Monday, July 15, 2013

46 Years of Yarn

My friend Brenda brought me a present on Friday - a stack of craft books from her friend's late mother, Edna. I had such a great time flipping through these treasures this weekend, and I would like to share with you some of my observations and thoughts.

My first impression: I love the smell of Grandma (even if it's not my Grandma), and I love the smell of books. Combine the two and I was in nostalgia heaven.

Crafting seemed to be a long-term love of Edna's. These books span five decades - from 1941 to 1987.

Edna's Knitting Books

Edna's interests ran the gamut of fiber arts. Though these books are mostly to do with knitting, you will also occasionally find crochet, sewing, tatting, macrame, needlepoint, cross-stitch, embroidery, hooked rugs, and even decorated eggs.

A number of well-known brands/publishers are represented, but Edna seemed to favor Bernat, Columbia-Minerva, and Spinnerin. Or this could also simply be an indication of the dominant brands at the time.

The further back you go, the more models you'll see with cigarettes in hand or mouth.

I guffawed at the atrocious patterns - those I hope never, ever come back in style.
I admired the true classics - those I could see being worn today exactly as the pattern pictures them.
I contemplated the near-misses - those I could see being easily altered in small ways to make them wearable today. For example, could we maybe nix those shoulder pads?

I marveled at the intricacies of the colorwork on men's golf socks.

Most of all though, I loved reading the little handwritten notes in the margins. I could easily pick out those patterns Edna had knitted, especially if she had made any modifications and scribbled her calculations in the white space.

On a sheet of custom stationary stuck between the pages of one book, I found a hand-written pattern for a dishcloth with a personal note on the back from someone named Noami. She hoped Edna would enjoy making the dishcloth. She described her current works-in-progress. And she lamented that she and Edna did not live closer to one another so they could share more knitting patterns. Just imagine how they might have felt about Ravelry!

I began to ponder what future generations would think if they peruse my craft book collection. For starters, the sheer volume I've accumulated in only nine years is a bit on the obsessive side. My fondness for sock knitting would certainly be obvious, as would the infrequency with which I make baby items. It actually makes me a little sad though to think about the complete absence in my books of what I loved most from Edna's collection - those scribbled notes. I never write in my books; I won't even dog-ear pages. And the only bits of paper you'll find between the pages are probably just the receipts for each book being used to mark a pattern I like. Am I depriving some future-knitter of the experience Edna gave me? Or maybe my books just tell a different story, one I'm too close to see.

Regardless, I'd like to thank Edna, and her daughter and Brenda, for allowing me to learn more about this woman I never met and letting me carry on her legacy in some small way.

17 comments:

  1. What a fantastic vintage magazine collection! I've got several Burda mags from the 60's and 70's and some of the designs crack me up. At the same time some of them are really awesome!

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    1. I know! I had such fun flipping through these!

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  2. Carissa, I am so glad you like the magazines and the peek into Edna's life and hobby. I knew right away when Betsy mentioned them to me who should have them. And I was right! And Edna would be glad to know that they now belong to you:) Brenda

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    1. Thanks again for facilitating, Brenda! I really did love looking through them all.

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  3. Thanks for sharing your experience with my Grandmother's knitting books. I'm glad they went to someone who would appreciate her hobby and would enjoy reading all the little notes she made.

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    1. I'm sorry for your loss, Whitney, but yes, I believe your Grandmother's books found a good home. I'm sure she loved them dearly, as will I, and I'm sure her creations will be treasured for generations.

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  4. Thank you for kind words about my Grandmother's books! It was truly a delight to her about the the notes in the margins and I could literally smell her as I read your blog. I thought you might be interested to know who Naomi is. She is my other Grandmother and her dishcloth is still my favorite and much anticipated Christmas gift. :)

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    1. That's fantastic, Erika! Thank you for connecting the dots!

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  5. I am Susan the oldest daughter of Edna. Mom taught me to knit & my grandma showed me how to make a granny square-Mom took over from there. I stumbled with tatting. I knit my first sweater in 4th grade with Mom's help. I too have a stack of books. Remember Dad wearing those socks too.

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    1. I am loving all these stories from Edna's family! Thank you all so much for sharing them with me!

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    2. Oh, and you're not the only one who struggled with tatting. :)

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  6. Hi Carissa, Brenda pointed me to your blog about Mom's knitting books and I teary eyed wrote a comment, but guess I didn't hit the right button to post! Thankfully, I did manage to share it with the family though.

    I am SO glad Brenda found the perfect person to share the books with. They languished in my closet for too long, me thinking one day I would tackle a knitting project. I'm sure the wackier of those 70's patterns were some Mom had made for me. She loved the classics, I did not and then had a daughter who loves them. :o) I do have found memories of a deep blue sportsman wool pullover....

    Oh, and tatting was torture!

    Thank you for enjoying the magazines and thank you Brenda for giving them to Carissa!!

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    1. Ah, so you must be Betsy! Well, it is very nice to finally [virtually] meet you!

      I know how it goes, holding on to stuff not because you need it, but because you can't bear to let it go yet. I hope knowing that the recipient has enjoyed them brings some comfort. Thank again for letting me have them!

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    2. Betsy-I have a box of cut quilting hexagons neatly separated in piles. They are still waiting to be sewn together. I also have 5 green afgan panels that need put together when you are ready for a project.

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  7. Carissa would you have an (easy) pattern for knit or crochet duck feet slipper for a 15 month old? Need for halloween. Have hat made but can't find the right pattern for feet.

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    1. Not personally, no, but a quick search on Ravelry.com (if you're not a member, I strongly recommend it!) turned up this free pattern on Knitty.com. It says the biggest size fits 3-9 months, but the same designer also has a toddler version on her blog.

      Hope that helps! Good luck!

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  8. Thanks. Yes i am a member.

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