. And little Blayklee...well, she is beyond adorable!!
Hugs & Prayers~
Oh, how I wished we lived closer to each other! I want to be sitting in those comfy chairs, knitting along with you! Then we could talk "grandchildren" to each other.
My great aunt made those like crazy! I like the colors in yours. Ours, my mother & dad's, was a dull orange, beigy yellow & dark brown mix. It was the same pattern but the colors were more jarring.
I think women who sit and knit in your presence are calming. Perhaps it's because my mother knit so many years; or perhaps I just enjoy seeing women and men knit. Anything you can do creatively while sitting about is a bonus. Lucky you!
I SAVED a blanket once too. And I fixed it all right and gave it to my sister in law. She Adores it. It is wool and keeps her tiny blue jean covered legs all warm and toasty in her house.
you are quite generous to go on a knitting hiatus (I think I would still knit). Love the acrylic afghan in all it's glory! Those colors are back!!!
Oh, Tanna, you always write such lovely posts with words that truly reach out across the net and touch my heart. :)
I hope when we pass and my things are put in sale bins, that they will be bought and loved by someone as understanding and kind as yourself.
Hugs and blessings dear friend.
I would love to sit with you and knit....but I can't talk and knit. I would just have to listen.
I love saving things that someone else created with love at some point....sharing a part of their life...
And a Noni with a happy heart....makes everyone around her happy, too!
So how many years have you been knitting? And if anyone did it that long would they be as good as you? You are extremely talented. It is your thing and I hope you can pass it along. Knitting our lives is a great thought. I love the green knit too... I think I know what you mean.
sandie
I haven't been to Trade Days in Canton for a few years now. Time for another trip maybe in the spring. You knew we were neighbors, right? We are not too far away from each other. Been to Tyler State Park many times. Love your "new" afghan. I've bought old crocheted blankets too and thought about the maker just like you. Kinda neat.
beautifully said, tanna. you have a precious heart. love the sweet photos of your girls!!
Yay for saving someone's heartfelt stitchery! Thought of you the other day as I breezed into a Starbuscks and saw a large group of ladies having coffee - every single one of them was knitting!
xo
Cathy
One of the joys of those acrylic yarns is that they do outwear almost everything else and the moths don't eat them. I love your crocheted afghan and can remember seeing patterns for them back in my young mom days. The colors are beautifully chosen and someone loved making every stitch.
Tanna, I'm not a knitter or crocheter, but I can appreciate that work, too. Both my grandmothers did it. Every time I see a nice piece like that I have to pick it up and wonder who made it and who it covered and who ....
Nice colors, Tanna!
I hope those girls will take to knitting, too!
Who knows - your little one there might take it up someday!
Oh, my, Tanna, there is so much in this post. How you share your inner core love for knitting. It is in a way like kneading bread too, where you put your sorrows and joys in the motion of your hands. We have talked about starting a simple knitting group for simple prayer shawls and teaching some of the younger women who desire to learn. I love that you are teaching these younger girls and that it yields a "seed resting safe" ... and such fun to see the Clara Dress adorning your sweet one! And love the old afghan you found!
I wrote a post once about what will happen when I am gone? You see so many wonderful creations in thrift stores, I wonder about who made them and what their life was like. I wonder who will take the things I have made, will they end up in a bin somewhere? I am glad you rescued the blanket, it is lovely.
Hugs,
Meredith
I really enjoyed this post. The chair, what a special chair.
Cheers to returning to knitting.
Velva
Oh how adorable at little doll baby and her dress...OH my cute enough to sit on a doll shelf.
Love seeing the gals learning the trade. I sorry to say after two weeks of trying crocheting.. I have to say not for me....my fingers and my brain just didn't click. But it's OK, because today I found the fabric for the new grandbaby's quilt...so cute. I posted it on my blog a few minutes ago.
Sending love and hugs
I love it that you rescued the afghan and I think the green is lovely! Also lovely are your very touching words in this post today.
Your sweet litte one looks precious in her Clara dress!
Have a wonderful week!
I certainly understand why you had to rescue that afghan!
Passing along a beloved activity/craft/pastime is a gift to you and the one learning, isn't it?
The beginning of this post and especially the third photo catapults me into the film "How to Make an American Quilt".
With your words, dear Tanna, such a deeply warmness is coming through.
And your feeling are so near to my, it is amazing!
