Wednesday 29 October 2014

Clickedly-click needles


This image from Magpie Tales reminded me of childhood days when mothers in Irish communities used to knit Aran sweaters for the American market.  This provided a secondary income for many households. So this week I dedicate my blog post to all those mothers, including my own Mum, who knitted every week to provide a little extra for their families. 




Dear Mother

Do you remember how you knitted these socks? 
Knit one, purl one with clickedly-click needles.
Do you remember how you held the cable needle?
Between your lips while you turned the heel.
Do you remember the stories?
One for each pattern you knitted.
Do you remember when you knitted a pair for each of us?
Before hands became old and arthritic.
Socks, sweaters, knitted with speed
And love, lots of it.
Do you remember?
I do!

12 comments:

  1. sweet words...!

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  2. My mother did not knit but she was an amazing seamstress! I managed to inherit a bit of her talent. Thank you for visiting me ...

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    1. Lucky you Helen with seamstress skill ..not one of my talents!

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  3. Thank you for your visit to my page..your poem brought lots of memories back for me..my Mum and I both knitted to supplement our incomes..my Mum still knits for children in Africa and other charities and of course her own great grand children (she 87!!)..x

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    1. Well done to you and your Mum ... I think knitting is coming back into fashion!

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  4. I still have memories of the things my mother knitted me as a child...a yellow, orange and white striped poncho was my favourite. Love this and loved where your words took me in my mind! Thanks :-)

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    1. Bet you've got some great poncho photos stashed away somewhere ... glad you enjoyed where the words took you, Katherine.

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  5. That's what memories are made of. :-)

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    1. Yes, in our family there were some wonderful knits thanks to our Mum.

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