The Fabric of History Stitches Together (Oh yeah, that was reaching!)

It has been almost 2 years since I lost my grandfather, will be 2 years on April 9th. He was my biggest fan, my own personal cheering section and biggest supporter in shenanigan I got myself into. When I start missing him I tend to get a little maudlin and go searching for traces of him throughout my home. So every year since his passing my nostalgia leads me to go through the plethora of photographs that he took throughout his life. This year I started to notice a theme that I hadn’t noticed before.

On the Left, my great grandmother Sovine (GG).
On the Right, my great grandmother Guthrie (Mom Mom).
Behind: The knitted blanket made for my grandparent’s wedding in 1954.
Picture taken in 1972.

My great grandmother GG was my grandfather’s mother and the knitter in the family, and as it turns out her knitting is peppered all over these photographs. These range over the course of 42 years with over 5,000 total photographs all told and her knitting has become my new version of Where’s Waldo.

In the far right hand corner a blanket that started in West Virginia has traveled through osmosis to California with my Great Uncle Jim and his family.
Taken 1978.

What amazes me is how much interaction there is with her things, especially her blankets. Blankets were always her specialty and they are everywhere! So many of her things are in different states, with different families, snuggling with generations of people and they are all still around today. The appreciation for something not only well made but made with love is evident. Just look how happy my grandma (Mimi) looks after Thanksgiving!

My Mimi fast asleep wrapped in a GG blanket.
Thanksgiving 1984.

I love sharing these photographs, they show without a doubt that no matter what you’ve made or who you made it for, it can last forever. These blankets are still in relatively good condition, but their image in pictures will last forever. We take pictures of the blips in time we want always remember, and even though she and my grandfather are gone, they’ll continue to represent themselves in the pictures we take.

It honors me everyday to be knitting with her needles and creating my own little pieces of history.