Starting Out

Well, I sort of blew the proscribed topic for the Knit/Crochet Blog Week yesterday, so I am doubling down today with two.

So how did I start out with this knitting thing? My mother taught me way back when. I have written some about her knitting here. DSis and I have estimated that we were taught when we were somewhere around 5 (her) and 7 (me) years of age.

If I am remembering correctly (and that is a mighty big ‘if’), DSis was required to act as a grandmotherly type for a kindergarten play, rocking and knitting, and Mother thought it should be…authentic. And what one of us did, generally both did. Sometimes this was a good thing. Sometimes not so good.

But I digress.

At this time in our lives, we lived in a small town in western Kansas, and Mom taught knitting to the locals. (A bit more about Mom's knitting here.) I remember a lot of size 8 needles and acrylic yarn and ‘oohs and ahs’ over the new fangled variegated types. We were easily impressed in the early ‘60’s.

I was taught to knit and purl, and to increase and decrease. I knitted a lot of flat, square things that were uneven, and gappy. Then I knit a lot of thick, acrylic, fringed things…all stockinette, because I could. In high school and college, I knit sweaters. I remember three, that I seamed, but did not swatch. The two sweaters I knit for me fit, and I wore. The one I knit for the X…well…he would have needed a pin head, and Neanderthal arms. (I will not comment further here.)

Only minor knitting of dishclothes occurred over the intervening years. I learned to quilt. I had babies. I sewed Easter dresses. I went back to school. Blah blah blah…

Then when Mother went into assisted living, and her short term memory was going, I decided I need to make sure someone knew how to knit ‘her dishclothes’. That experience brought some dormant need bubbling back up. The ties to my childhood? Part of my mother’s legacy? The need to buy cotton yarn in mass quantities?

Probably all of the above.

I have progressed beyond flat, rectangular items, but it’s all just knitting, purling…increasing and decreasing.

(Well. Except for that crazy head colorworking.)

Home Again Home Again (Again) (Once Again)

We went to Kansas (where I saw this hankie quilt, quite well done.  The tag mentioned that all the hankies were 'significant' to the quilter.  Or to the person the quilt was gifted to.  Or something.) It was a quick trip and I am not sure what all went on.

Also?  In Kansas?  The lilacs were In FULL!  And Glorious! Bloom!  Bushes and bushes (bushels of bushes!) typically line yards and farms in this part of the country, and I was wont to shout "stop the car"on seeing them initially!  But there was no need, because there were plenty to inhale all around the yard of my in-laws.

Of all colors...

The big doin's around town was the 20th Annual (and final) Victorian Day. Certain townfolk were dressed in tyme appropriate regalia, high tea was available, train rides, a tour of Victorian homes in town, the quilt show, and so on.  High tymes for a town of 600!

Also on display a vintage caboose...with intriguing wood. ( I did not choose to photograph the latrine...)

I had ample opportunity to practice my picture takin'.  This old part of an old building in an old town caught my old eye.

So anyhoo.  I would have probably blown off posting tonight but there is this little challenge going on with The Blog Hub group on Ravelry.  I think we are posting every day this week.  I will refamiliarize myself with the details once I am unpacked, but I am pretty sure I was supposed to get a post up today...it might have been yesterday, but being without internet yesterday, I am doing the best I can!

So done!

(As always, clicky on the pix makes them rilly big, and the lilacs may just give off a whiff if you try...)