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What did Grandma knit for you?

(119 Posts)
vampirequeen Tue 27-Oct-20 21:48:57

Every autumn Grandma would knit me a new hat for winter. It was always a loopy design in the most disgusting shade of green. I had to wear it all through winter and wear the previous year's to sleep in.

Did your Grandma knit you things?

Gagagran Wed 28-Oct-20 07:25:57

Both my Grannies died before I was born but I had two wonderful Great-Aunts who took the place of Grannies. They lived together.

One of them was blind but was a wonderful knitter despite that and I remember especially a bright red bonnet she knitted for me The other one (retired teacher) taught me to read and also to knit but her speciality was tatting, which fascinated me. She also did a lot of crotchet and I still have dressing table mats (not used) which she made. Loved them both dearly. Long gone now.

Pantglas2 Wed 28-Oct-20 07:32:20

Both my grandmothers had stopped knitting by the time I arrived but had taught their daughters well as my mother and aunts all knitted and sewed.

I never had a shop bought cardigan or jumper as a kid and I was so jealous of my friends who’d M&S ones! However, my mam’s knitting was so admired by the dinner ladies at primary school that they used to make me do a catwalk in the canteen kitchen!

sodapop Wed 28-Oct-20 07:36:50

I remember the loopy hats as well Vampirequeen everyone seemed to wear them at that time. My mother used to knit beautifully and often without a pattern. I had to stand still whilst the garment was measured against me. Cardigans etc always had pretty buttons I remember some ladybird ones on a red cardigan.

Sarnia Wed 28-Oct-20 07:38:07

It was my Mum rather than either of my Grannies who knitted. I had several Fair Isle jumpers which I see are back in fashion.

kittylester Wed 28-Oct-20 07:40:51

My Granny was far to glamorous to do anything as mundane as knitting.

My nan, on the other hand knitted and sewed most things we wore. When I started grammar school she knitted my cardigan with 'plenty of room to grow'. I was mortified and would have given any thing to have an M&S one, just like pantglas.

Georgesgran Wed 28-Oct-20 07:42:59

Neither of my Grandmother’s could knit, but I can remember Mum’s Mother making proggy mats from time to time.
DHs Mother ‘thought’ she could knit and would knit an oblong, fold it in half, sew up 2 sides and say she’d made my girls mittens (with no thumbs!). We didn’t live very close, so she never knew they weren’t worn.

MamaCaz Wed 28-Oct-20 07:44:12

My grandma couldn't knit, so no clothes from her.

My mum, however, could both knit and sew, so she made me lots of things to wear, and as she was very up-to-date fashion-wise, they were always stylish. She also kept my sons well-supplied with lovely jumpers when they were growing up.

PollyDolly Wed 28-Oct-20 07:47:36

One of my grandmothers used to knit school jumpers for me and my siblings. We all wore uniforms for school and a hand knitted 'V' necked jumper was much appreciated on cold days! The other grandmother didn't or couldn't knit.

J52 Wed 28-Oct-20 07:48:16

My Scottish Granny knitted lovely Arrans, the last one I kept for many years. My Northumberland Granny knitted me jumpers as well. If I stayed with them I’d get the left over bits to knit for my dolls.
I can’t remember which one taught me to knit, but in the 70s I knitted DH two Fair Isle tank tops. He’s still got them and at the time women would approach him, lift them up to look at the reverse side to see if the wool lay flat!
I always wanted a loopy hat, maybe I could knit myself one now! grin

Jaxjacky Wed 28-Oct-20 08:04:18

I only knew my paternal Grandma and don’t remember her knitting or sewing. My Mum did knit, we all had the Aran jumpers too! I remember they smelt funny as the wool was oiled? Apparently it kept them waterproof.

LullyDully Wed 28-Oct-20 08:13:49

My granny knitted everything for us. School jumpers and hockey socks on 4 needles.

When we were teenagers and shawls were fashionable she made us all beautiful ones with her crochet. She must have been pleased to reuse an old skill she had used when much younger . She was a Victorian born in 1870 and her hands were never still.

Allegretto Wed 28-Oct-20 08:22:55

My granny knitted us ‘woolly vests’. They were knitted with the finest ivory coloured wool and must have been knitted on tiny needles. We wore them over our cotton vests as an extra layer. Looking back they were a real labour of love. New ones appeared for us every winter. My mum knitted us cardigans and jumpers.

baubles Wed 28-Oct-20 08:25:39

Hats, scarves and Aran jumpers mainly. She also crocheted anything from blankets to doilies. She taught me to crochet shawls when I was going through my hippie phase. I wish I’d kept some of it.

