Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Knit Two, Purl Two

I like how quickly doll clothes knit up.  I can do fancy cables and rolled collars and the garment is still finished in less time than it takes to rake the yard.  I made this adorable poncho and cable scarf for my granddaughter's new Christmas doll from the leftover yarn I bought in Lucca, Italy for her baby sweater five years ago.

I always loved the continuity of using remnants from handmade garments for family gifts.  The first quilt I made - for my son when he was a baby - included bright colors from other projects and the 'filling' is not batting, but a well worn baby blanket from my early childhood. Subsequent quilts included leftover scraps from hand sewn garments my mother made for me over the my childhood. I can remember the meticulous planning she did to get the plaid pattern to go evenly across the arms and bodice of a favorite red plaid dress with white collar and cuffs in junior high school.  I remember, too, snagging the pocket on a trash can while running to my next class and being worried she'd be mad after all the work she put into it.  The stiff patch material she ironed onto the inside of the dress held the tear closed so it couldn't be seen from the outside and all was well again.

2 comments:

  1. you made my childhood blanket, "Bear" which has been worn so thin you can almost see through it. i still have it and will always treasure it :) - Cheryl

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  2. You still have it? I remember sitting at your house when you were little sewing the bear appliques back in place. I loved seeing its worn fabric - I knew it was loved. Thanks so much for the memory!

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