I Remember Mothers Knitting 39

I am hoping to put a poem on this page each night time permitting and a blog at the weekend.

This is one of many poems I wrote in memory of my old mother (1910)

I Remember Mothers Knitting

In the evening to relax, mother always knit,

Jumpers scarves and socks, and gloves all made to fit,

All sizes knitting needles kept, neatly in a draw,

Some rolls of wool rolled into balls, left over from before,.

When the wool is newly bought, it comes in big long skeins,

We were asked hold out hands, and not aloud complain,

We took in turns to hold it, while she wound it into ball.

Sometime she would have, ten skeins of wool, n’ do it all.

She  knitted  socks, with three needles steel,

Round and round she’d go, knitted fast by feel

Starting round the top, made grippe to hold then up,

Then Knit one pearl one to heel all without a slip-up.

Check the length of leg, for who it’s made to fit,

Cotton thread along with the wool, for heel is being knit,

This adds to its strength, when the holes appear,

Darning is inevitable, with all of our footgear.

We have to lie back with one foot, high up in the air,

Then new sock is pulled on, with three needles not a pair,

See how long to make the foot, were growing every year,

Then cast it off up to a point, last thread of wool to shear.

When knitting jumper she had, two great long needles blunt,

Plain band around the bottom, and pattern up the front,

Working from her women’s book, does cables blobs the lot,

Hold your chin up while it’s tried, she’s such an old fusspot.

Round the cuffs and neck she knits, stitched to finish the job,

Try it on to see if it fits, worth more than just a bob*,

With there being four of use, could hand it up or down,

Used for best so smart it looks, going to the hoedown.

(* A bob was a shilling in our old money, now  5p in new pence)

Countryman (Owd Fred)

Mother knitted right into her 80's when she started to get arthritis in her fingers