In the meantime, it's hot, hot, hot here in Connecticut -- much hotter than Florida, the state where my mother resides!Today I donated another book; this time to my children's school library where I am a volunteer. I donated the book, "Of Heroes, Hooks, and Heirlooms" by Faye Silton.
As I was in the process of donating it, I thought of the question, "Why would people benefit from crocheting and having this skill?" that I recently answered on Yahoo Answers. Certainly this book covers just one of the many possible answers -- crochet is a way to connect us to our beloved relatives who have long passed on. In this story, it's a twelve-year old girl, Mia, who is befriended by Irene, a yarn shop owner. After studing a photograph of her Grandmother, the only item her family has after surviving the Holocaust, she learns how to crochet in order to recreate a scarf worn by her grandmother. It's a very touching story, well worth reading!
I'm sure there are many, many more stories of people using crochet (or another form of fiber art) to reconnect to our past. For me, just this week I learned some of my own family history. I learned from my Mother that my Grandmother Louise was a crocheter; she enjoyed working with fine threads and tiny hooks. Sadly, she died many, many moons before my time, and there are not many items (other than a few pictures) around that belonged to her. My mother thinks that perhaps Grandmother Louise is my spiritual crochet guide; I like the sound of that. I also can't help but wonder if there is a photograph of her out there, somewhere in the world, wearing a bit of her crochet work ... wouldn't that be something if I could find such a picture of my Grandmother Louise and recreate that item? Of course, this would involve some sleuthing ...
What about you? Have you ever tried to recreate a crochet piece you've seen in a treasured family photograph? ags: crochet, history, photographs
2 comments:
I've never tried to recreate from a photograph but my DD's baby blanket was inspired (i.e. used the same stitch) by another blanket given to me by my grandmother. I definitely feel connected to my past when I crochet. I like to think my great grandmother would enjoy my work. I know she would have liked all the novelty yarn available now. Thoughts for her certainly "urge" me to pick up my hooks when I'm sitting idol and watching tv. She was always working on something because she believed "idol hands are the Devil's workshop!" She used to save the string from flour sacks during the depression to crochet and tat lace trims for her daughter's dresses. She was quite a lady and I miss her. Thanks for sending me on a walk down memory lane :) Have a great day! Haley
Thanks for mentioning this. I've been meaning to ask about crocheted doilies made by a couple of my long-gone great great aunts. This reminded me to ask about it. I'm hoping to find at least one. Glad you're feeling better.
Beata in Black Mountain, NC
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