A quote: “It’s our responsibility to pass on what we inherited, not to squander it, but to build on it.” ~~ Christine Gregoire
I’ll start with a story …
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You know that knitting was historically done by men. So don’t be a baby about learning it, boy.
Ok, yeah, I’m your grandma and you think all the needle crafts as something done by old women. It’s no longer a relaxing hobby but a necessity. I’m teaching you just as your grandpa is schooling you and your sisters in the art of raising and butchering your own food.
Yes, I miss the old days, too. But we squandered them. Tonight we’ll read from the banned books – Shakespeare, Federalist papers, The Bible. We’ll survive and do better next time. God willing.
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Now, it’s your turn.
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. featured image, cropped, Adobe Stock standard license
Ever since I got up here to the Moon, I’d missed having a nice, thick sweater. I used to wear a really great one that had belonged to my grandmother, but it was wool, which is a huge no-no up here.
About a week ago, we had a bad batch of betacloth fiber. One thing you have to understand about betacloth — you can’t dye it post-production. You have to put the colors into the moonglass feedstock before you melt it down and start spinning fiber. We were supposed to be getting a rich brown, but we ended up with a washed-out mess with the shade fading out then coming back all along the strand. Even if we re-melted it, there was no guarantee that fresh dyestuff would give us a solid color.
That was when I noticed how much it looked like the sort of yarn Grandma used to knit with. It took a little persuasion to convince the suits that we could spin betafiber into yarn — it was almost easier to run up knitting needles and crochet hooks on the 3D printers — but there’s something relaxing about knitting the old-fashioned way, even if an industrial knitting machine can churn out betacloth sweaters in job lots.
Cameron says: Grandma was teaching us knitting since we were all in lockdown. And her approach was so funny, we decided to introduce her to YouTube. She became a viral sensation with a lot of kids that found themselves unable to do normal activities. I remember the look on her face when the first check was deposited.
But it expanded from there. Grandpa showing how to build things, mom teaching REAL American history, dad teaching math. Two years later, me and the other kids had scholarships to good schools while our peers who were stuck taking zoom classes struggled to get ahead.
Navig8r says: “That sweater’s gonna be nice. I can’t believe how much wood that fireplace takes just to get from freezing to chilly.”
“Fire places aren’t very efficient. That’s why Mr. Franklin invented his stove.”
“Who’s he?”
“Dead white guy in your generation’s terminology.”
“No internet for months. I can’t Google him or the stove. Just a generational insult, or do you have something I can act on?”
“Encyclopedia behind the panel in the closet. Old washer and dryer dumped in the gulch should be enough metal. Grandpa can coach you. Put the panel back. Book burners haven’t all died off yet.”
Dupin says: The fire’s warm and the room cozy. It reminds me of when Nana taught me to knit when I was young. It was a struggle at first, but I learned and enjoyed it. Some of my friends laughed at it being old-fashioned, but they shut up after the big NFL player Rosey Grier said he knitted.
The kids and grandkids should be here shortly. Ellie’s the oldest and seemed fascinated by my knitting. I have a spare set of needles if she wants to give it a try. Simply passing it down to yet another generation to continue it on.
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