The Tao
of Nanny
Q:
Why "Nanny?"
A: I'm the third generation of my family
to have grandchildren call me, "Nanny." It's not a
singular endearment. The
traditional family enhancement is Poppy. "Nanny and
Poppy"
is as special as it gets in
my family; it's like "salt and pepper" or "mashed potatoes and
gravy." Piling into the
family sedan as a child, I knew exactly where I would land, once I
heard, "Nanny and Poppy's house."
I never had to mentally futz with, "Which grandma and
grandpa's house?" I sincerely
hope this family tradition continues well beyond my lifespan
and remains as unique to ensuing
generations.
Updated: 12/16/06
Knitting, crocheting, and web wacking needed
to take a backseat to more-pressing chapters in my life's story, so this
webpage is sorely outdated. Fortunately, I was able to finish three,
lace shawls for my aunts and scarves/hats for my cousin and employees before
the flies hit the screen. All have been shipped and/or received
in time for Christmas! I've even been able to move a few dishrags
out of State as well.
I'm currently developing a blogosphere site of my own, but it's not
ready for visitors just yet. I'll link it to the icon above at a
later date, but you can knock yourself out looking for it now -- if you're
inclined to hyperventilate, seek out drama, or get your knickers in a knot
in anticipation.
--
Nanny
CHAPTER THREE: Born to
Crochet & Knit
March 1948
- Queens Village, NY
I'm wearing my mother's crocheted
bib for one of my first "photo ops!"
(I'd kill for this aged
bib pattern!)
CROCHET:
Step One
My fret companion suggested
I revisit crocheting because it appeared I had many
more fret hours ahead of me. She suggested short-term
projects...cotton dishcloths. A friend's mother taught
me how to knit these things years ago, but knitting doesn't
transport well when you're traveling between chemo and radiation
treatments 50 miles apart each day. So, I picked up a 1-lb
cone of Peaches & Creme and one of my mother's aluminum hooks
and fretted my way through pound after pound of this versatile yarn.
In time, every nurse, technician, receptionist, doctor, patient,
and/or family fretter had a dishcloth to take home on any given day.
I started with cheesy, online
patterns that didn't take but 30-minutes to complete.
Not enough fret! After a while, I got wild and
crazy and started to invent patterns and possibly stitches of
my own. I moved on to baby bibs and city market bags. And,
I've been contacted recently by local and out-of-state shops
to consign anything Nanny designs and creates.
Most, if not all, of my current supply is committed to Christmas
presents and donations, so this small business venture may have
to wait a few more months.
(My brother-in-law,
Jon, who recently purchased a retirement condo in China
actually "made room" in his luggage for crocheted, cotton gifts
to share with his inlaws...grown in the
South and handmade in the North...in the USA...by "Nanny."
Wow!)
I'm currently attempting to
teach my oldest son and granddaughter to crochet. It's
not easy because I crochet left handed, but it works well
if you're facing your student. I knit right handed, but
in the continental/combined style.
My husband is currently doing
very well, but I'm still fiber fretting.
Ponchos, market bags, washcloths,
dishcloths, Japanese tawashi,
baby bibs, and tablecloths
My very first photo!
February 1948 - 2 weeks old
(I bet I listened to Mom's "clickety-clickety"
long before I knew what it meant.)
KNIT: Step
Two
I've been a member of and have been
monitoring an online knitting community for nearly three
years now... to revisit what my oldest
granddaughter calls "the sticks."
My Aunt Lu knitted my youngest granddaughter...now 3-1/2
years old...a GORGEOUS, newborn, back- zippered sweater, so
I was immediately convinced that I needed to get back
to the sticks to create and contribute to family memories
as well. Unfortunately, I was too engaged in simultaneous,
civilian and military careers to knit and/or crochet anything for my
three, oldest grandchildren. Errrrr! Ergo, I'm focused
on helping them to learn to knit and/or crochet...should they wish
to play it forward themselves.
My New Toys:
My first sock! I found
out double-pointed needles are a piece of cake!
(Perhaps I'm ready to tackle
that WWII,
Red Cross
Commemorative Sock Kit!)
I'm starting to feel a lot better about working with
double-pointed needles,
so the next projects on my list
will include circular needles and my mother's hat pattern.
I'm sick of dishcloths/dishrags...whatever.
And, this is only half of my completed stash
for last-minute gifts.
I've also had my fill of
ad nauseam scarves with unique fringes!
I think
I'm ready to move onward and upward to sweaters!
In fact, if I could figure out how to spin steel
wool, I'd attempt a sports car body!
I'm still working on the Sweater From Hell, but
I needed a break.
I believe my youngest granddaughter
has finally figured out what knitting is all about.
Until I learned a local friend
was taking knitting lessons, I had NO idea Cadillac, Michigan
had its own yarn store and knitting venue. It's a bit off
the beaten track, but the yarn offerings are much better than Wal*Mart.
The Knitter's Nest
My first commissioned work
! Tawashi (scrubbers/dishcloths/dishrags)
I never thought I'd make the
May 1st deadline for three dozen. I'm REALLY sick of these
things; they'll probably outlive me. But, I did enjoy mixing
cheerful colours and simple, basic stitches. I bore too easily
to work from a pattern, so my only goal was to get a knotted, fabric
surface approximately 8-inches square.
I experimented with different
needle sizes to suit my whim. (e.g., US 6, 7, 8) They're all 100%
cotton. I used either Lily's
Sugar'n Cream (Canada) or
Elmore-Pisgah's
Peaches & Creme (USA). They're exactly the same, but
Peaches & Creme has a wider variety of colours available in one-pound
cones.
Winter Experiment:
"How can I utilize all those bamboo chopsticks from my local,
take-out restaurant? "
If you have a bench grinder,
weed-whip cording, hand drill, and super glue, you can handcraft
your own US 8 dpns or circular needles! (I imagine
sandpaper and patience would work as well as a bench grinder, but I've
already admitted to having a short attention span.
Wool-Ease
:
Animal fiber allergies are hard
to predict, so I tempted Fate with an 80% acrylic/20% wool yarn. It
wasn't as bad as I anticipated. I got red blotches on my face
and had to drink ice water to clear my throat of errant fibers, but it
went pretty well...if I confined my knitting to an outside deck.
I chose a free, online scarf pattern
(
Cameo Faggot Stitch Scarf
) that called for only knit stitches because I wanted to experiment
with my Eastern European (combined) knitting style. Combined knitters
knit into the back stitch routinely; I wanted to see how differently the
pattern would knit out for me. I'm very pleased with the lace-like
results --
It blocked out at 9-inches x 68-inches.
I've yet to decide whether or not I'll add fringe.
Blocking it into shape was a challenge
because I'm allergic to wool; I simply didn't want it sharing my indoor
breathing space! It's summertime in northern Michigan, so I used
the top of my winter hot tub and an exercise mat.
I can't wear these scarves myself, but I have three
employees. And, for us, Christmas is a short putt from July. I
plan to double the width for stoles/wraps for others...before snow flies!
AS ALWAYS -- TO BE CONTINUED!
(Still under
construction and legal guidance.)
|
Chapter I
|
Chapter II
| Chapter
III |
(To be continued!)
|
|