Greyduster Wed 28-Oct-20 08:33:08

I only knew one of my grans and she never knitted for me. My mother knitted constantly; cardigans, socks, hats, gloves, the lot. Although she saw very little of my children because we didn’t live near (often abroad), she knitted for them too. She sent a huge parcel of matinee jackets to Singapore for DS when he was born, but of course, he couldn’t wear them. In the last days of her life, she was very ill and we made a dash home as it was thought she wouldn’t last. When we arrived she was sitting up in bed knitting a sweater for DS. Two days later she died and the sweater was unfinished but I kept it for years, intending to finish it myself but somehow couldn’t bring myself to do it. I still have all her needles.

BlueSapphire Wed 28-Oct-20 08:55:45

Neither of my grannies knitted, so nothing. One granny taught me to crochet, but I only got as far as making dish cloths, which were supposed to be square but usually ended up triangular!

DM was a knitting fiend and was never without something on the go. She made we three girls (at ages 4, 2 and 1) matching knitted bathing costumes! We must have looked cute on the beach when they were dry, but I dread to think what we looked like after a dip in the chilly sea!

harrigran Wed 28-Oct-20 09:02:50

Paternal grandmother did not knit or sew, she only had one eye so may have had problems.
Maternal grandmother was an amazing seamstress and her knitting and crochet work was beautiful, she won prizes for her work but did not extend to us.
My youngest aunt used to knit me a new bonnet every winter which I had to wear right up until I was 14 and then she developed a thing about crochet waistcoats.

DanniRae Wed 28-Oct-20 09:19:47

I only had one grandma - the other one had died before I was born - and if she knitted I don't remember being given any thing she made?
But my darling mum was an amazing knitter and when I had my first baby - her first grandchild - she knitted a beautiful shawl for her. All 3 of my children wore it to their christenings and back in January my darling grandson wore it to his christening.

Witzend Wed 28-Oct-20 09:39:36

I had both GMs until after I was married, but I don’t think either of them ever knitted anything. Maybe just as well, going by some of the posts!

My MiL was a knitter - I still have a couple of jumpers she made for dds when still young. I’ve been keeping them for little Gdcs to grow into, but their other granny is a prolific knitter for them, so I doubt they’ll ever be needed.

grannytotwins Wed 28-Oct-20 09:44:02

Really baggy cardigans which I was made to wear.

Daddima Wed 28-Oct-20 09:50:22

Allegretto I was about to say neither of my grannies knitted, but you reminded me of the vests! No fine wool, however, they were double knitting in pink and white. I hated them.
For my own children, the Bodach’s mother and aunt were prodigious knitters, and, ours being the only grandchildren, they were recipients of many beautifully crafted garments.

Beauregard Wed 28-Oct-20 09:59:12

Neither of my grandmothers knitted for me, but my mum used to for her grandchildren. My son best remembers his Thunderbird Two jumper and my daughter her pink Power Rangers jumper. We still have them somewhere.

Blossoming Wed 28-Oct-20 09:59:30

One grandmother died before I was born and the other didn’t knit. My mother was a prolific knitter and kept us all cosy with sweaters, hats, scarves and mittens. She did Shetland lace and Fair Isle.

JackyB Wed 28-Oct-20 10:01:55

My parents both being the youngest in their families and my parents being caught up in the war for the first years of their marriage, by the time I came on the scene, both Nanna's were in their 80s with arthiritc hands, so they never knitted for us.

My mother was a wonderful knitter and I have some beautiful jumpers she made for my boys, which, unfortunately, my DiLs don't want. It doesn't get cold enough for aran knitwear these days. I liked mine to wear them on winter walks because I thought they would give more freedom of movement than a zipped up anorak.

GrannyGravy13 Wed 28-Oct-20 10:11:48

Both my Granny and Nanna knitted, cardigans with special buttons (I remember ducks, flowers and ladybirds) school jumpers etc.

Granny knitted me a swimming costume, I can still feel the embarrassment of getting out of the lido and the costume sagging down to my knees exposing my torso blush

Quilty Wed 28-Oct-20 10:18:22

My grandparents never knitted for me but I knit for the grandchildren - with mixed reactions. I like traditional things which do not always go down as well as I would hope....but I think they are appreciated!!