A lifelong love…
Posted by janet on Sep 3, 2011 in Blog | Comments Off
I have always loved making things. This love came from my family. My mother made all my clothes – even into my 20′s, looking back over the family photo albums when clearing out the house after her death, I was amazed how industrious she had been. Chunky cardy and scarf for when I went on a training course in the frozen north, a violently yellow crimplene trouser suit (not really suited to my shy 14 year old self), endless flowery smocks for the 70′s and, of course, many many jumpers.
My Aunt Laura, who was a war bride and lived in only to be imagined luxury in Los Angeles, was a particularly talented seamstress. I still have a little corduroy waistcoat which she made. Beautifully finished, each vent and seam perforated and held by the tiniest of stitches. She obviously had a waist…. Her daughter, my cousin Janet, has inherited this passion and now runs a patchwork shop in Andover.
My mother taught me to knit. We lived in the back of beyond in rural Lancashire, not far from Wigan. My most enduring memory of my early childhood is being ill in bed, banked up with pillows, reeking of Vic and reading Enid Blyton. My cousin Janet used to come over from California. She later remarked that she thought all English houses had damp running down the walls. She was thin and dark to my round and pasty.
My mum’s purse couldn’t keep up with the speed of my reading, so she taught me to knit. I wasn’t very good at it. I earned the nickname of ‘Knit one, drop one’. But I persevered, making clothes for my dolls and scarves for unsuspecting relatives.
When I was 12 we moved to Chorley and I made the aquaintance of the lady next door. I ate a lot of her cake and biscuits and drank a lot of pop and she taught me how to crochet. She told me stories of her days as a young girl and dances she went to. She showed me pictures of her beaux. Years later, after many house moves down south, my parents again moved to Chorley and I came back home there after University. An industrial estate had been built on the lane where we lived and there was a violently liveried Beefeater pub and bar. I felt like my past had been violated.
I am still a knitter. I am waiting for my kids to move out so I can take over their rooms for craft and sewing and I have many boxes full of the most wonderful materials which, one day, I will turn into wonderful items. I have craft books which I stroke and select items to make… one day.
When I moved to France, I was rather astonished at the price of wool – especially the price of the hand dyed Japanese silk wool – Noro – of which I am inordinately fond. I would love to meet up with other crafty ladies, and to this end, have started a Group of SFN (with the blessing of Catharine) to get together with people who have a similar mania to myself. If you love patchwork, knitting, crochet, silk painting or whatever, please join the Group. We would love to see you! Perhaps even organise regional meetups?
The Group is called Knit Knatter Stitch and Chatter.
I have started selling wool online and hope you will find the time to pop over and see the site – Tuesday is discount day!
http://www.fascinatingyarns.yarnshopping.com