By: Vanessa Packman
My Mum could knit. From a young girl in wartime Britain, she was making hats, sweaters and mittens for herself and family. On her way to becoming a highly skill stitcher, she worked her needles for both fun and practical purposes, and occasionally for spending money.
She passed on this skill to her two daughters, but I was the one to pursue it beyond scarves. Having reached the level of knitting sweaters in my early teens, I was keen to test my new abilities. And in true teen form, I challenged my elders and the master to a knitting race. We would see who could finish a Fair Isle sweater first. The design was all the rage of the time and it would take TWO colours! A challenge, but with all the naïve confidence of youth, I was going to crush it.
My creation was burgundy with white accents, Mum’s a solid robin egg blue. Each evening and weekend I would devote hours to piling up the inches. Torso, cuffs, arms were proudly built and set aside before being brought together for the most challenging part of all, the yoke.
Mum coached me through the assembly and held my hand as I attached the first bit of contrasting yarn. One, two, three stitches of main colour, carry the contrast lightly at the back and boom, stitch it! Loop the main colour behind and repeat. One, two, three, another white! I was doing this!! I was knitting with TWO colours! Nothing could stop me! I didn’t stop smiling all afternoon.
And while I was turning out the full sized sweater, complete with the patterned yoke, I noted Mum’s sweater was not growing as quickly. In true obnoxious teen form, I rubbed it in how I was not only away all day at school, I was still making more progress than she!
The yoke was slowly completed, not without a few hiccups, and the sweater went from plain parts to a glorious whole. A few more inches of knitting for the neck and VOILA, I’d done it! First across the finish line! My triumph was complete! Take that, Master Knitter! There’s a new stitcher in town!
Mum smiled proudly at what I had done, and happily finished her sweater a few days later before lovingly passing it to me. I would wear both sweaters for years.
Still on my knitting high, I opened my Easter gift a couple of weeks later to find a handknit sweater. Mum’s handiwork. She had knit TWO sweaters to my one. Touche, Mum.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Vanessa Packman is a freelance writer and fibre enthusiast living in Sussex, New Brunswick. She donates many of her knitted and stitched creations to local SPCA's and non-profit organizations for fundraising purposes. You can reach Vanessa on Facebook here.