How blessed you are to have a possibility to see your little cute girl wearing dress you make for her from all your love!
Another heartfelt post, dear Tanna. I once wrote about the differences in my visiting an estate sale and a garage sale. The estate sales tug at my heart with all its remnants of a person's life. Like you, I purchased an afghan and thought about all the hours it took to create it.
I love your precious granddaughter in her exquisite dress! No doubt, she will treasure it when she is grown...
Blessings,
Dianne
I can't believe you were lucky enough to find that beauty!!! I love the colors, love em!!
It is so special that you are passing along the knitting technique.....My grandmother taught me to embroider, and I treasure her knowledge....(wish I had been still long enough to learn to crochet!! she made such lovely pieces)
Ok, I know who I am coming to when I'm ready to learn how to knit. My Nana was a huge knitter and I always thought it was sweet when she'd send stuff for the kids. There is one hat that both of the boys love to wear. (Though I must admit she used very itchy yarn!) I'd never have the time now but maybe one day... :-)
Love the pics of Blayklee. Precious and she looks perfect in her little dress!
I recently bought an old worn quilt that I didn't need...just because I felt that someone's grandmother made it and worked so hard on it and I had to bring it home and just love it. Yes, I understand.
That grand-daughter of yours is absolutely adorable! The sweetest little face and looking adorable in her little dress. Precious!
Gorgeous colors - glad you rescued her!
Kelly
Oh my Tanna-- you found a treasure and you brought it home for all the right reasons-- it's so beautiful and special-- that lovely afghan does not belong in a junk bin!!!
I love your reflections on knitting-- every word so true. Knitters know-- knitters get it--- only a knitter can fill a project with love and prayers and blessings-
Your babe is adorable- the little dress is just previous. She's so cute you just want to squeeze her--
Vicki
I'm not a knitter, Tanna, but I always feel sad when I see someone's work discarded. Thanks for rescuing that one special piece.
Hugs,
Laura
Tanna, good for you passing your skill along. I wish I had continued crocheting. Worse than that I gave away an afghan that I spent a year making. It was 1970 colors, orange,green and white. I kept it for years but it was taking up a lot of space so I gave it to Good Will. I should have kept it just to show my kids I made it. It was a granny square pattern and wasn't too warm. I can tell your afghan is warm and I love the colors. Beautiful words reflecting on the owner that made it. You have a gift to express things with words that I feel also. I have to tell you I bought some sweet tea napkins all neatly pressed and pinned together by safety pins separating the different patterns at an estate sale.I did not know the owner but several of my friends had her as an elementary school teacher. I think of how neatly they were stored away they touch my heart every time I see them. I recently photographed a tea set using them. It will be a future blog post.
What a gorgeous baby girl! She gets prettier every time I see her. The dress is precious and each stitch measures her grandma's love for her. She will never be cold :-). Have a wonderful weekend, Tanna. Blessings...Mary
"We knit our lives... back together or ripped apart... into masterpieces or sturdy forms of function... whatever we need... we knit."
I love this. I love this whole post. One of the greatest gifts we can have in this life is finding someone who simply "gets" us. I love you. XOXO
Sweet little grand daughters!
I understand about the knitting, I don't knit, but when you find someone who shares your passion, there's an understanding there.
Hope you're having a good weekend!
Your reasoning behind buying that throw makes perfect sense to me. I guess it's a certain kinship you share with others that share your passion for knitting. I can't relate to knitting but I can relate to sharing the same passion with someone. It's nice that the throw fell in your hands since you will take good care of it and truly appreciate the work that went into it. Your sweet granddaughter looks so pretty in the dress you made her!
Beautifully written post, Tanna. That afghan is quite lovely and was waiting just for you to rescue it. I sometimes take along my crochet when visiting friends, but you are right, some people just don't get it. They don't realize how relaxing it is and that one can actually do handiwork and pay attention at the same time. In the days of old, women would gather to craft. I wish there were more days like that now and more friends to craft with. Your little granddaughter is so sweet in her knitted dress. Wishing you a wonderful day. Tammy
LOVE the colors! I think the greens are the colors of the 60's/70's that I still like. You found a treasure! Husband's aunt crocheted an afghan in golds, oranges, and browns many years ago which I still use. Dated, yes, but loved. :)
Good for YOU Tanna! That set of greens is lovely and you saved it from...WHO know what!
What fun photos! Your little grand daughter is DARLING!
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