A teacher at my kids' school had ALL her 7-8 graders doing a fabric project for a local shelter- either knitting, crocheting or quilting. And all the kids got into it. It was great seeing those tall, lanky 8th grade boys with their knitting. :-)
-----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Ruth Anne Baumgartner Sent: Friday, May 26, 2006 5:14 PM To: Historical Costume Subject: Re: [h-cost] in search of a lost person Sorry to brag on myself, but I can knit AND crochet (if it's very elaborate I'd rather knit, but I've crocheted shawls, tablecloths, bedspreads, hats, and a few ponchos!). Also tat. And quilt. And embroider (although not in the same league with Bjarne and Lorina--hell, not on the same PLANET...). And basic weaving. To put it very oddly, I have polio to thank for many of these skills. That is, when I was a young kid the polio vaccines hadn't been developed yet. Mothers kept their children indoors and quiet during the hottest hours of the summer days--this was the accepted method of prevention. My mother taught me to knit and embroider; my grandmother taught me to crochet. I taught myself to sew the bizarre clothes in which I dressed my dolls. In between, I read Nancy Drew mysteries and dreamed of having a roadster of my own. My girlfriend Joyce learned to tat from her mother in the same circumstances--she gave tatted bookmarks as gifts one Christmas. I loved those long summer days at the time, and wish I could structure my time that way again! (Glad parents don't have to live in dread of their kids' catching polio nowadays, though!) When I was in college everybody knitted, even a couple of the guys. We knit in class, at choir rehearsals, at the movies....that's when I learned to turn cables and found myself in huge demand ("If I buy the wool, would you knit me an Aran Isles sweater?") I pulled an all-nighter once to finish a knitted openwork sweater for a friend who was wearing it with a long skirt to a formal dance. I came into my own as a crocheter while watching the Fischer-Spassky chess match on television one grad-school summer. I didn't learn to tat from Joyce; I taught myself from a book, which is also how I learned to make bobbin lace. Give me a piece of string and I'm happy! --Ruth Anne Baumgartner scholar gypsy and amateur costumer On May 26, 2006, at 6:09 PM, Helen Pinto wrote: > Marie wrote: >> But knitting, that's orderly and straightforward... >> I don't know anyone who can do both knit and crochet. > > I'm with you. I can knit, standing up in the subway even, but I can't > crochet worth a damn. I end up with a twisty thing that won't lie > flat. > > Now my grandmother could do both, sort of a human perpetual motion > machine. Annual output: 2 sweaters each per son and grandchild, 1 per > daughter-in-law and other miscellaneous extended family, plus hats, > scarves, and mittens for all, including the crossing guards. And > these amazing two-piece dresses for herself that I swear she knitted > on toothpicks. The crochet haul included assorted afghans, laces > tablecloths, antimacassars and doilies. And she quilted. And sewed. > And gardened. And cooked. All day. I learned a lot from her. > > -Helen/Aidan > _______________________________________________ > h-costume mailing list > [email protected] > http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume > _______________________________________________ h-costume mailing list [email protected] http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume _______________________________________________ h-costume mailing list [email protected] http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
