I wish I had...

Making my first pair of socks has really made me think back onto my grandmothers and their knitting. Mother's mother was from Bavaria, and came to this country with a third grade education and a child in tow. She was widowed at a young age, raised 4 kids alone during the depression, and taught herself English by reading the newspaper. I have been told that she was an amazing sock knitter. I only got to see her twice a year for a day or two, and she spoke mostly German. I wish I had asked her to show me how she did her socks. I would have loved to have watched her make something. Our visits were so few and far between that there was never any evidence of her knitting. I should have asked.

My father's mother knitted and crocheted too. She made me things all the time, and even though I never saw her much either, she sent me handmade gifts in the mail often. She'd make me purses, and the nicest knitted slippers! As soon as I'd wear out a pair, she'd send another. I knew she loved me, and that in itself was the best gift!

I've been thinking of both of them while learning socks. I wish I had connected more with them back then. It is way too late now, except for in my heart and through my hands. I miss them both.