In 1943, my mother was 20 years old. Excited about her first niece or nephew being born that year, she took a knitting class in college where she made some little outfits. Unfortunately, I don’t have a photo of my mother knitting, so I am sharing one of her sewing.
Have You Heard?
That Doris Graham is so thrilled over the prospects of becoming an aunt in the summer, that she, and not the prospective mama (Merry Vee Graham Elkins) is doing the knitting? Doris took a special course in knitting at Wayne last semester and is incorporating her learnings in an array of the dantiest, laciest tiny garments one could wish for.
Fannie Turner Graham, my grandmother, wrote this on the back of the photograph. Howard was her youngest child. He was born on the same day but 15 years earlier, as her first grandchild, Dee Dee. Howard died when he was only three. You can read about him here -> N – NINETEEN TWENTY EIGHT Howard Graham was born
I think Dee Dee is wearing a little knitted top here. Maybe from her Aunt Doris.
So cool to highlight her becoming an aunt!
Can’t beat having your cousin publishing a newspaper! 🙂
Ohhh how special!!!!
I wish I’d found these little items when my mother and Mary V were alive!
What a lovely photo! Your mother must have been younger than 20 in that photo, surely? So loving of her, to learn to knit so that she could make clothes for her niece or nephew-to-be. And what it must have meant to your grandmother, that her first grandchild was born on the same day as her youngest son, who died so young. You draw out so much from those two photos.
When he heard the news that he was an uncle, my son, then 12, enrolled in a babysitting class in order to learn how to look after his baby nephew safely.
I just looked up the photo again and actually it’s from August 1944, so she was 21. I think that did mean a lot to my grandmother.
I hope your son was able to spend many happy hours babysitting his nephew!
Dee Dee: What a little cutie! And what a great Aunt to be so excited about knitting something for her niece or nephew. What’s really neat about it is how it shows the closeness of family. 🙂
I wonder if she ever knitted any little outfits for me? So far no record of such 🙂
Beautiful photos! It’s interesting that Doris took a course in knitting. I doubt any schools today teach that kind of needlecraft skill. Do they even have classes in “home economics” anymore?
She was in college at the time. I just googled to see if Wayne offered courses in knitting now. They have a non-credit course that meets in the library where you can learn to knit or get help with your own project.
Crochet was mentioned in a fabric arts course offered in the Fine Arts department.
I love the warmth of the sun and her contentment – great photo and memories
Yes. I like the contrast between the sunshine and the shadow.