Day Four: 31st March. Where are they now?
I was a knitter long ago. I began knitting before I went to school, taught at my mother’s knee. In school, we all had to learn to knit. I knitted the odd scarf over the years but never had the application really, until I became an expectant mother. I began with the bootees and matinee jackets and eventually toddler sizes, and into grown up sizes and, once I had found my application, I didn’t stop again until I became a career woman in my Thirties.
Basically, there was no time for knitting any longer as I worked full time, commuted 120 miles daily, cared for a family and studied part time for a degree. Life was too full for needles and my lifetime’s collection of patterns and needles went into an old wicker laundry basket, along with some very interesting UFOs that I would complete “one day.” The basket went into the stair cupboard and was forgotten about in all the trauma when I packed my bags and set out on a life as a newly-singled woman in 1993.
The break up was friendly and only intended to be temporary. There was no haste. I could return for my bits and bobs whenever I wanted.
That was when things went sour and The Great Divorce Debacle began. (It had much to do I think with my solicitor poisoning my relationship with my ex. Unknown to me, she was sleeping with him and I do believe now that she manipulated the two of us into a divorce that neither of us truly wanted. But that is a whole other tale and nowt to do wi’ knittin’.)
I never got my workbasket back. I lost all my patterns, my yarn, my needle collection, those sweaters that I wanted to complete.
I became a non-knitter.
Until I came up here and began again. I had to stock up on everything anew. Coo – things are pricier now!
I often wonder if my knitting went on the bonfire and that notion makes me cringe. Perhaps they went to the Jumble and somebody finished them and wore them? Perhaps they were jumbled and then frogged and knitted into other things? I hope that they had a good fate.
True, those UFOs would be horribly 80’s if I were to have access to them now but all the same – that batwing that I was making with mohair, ribbon tape, and (real) suede yarn? I’d love to see how it would have turned out!
And there was my iteration of the 4ply aran that I had made originally for the ex. All it needed was a single ball of yarn sourcing to complete the left shoulder. It was a dark mossy green and it was gorgeous and I have mourned its loss for years. Hours and hours of work went into it.
More importantly, I mourn the loss of that pattern the most. It was in a plastic document folder, stuffed fat with patterns bought or cut out from magazines over the years. It shared that space with all those baby patterns that I had knitted – how I wish I still had those for posterity.
But that 4plycrew neck Aran style pattern was the greatest loss of all. It was from a woman’s magazine in the 70’s. It would be either Woman or Woman’s Own. It was written for Sirdar Superwash 4ply. I made it up in blue for my ex when our relationship was young and fresh, before our son was born even. He looked gorgeous in that sweater.
When I wanted to make one for myself, I found that I had lost the pattern. I set about finding it again and was lucky enough to contact the right magazine and they found it for me and sent a photocopy. If only I could recall the details now! Perhaps they would do the same for me now.
Really, it was my all time favourite sweater and I have never found one that I liked better. IÂ would very much like to make one for myself, finish it, and keep it this time (no divorces planned, luckily.)
So… if you think you, your mum, or your gran or great gran might have a copy of this pattern – do please get in touch!
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