greedy me

Posted on Posted in projects, Uncategorized


(flower of the day, echinacea, at sunset)

i am really flattered that no one guessed what sin i am. but wow, everyone thought i was lust, which gave me pause . . . and, probably i am in my heart. but i picked my sin by color, and by what i might knit, so i picked greed. and deb obliged me with a great golden-green color, just right for money . . . or for what passes for money i some circles.

it’s really more bronze-y than this, but it was a bit difficult to photograph. perhaps once i start swatching, the true color will make itself known.
deb’s sock club is sold out now, but there will be another . . . and it will be heavenly.

i worked a bunch on the socks in class last night, but i’m going to show you something else today—the orchid lace mitts (this picture makes it look as if it’s all sunny and summery, but really, it’s very rainy and chilly today).

i’ve been working on these in spurts, and i don’t know why i don’t just sit down and finish them, because when i DO work on them, i make huge progress in a short amount of time. they just knit up so fast.

the gusset and thumb are going to be really pretty—i can’t wait to do that part.
i love the weight—there is none. they are truly weightless. mmm.

here’s a shot of the cuff detail

of course, all the lace will be much more open after a little steaming . . . when they are all done.

and now i have some really special knitting to show you. yesterday i was emailing with rachel and we were talking about old knits and how well they hold up. i started thinking about some afghans i have that my grandma made, now over 40 (gulp) years old. these are made with red heart wool or something similar—something you could buy in the dimestore, most likely. they are in beautiful condition, even after MUCH hard use within our family life.

here is one she made for my mom when mom was pregnant with my older brother in 1956, and moving into her first house. it is one of those famous “50 different patterns” afghans, for which you knit a square in each color of 50 different stitch patterns, then crochet the edges and sew them together.

this piece is VERY special to me, as it is responsible for jump-starting my knitting “career” at the age
of 4. i know i’ve told this before, but this afghan was draped over the back of our sofa all through my childhood. i use to lay on the couch and gaze at the patterns, exploring them with my eyes and fingers trying to puzzle out their secrets. it was a language to me and i wanted to figure it out

i was particularly entranced with the cables, and knew that i MUST learn how to make those wonderful structures (like all muggles, i though it would probably be easy). i pestered gram til she finally relented and taught me the first steps of knitting. hehe. well, it was quite a while before i ever tackled cables, but i held it as a goal for a few years, and finally achieved simple ones at around age 8 i think.

just look at this cool edging.

even the fringe has held up really well, and this afghan was used, washed, and bandied all about our home . . . but always with care and a certain reverence, i must admit. we were taught very early to respect the things that were made for us by others. i was lucky enough to inherit this afghan when my mom sold our family home a few years ago and moved to a smaller house.

here is another piece that i use all the time. this one was made for me for my fourth birthday in 1964.

i was so excited! my sister got one the same year with a ripple stitch in shades of purple (for some years i was a little jealous of that purple, but now i adore this turquoise/cream color combo)

it has a beautiful cable and lace pattern, and the drape is wonderful. even the sewing has held up all these years . .. i’ve never had to darn it.

it has magic powers to relax me and send me to that sleeping place, whenever i need to. but my favorite bit of all? has to to be this

thank you gram, for everything you gave me!

66 thoughts on “greedy me

  1. Beautiful afghans! I can see how fascinating the sampler square afghan would be.

    Beautiful gusset for the thumb of the orchid mitt.

  2. Oh, my goodness. My grandmother made the very same ’50 different pattern’ afghan. It is still on the back of her couch. I made some repairs the last time I was there. She still had some of the original yarn. I hope to inherit it someday.

  3. Anne, how cool is that! The afghans are beautiful – your grandmother did lovely work. My sister was here this week and we were looking at two crochet afghans from our family history too. It’s really special to have those remembrances of family around us every day.

    Thanks for sharing!

  4. The afghans are absolutely gorgeous! It’s amazing how well they’ve held up. Now you’ve got me wanting to knit a stitch sampler afghan. Fabulous!

  5. What amazing blankets! You’ve inspired me again! I’m so glad they held up so well, too. I know you must treasure them!

  6. Oh what stunning afghans and all the more precious because of the memories and I can see were you have certainly inherited your talents from 🙂

  7. Those blankets are truly family heirlooms, and I’m sure you will always cherish them! My Mom recently gave me one of the blankets that my Great Grandmother crocheted for her, and it’s my favorite blanket to curl up under during the colder months.

  8. Those blankets are truly family heirlooms, and I’m sure you will always cherish them! My Mom recently gave me one of the blankets that my Great Grandmother crocheted for her, and it’s my favorite blanket to curl up under during the colder months.

  9. First off, the mitts–in my mind I really thought this “how elegant, pretty and dainty they are turning out.” sigh. They remind me of something from one of my favorite movies, Sense and Sensibilities.

    Wow, I adore the afghans your gram made you 🙂 I would have sat and tried to puzzle out the blue sampler one too. Don’t you just get a cozy feeling knowing that it was her hands that created each stitch, and when you touch the blanket or lay beneath it you are in some way connected to a small piece of her? I feel that way about my beloved great-grandma. My Mom’s crochet will be with me forever(my fiber inspirer), and cherished forever! I giggled at the little boo-boo in your personal blankie, don’t ya love it! Gram’s special mark 🙂

  10. I’m late to the party, but I just had to say… I have a patchwork sampler afghan almost identical to yours (same patterns,even the same colors, but no fringe).

    Back in the 60’s when Mom and I were fairly new knitters, we decided to make that afghan for my aunt for Christmas. We merrily knitted squares for a few months, then realized that no way would it be done in time! So it went into a box that ended up in a closet… About 15 yrs later Mom was packing for a move and found the box, which she gave to me just to get rid of it. I eventually finished the afghan (actually I only made 80 squares instead of 99) and kept it for myself!

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