When everything is as expected! One of my personal best poem, blog and sketch! Happy with all of them today!
“Oh why you wear that sweater so torn and so old!
What protection it may give you from cold?
This is a woolen shield like no other
Knitted with warmth by my mother!”
This was initially done exclusively by men!
Now everyone does it but then not everyone can do it since it requires skill!
Intrigued!?
read on!
Since you showed so much patience of reading this far! The activity exclusive to males is Knitting!
Knitting is the process of creating loops of threads that interlock row by row, through the use of yarn and needles! This craft has been used by many in creating fabrics and garments such as socks, sweaters, scarves, hats, and dresses!
My mother was an expert Knitter! Her craft bag always had a bunch of wools of different colours and an assortment of needles!
There was a master needle and a collection of normal ones.
Couple of months before winter or even when she had a little time she would be knitting away! Only occasionally would she look at the wool while rest of the time the whole thing was just skill!
The biggest issue during those times was the availability of wool! Sometimes she would order from far places and sometimes she would just wait!
Many times she would have started on a colour and halfway the wool would get over, then she would either wait of simply take another colour wool and continue! And voila! You get a multicolor woolen sweater!
The lucky ones would get the sweater first which would usually be me since I normally also feel very cold! Then it would be my brother and finally my dad! I never realised that she had stitched one for herself long back and then rarely ever for herself…
If she had a surplus of wool then it would lead to more wool stuff like the scarf or mufflers! I have always loved wearing sweaters and since I was a thin dude with no mass, the joke was that it was the sweater which used to hold me to the ground!
Even in school in Bangalore, when the winter was far over but still the morning was cold, I used to wear a sweater especially in the morning! So much so that everyone used to call me sweater boy!
It was also convenient since inside the sweater you do not have to worry how clean the shirt was! I used to be so happy when it used to rain or when it used to get cold since then I could wear the sweater without any embarrassment!
The first time after a short break when I went to my college, I had to enter the class directly! I was coming from cold Bangalore to the hot and sunny Calicut! I was of course wearing a sweater and the class had started so I did not have time to change! I simply went with the sweater! The thick green and white sweater was a sight many in my class still remember me by!
Of course I did not mention that it was one of the last sweaters knitted by my mother for me and I did not have the heart to stop wearing it! Also first time you go back to college after a short break is when you get very homesick! You tend to compensate however you can!
For a long time though in the later years mom stopped the knitting completely. Maybe the commercially available ones were faster to get and less tedious. Occasionally though there would be phases in which she would make a sweater here and there. Her best skill would be to repair the torn sweater! It was magical how the places where the wool came out would get stitched back again!
It was also understood since Bangalore was no longer that cold and we were quite old! The chief reason of the sweaters were the postings or transfer to the north of India where it was relatively much cold! Then again when it used to rain in calicut or when I was not well with fever, I used to wear the sweater and the warmth would dry all the cold feelings away!
Getting busy with career and education and her health issues had the side effect of her craft bag sitting idle in a corner gathering dust. Many times she would be asked whether we need it or not. She would merely say, Keep it; lets see. It is a small bag and it hardly occupies any space!
Finally when my dear daughter was born, her happiness was reflected by the coming back of her needles! During these time the needles were used to check whether the idly or the cake was properly cooked or not! You stab the idly and no idly must come on to the stick! The knitting needle was best for that!
The knitting started with gusto! If you see the constant knitting you may not realise the speed but if you see after a couple of days then you can know how it used to progress! Like a muscle memory she had not forgotten how to knit! It was slower this time but it was steady and the progress was great! She would normally make the turtle neck ones only since that was how she learnt and when the neck size was small she would promptly start the corrections! Her joy of putting it on my little daughter was pure! But the heat of Chennai made sure it was used only occasionally! Then when we were back to Bangalore the sweater was back! She subsequently made her signature sweaters for all her lucky grandkids!
Of course one fine day everything stopped and I really do not know what happened of the craft bag with her magazines and needles. I did not want to know…
Last month just after my mom’s birth anniversary my daughter, a recent teen suddenly asked for some wool! I thought it was a passing fancy but of course I never say to no her! Got her some assorted sets and one fine day she presents us with small coasters entirely knitted by her! Then within a week it graduated to a nice Muffler for my wife and super cool woolen gloves for my wife and me! I did not want to wear the gloves because I was scared that I would either spoil it or lose them! But the intricate knits and the stitches which she has learnt all by herself brought me to tears which of course I hid from her.
I know one fine day She would make a sweater because she is as skillful as my mother. Take rest amma; your legacy continues…
Legacy also will continue of the legendary Padma Awardee and one of the most deserving amma of the jungle! Tulsi Gowda! She left for the heavenly abode the other day.
After planting more than 30000 trees and saplings I think her work here will be remembered forever!
Om shanthi!
Shubh ratri…
ramadocblog 