My maternal grandmother was a compulsive knitter, who fortunately was very good at it. She knitted us jerseys, cardigans, woolly hats, mittens, dolls' clothes, pram covers, both for us and later for our dolls, all of which we loved.
Unfortunately, she also knitted us baby pink or blue undervests in scratchy wool and bathing suits , that weighed a ton when wet.
She also embroidered beautifully, so she made us dresses, coats and hats.
My paternal grandmother kept her end up with bed-jackets and socks, slippers, more undervests, scarves and mittens.
She could be coaxed away from her knitting needles to the sewing machine and when the mending was done, she produced dolls' bedlinen and nighties.
Various aunties were knitters of dolls' dresses, skirts, jumpers, cardigans and socks with properly turned heels, believe it or not.
My mother contributed cardies, scarves and hats in my early childhood, but developed a inflammation of her wrist when my sister was a baby that put paid to knitting.
She was still able to sew on the machine and produced summer dresses, which we wished she hadn't and the most fantastic dressing up clothes for Halloween parties.
Most of the knitters contributed socks for my father as well.
