Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Rewriting my knitting history

I thought I learnt how to knit when in school.

I was wrong.

Friends to the family visited my parents for dinner last Saturday and my mother was wearing her Laminaria. The woman-friend asked my mother about it and was told that I had made it. The woman-friend said that she felt proud as she was the one who taught me how to knit. And as she said it, my mother remembered the details.

Our family spent a week on an island in the archipelago with their family. We had rented a house there for all 10 of us. I was the only girl (except for the two mothers) and apparently I got sick and tired of the boys and their "stupid games" after a couple of days, and asked the mother of the other family if she could teach me how to knit. She was knitting a sweater at the time.

As my mother told me about it, I started remembering. I remember me or my brother loosing a suncap on the boatride there as the wind swept it off. I remembered us kids being outside a lot, running around. I remember walking across the island to meet the mailman and his boat. I remember us doing sommersaults on the lawn. I remember the grown ups complaining about a mouse in the house as they all heard strange noices at night (and then finding out it was me grinding my teeth). And I sort of remember sitting down knitting with white yarn.

I saw my mother yesterday. She came over to give me a picture of me knitting at the age of 6. In a chair outside the house we rented. With my Swedish blond hair. (I was that blond up until about 10 years old. Then it turned mousy...)

Knitting at 6yrs old
The needles are longer than my forearms!!!

12 comments:

Pikku- Kettu said...

What a lovely picture of you! So cute with those oversized needles. :)

Mona said...

Men så sött! Jag var också så där blond... Sen kom husmusfärgen... :-)

Unknown said...

awwwww how sweet - love the blonde hair too. My brother's was that blonde to begin with too.

Annas garndrömmar said...

En sån härlig bild! Och man kan riktigt se koncetrationen också :)

Tricia said...

That picture is priceless! I had blonde hair like that until I was a teenager. I miss it!

Anonymous said...

Isn't that sweet? I love that the needles are practically bigger than you in that picture.

Anonymous said...

So cute! -Shell

Anonymous said...

What a great pic! I'm with swedish fishies: It's priceless to have memories and pictures like that.

Geek Knitter said...

Another former blonde chiming in. Mine was nearly white until I was about six or so. And those needles!

Anonymous said...

That is a great photo, and a great memory. Did you continue knitting after that, or did you put down the knitting until you were older?

Anonymous said...

I have this image of Katie and Nan from "Katie and Nan Go to Sea" by Nan Inger. Did you read any of those books when you were a kid? There's a part in the book where they stop with friends on an island and stay a night or two and the kids' adventures while the parents chat and dine. Hilarious. Not sure they spent time knitting, though. :)

Jessica said...

Oh, vilka minnen din blogg väcker. Tack förresten för att du skrev hos mig =) Tror ibland att det bara är du som läser min blogg - som jag inte alls är lika flitig att uppdatera som du är din - men det har visat sig att så nog inte är fallet eftersom jag får en och annan beställning på saker =) Åter till din blogg...lustigt det där vem som lärt en saker. Eftersom min mamma aldrig varit särskilt bra på handarbete så var det mormor som lärde mig det. När jag var 4 lärde jag mig sålunda att sy korsstygn, när jag var 5 lärde hon mig virka och när jag var 6 lärde jag mig sticka. Alla tre saker lärde hon mig när vi var ute i Sthlm skärgård och jag hade "långtråkigt". Sedan blev det en hel del saker gjorda. Stickade min första tröja till mig själv när jag var nio. Den minns jag än... Ha en fin helg och tack för dina inspirerande bloggar.