Stitching and Giving
Crocheting comes naturally to me. My Grandma Lois taught me when I was 7 years old, and I have been doing it ever since. I find it relaxing, and I also enjoy donating some of my items. This is a recent wheelchair/walker tote that I made for the Stony Brook Stitchers who,
in turn, gave it to a veteran at the Long Island State Veterans Home.
Now, knitting was always a challenge. My Grandma Rose tried to teach me when I was 7, too. And, I never really took to it until recently. I am in the middle of completing a blanket using circular knitting needles, size 10. Thankfully I know a knitter who helped me. I managed to link the ends of the blanket together. She gave me a tip: Whatever is left to do, make sure that is on the left. For those of you who knit, you will appreciate that I am still in the increasing process, and have about another half skein to go before I can begin to decrease. But I am getting there. As my grandmother would say, "This teaches patience."
I keep my knitting project in this tote with a quote from Lou Henry Hoover.
Don't rip it out. You and I are too busy to rip. Make the same mistake in the next row and call it a pattern. ~ Lou Henry Hoover
As I do my needlework, I think of my grandmothers who taught me. Most of the first ladies that I wrote about in my book, LADIES, FIRST; COMMON THREADS, were taught by their grandmothers or mothers. Only one, Lou Henry Hoover, taught herself to knit. And she was a double knitter -- meaning that both sides were the same. The blanket was reversible. If you'd like to give the Hoover blanket a try, here is the pattern.
Edith Roosevelt also loved to knit. Well, she was a master needle worker and could crochet, knit embroider, and cross-stitch. Here is a knitting pattern for men's socks I like to think Theodore Roosevelt wore these.
Courtesy of Sagamore Hill National Historic Site, National Park Service, Oyster Bay, NY
And then there is Eleanor Roosevelt who was always knitting when she was sitting. There are not many items from Eleanor because, as you probably have already figured this out, she gave them all away. Hats, scarves, baby blankets, you name it. She gave them to people in need and to friends.
When I visited Val-Kill, I noticed this ball of yarn in a yarn bag, resting on her table by the pink couch, and embroidered by Eleanor's great niece. Eleanor always wanted to be of use, and she never wasted any time. Before World War I broke out, she got Americans knitting sweaters for the troops. I know she would have been a fan of the Stony Brook Stitchers.
I am enjoying the knitting process. They say that the repetitive motion of knitting is meditative, helps with memory and encourages a longer life. It's a wonderful new hobby. I am looking forward to the sense of accomplishment when I cast off the last stitch, and I look forward to making more items to give away.
If you knit or crochet or sew, consider volunteering for the Stony Brook Stitchers. If you'd like to learn about the first ladies who were needleworkers (and read about their other accomplishments), check out my book, LADIES, FIRST: COMON THREADS.
