Thursday, January 7, 2016

Throwback Thursday: From the Needles of Sylvia Becker

Back in the beginning of December, Mary wrote a lovely post about a sweater that her mother-in-law knitted for her almost 35 years ago. Reading the story and admiring Mary's bright green sweater reminded me that I had something very similar.


My sweater is a stranded  pullover instead of a henley and is knit with acrylic instead of wool, but it was also knit for me by my mother-in-law. She made it as a Christmas gift the year I was a senior in high school, so that makes it 41 years old. I remember feeling very loved and quite grateful that she had taken the time to knit me a sweater and I wore it all through college. After college I moved to Florida so the sweater was put away in my cedar chest. I did wear it when I left Florida and moved to Syracuse, but I haven't worn it in several decades. Even though it's acrylic, it seems to have shrunk over the years, as I can no longer fit into it :-) It does still has a special place in my cedar chest, next to all the baby sweaters and booties that Sylvia knitted for my sons.


My grandmother taught me to knit when I was a young girl, but I wasn't really a knitter when I first met my mother-in-law. We never knit together and I regret that. For many reasons, she hasn't knit in years, but was generous enough to pass on some wonderful vintage patterns to me when she stopped knitting. When I knit a baby sweater, it's from the same pattern that Sylvia used to knit sweaters for her children and grandchildren.


Maybe someday I'll have a daughter-in-law that will wear my sweater and grandchildren that I can knit sweaters for with the handed-down patterns, but even if those things never come to pass, Sylvia's knitting legacy still continues, and I thank her.

8 comments:

  1. Knitting is so much more than making stuff with needles and yarn. What a beautiful legacy of love, caring and craft you have. I'm sure there will be littles to wear those sweaters...some day!

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  2. Wow!! I loved this post, I have all the sweaters that my mom knit me and all the baby sweaters that my mom and mother in law knit for the kids, not to mention everything I've knit. I have parted with a few of my early knits and it was good to let go. I took a photo and donated them.

    I think acrylic gets kind of funky over the years but maybe because mine was stored in a cedar chest...

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  3. Those baby sweaters are adorable! They look like they don't have seamed sleeves. Perhaps I could actually get one of those done, in that case (I have a seamed sleeve phobia)!

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  4. That's an amazing sweater - all that colorwork! Thanks for sharing this wonderful story of knitting legacies.

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  5. Love is knit into everything that's made for another. The recipient is always in our thoughts and it makes knitting so personal and a true gift from the heart. Your mil was a dear person and it's wonderful her legacy lives on.

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  6. Oh, how lovely! Everything about this post is simply wonderful!

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  7. What a beautiful legacy, Bonny. I love this post so very much. XO

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  8. Wow! What a beautiful story and I'll bet she hoped when she gave it to you in high school that you would be in her life for a very long time!

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