A Knitting Legacy

Written by: Jody Sherman

Author's email: jesr621@aol.com

Credits:

Photo 1: Richie Bloom in the sweater Jody made him
Photo 2: Jody's Aunt Pearl
Photo 3: Richie Bloom in the sweater Jody made him. Picture sent from Japan.

I grew up in the 50s and 60s in The Bronx, one of the five boroughs that make up New York City. From late spring to early fall, the neighbors would gather in the front of the building on their lawn chairs to relax from the work of the day, catch up on gossip and watch the children at play (“it takes a village!”).

I remember seeing many of the women knitting away, their hands moving almost as fast as they were talking. My Aunt Pearl was among them. She always had something on the needles, usually a sweater for someone’s baby, but sometimes a shell (sleeveless top) for herself or a sweater for my Uncle Al. I was fascinated, and while I don’t remember the exact moment that it happened, Aunt Pearl taught me to knit. The first garment that I do remember knitting was a sweater for my cousin Richie (Pearl’s son) who was in the Army. I was 14, and made a pullover in a nubby Bernat yarn. I was so proud of that sweater, and even prouder when he sent a picture of himself wearing it in Japan. I have been knitting ever since.

Through the years I did many needle crafts….needlepoint, crewel work, embroidery, sewing, crocheting, but always went back to knitting, for that is what I enjoyed the most. I admired Aunt Pearl, my Aunt Rose (Mom’s other sister), and other women who were quite accomplished at knitting. My own mother wasn’t a knitter, but I did shame her into knitting a sweater for my first child, telling her that it was a requirement that every child have at least one thing knitted by their grandmother. So determined was I that she fulfills that “requirement,” that I taught my left-handed mother how to knit - from a righties point of view. And she actually did finish a red sweater….straight stockinette, made with love. Aunt Pearl, on the other hand, made several sweater sets for my children, which I kept through the years.

I kept knitting, too. Over the years I made some adult sweaters, but my favorite was knitting for babies and young children. Unfortunately, once my children reached the age of about 7, they were more into sweatshirts than sweaters, and my knitting slowed down to an a occasional baby set.

A little over two years ago, my daughter, in her late 20s, was visiting with me. She asked if I would teach her to knit. I had shown her how when she was a young teen, but not having much interest in it at the time, she didn’t “get it.” I took out some needles and yarn and showed her how to cast on, knit and purl. As added insurance, I gave her the simple knitting book that I relied on. (All those years of knitting and I had NO idea that there was the wealth of books that are out there now). By the time she flew back home she had made a pair of baby booties for her niece.

She joined a Stich ‘n Bitch group in her city and she was hooked! She became a knitting addict, and in doing so, she also became my mentor. Now she is quite the accomplished knitter. She taught me how to make socks (imagine, knitting with 4 and 5 needles at once), cables (can you believe that I never knitted cables before?), fair isle (love it), dying yarn (ooooo, pretty) and more. And it brought us even closer together.

Last week I was visiting with my daughter and she asked me to go through a box of memories…clothing that I had saved from her childhood that will be passed on to her children. She wanted to know who knit what garment. I was amazed at the sweaters in there that I had made, having forgotten about them. I was happy to see that while I had not used cables or “fancy” techniques, there were some really nice sweaters in that box.

Among the items were the sweaters that Aunt Pearl had made for my children, the teeny sweater and hat (with tiny cables along the raglan and made on a size one needle) that my mother’s friend had made and that all three of my children wore home from the hospital at birth , and the red sweater that Mom made. But the best, by far, were the sweater sets that Aunt Pearl made for my future grandchildren. When she knew that her hands were becoming too arthritic and that her knitting days were numbered, she made 6 sweater sets and 3 blankets, all knit without a pattern, to be set aside for my children’s children. She made them with such love. She passed away 4 years ago, never to see the babies who will wear her handiwork. Well, Aunt Pearl….my first grandchild is on his way. And one day we will be able to pass down the love of knitting that you passed down to me, and me to my daughter, and keep our family legacy going for many years to come.

Meet the Author :

As you can see by this article, Jody has been addicted to yarn crafts for a long time, however it’s just recently that she has taken it to a whole new level. (The picture shown here however is taken just a few years after Jody learned to knit at the age of 14.) From joining local yarn groups to dying her own yarn, Jody improves her skills on a daily basis.

When she is not teaching kindergarten in South Florida, she enjoys reading, playing with her dogs, and of course knitting and crocheting for her first grandchild (making his debut in early November). She is using her yarn skills to make sure that he will not go cold this winter.