I was talking to my father (now in his 70s) when he mentioned that he used to knit while commuting by train (back when he was around the same age I am now, and likewise also around the time he had his first child. I couldn’t believe that I hadn’t known this–or more likely i did hear about it a long, long time ago when it didn’t mean that much to me and long since forgot. But Coincidentally, it also happens that he knit “continental” style, as I do now (and different from what my sister and I first learned in elementary school). When I asked him more about he said he didn’t really remember when exactly he first learned, and that he only made a few simple things, but that he probably picked it up from his great aunt. Apparently she was incredibly skilled and fast, at least by today’s standards, and could “knit you a sweater in about 10 minutes while you were talking to her.” He told me she knit so quickly with such tiny motions you could barely see her hands move and she could carry on at that speed without looking at the work and while having a conversation. She was born either shortly before or shortly after her (Jewish) family emigrated from czarist Russia to the USA in the early 20th century. (She was also, unsurprisingly maybe considering the close kinship of both those yarncrafts in parts of eastern europe, an expert crocheter.)
Anyway, I was excited to learn both that I’m not the only male knitter in my recent family’s history and also, as a largely self-taught knitter that I might actually be heir–even if somewhat discontinuously–to a genuine old world folk tradition of handknitters. I know it may seem silly to so many who learned at their mother or grandmother’s knee, but for me as the only current knitter in my family and a largely self-taught one it was exciting to (re)discover these connections!
That’s so cool! My only knitting relative that I’m aware of is a niece by marriage and she also knits Continental. My granddaughter and grandson learned to make knits and purls from me. I know my grandson isn’t knitting and think my granddaughter is more interested in crochet currently, has never really knitted anything. She took me along with her to a doctor’s appointment once and was saying she needed a cozy for a bottle or coffee cup. I put what I was working on as she drove back in the bag and pulled out other yarn and a hook and started a cozy for her. While sitting in the waiting room I handed it to her and said it was her turn. She crocheted a couple of rows I think before her name was called. She later decided to make an octopus and completed it. That’s my best family knitting and crochet story.
What a wonderful piece of family history! This must have been a fascinating conversation that both you and your father enjoyed. It’s so good that you can carry on a family tradition that stretches back as far as you can imagine.
This is so sweet! And thank you for sharing this. I got to learn how to knit from the aunt who was passionate about knitting and turned out some wonderfully knitted stuff!
So glad you shared this story. It’s always so fascinating to discover the positives about one’s background. I too learned how to knit continental style from my Russian Jewish grandmother from Riga, Latvia. I am left handed and she stood in back of me to share her talent. She also showed me how to crochet. So after many years of making pot holders, ( how many pot holders can one make?), I became part of a community of knitters. Luckily I found this fabulous on line blog to support my learning curve. I continue to gather knowledge and information with the assistance of talented knitters.
Stay healthy and safe everyone❤️