Working with wool, whether it be felting or crocheting, is an activity I come by naturally. I know for sure that two of my great-grandmothers knit and crochet and one of my grandmothers knits.
My great-grandmother on my mom’s side was Lithuanian. I’m not sure what year her and my great-grandfather immigrated to Canada, but they settled in Drumhellar, Alberta. My grandma says I’m a lot like her, and I love listening to any story my grandma will share about her mother. I know that she was a strong woman who did what she had to. Raising 10 children through the Great Depression couldn’t have been easy, but she found ways to get by. Ignoring prohibition laws she would make moonshine and send her children to the work camps with bottles hidden in lunch pails. She understood plants and kept her family healthy with natural medicine. She read tea leaves and cards. Grandma always says that her mother worked hard from sunup to sundown and in quiet moments would be found crocheting or knitting furiously by the stove. I wish I could have met her, but she died before I was born. I know she would have had a lot to teach me.
As for my great-grandmother on my dad’s side, I was able to meet her. I remember her food. I loved going to her place for lunch as a kid. I remember that she was always crocheting something. My mom told me later that she volunteered at the local hospital and made sure that new babies had a warm blanket or hat to take home with them. My mom will always be grateful to her for teaching her how to crochet. I still have a granny square blanket she made for me 33 years ago. It inspired me to make my own, and I’m now in love with Granny Squares.
I like coming home to a simple crochet project and unwinding the day through the simple repetition of pattern. Granny Squares are fantastic because I can sit and quickly whip up a square or two. I started with a blanket from Crochet World’s Easy Afghans (Fall 2012) entitled “Lakeside Afghan.” I made this for my Grandma last summer when I was healing from surgery and wish I’d taken a better picture.
This past fall, I decided to make my own granny square blanket. I’m not particularly enthused with the colors, only because they don’t go with my house. So, I’m thinking of giving it away as a gift. Either way, I know I’ll make another and am already in the process of making matching pillows. Here’s my new one:
I’ll post my pillows soon!
Aviena 