My husband still has a sweater I made him while we were dating…and we have been married for 48 years. I also still have a fisherman knit pattern afghan I made us in 1976.
I have the very first knit I ever made, when we were taught knitting in school in Ceylon in 1967. I was nine, and remember going to a department store in Colombo, to select my choice of colours - Royal Blue with pink for contrast stripes at each end. It's slightly moth-eaten, but I'll never throw it away.
What a great question. When I was about 10 yrs old I went on a coach trip to Paton and Baldwins yarn factory in County Durham with my Grandma and the ladies of the local Towns Women's Guild. With my pocket money I bought a ball of Patons Kismet in white from an oddments bin. When I was a sixth former I knitted a small shawl with the yarn…no pattern, made it up as I went along (nothing’s changed much). I wore it so much for years. I found it recently in the loft in a box of goodies, gave it a good wash and it’s back in use. I’m 66 yrs old now and still knitting plus doing other creative textiles. I’ve also got a pair of knee length socks my Mum knit for my Dad to wear in his waders probably in the seventies. She knit them in Harris wool, aran weight. I’ve altered them to fit me and continue to wear them in my wellies. I’ve also got a cardigan my Mum knit for my Dad in aran Harris wool that I inherited years ago because it was too itchy. Again probably knitted in the seventies and still being worn. We used to go camping on the Isle of Harris and Lewis in the early 70’s for the summer.
What a joy to read other peoples lovely stories and memories of knitting.
During late 1984, I learned to knit in Luxembourg while participating in a semester abroad program with Miami University of Ohio. A local woman came to our school on Wednesday evenings for a knitting club. Those of us in the club brought our projects with us when traveling by train on weekends. I made a fair isle style sweater with 3 colors of Icelandic wool, which I still have and wear on rare occasions. It was an incredibly ambitious project and the sweater came out surprisingly nice. I didn’t keep up with my knitting skills and have only made a few scarves and hats since then. I’m starting a sock project this month!
My oldest, and still favorite type of project is a pair of socks. I knit them in 2006 shortly after opening a yarn shop in suburban Houston, Texas. The subtropical climate here means I don't wear my socks year round, but boy do they last. And when there is a hole...I mend them because I love them.
My oldest handknits (still in my possession) are the jumpers I knit at the end of high school - 35 years ago. The oldest hsndknit I still wear is a cardigan I knit in 2013…..
I knitted baby blankets for both of my kids before they were born 12 and 9 years ago, and they still drag them out to snuggle with even now. I remember having to learn so many new skills in those early days of beginning knitting, and yet those blankets are still going strong.
I have an Aran cardigan that I knitted about 46 years ago. I have a photo of me wearing with my oldest son when he was about two (he’s now 42) I re knitted the cuffs a couple of years ago but it’s still going strong. I think it will outlive me!
A cabled sweater that I knitted ~22 years ago when I was restarting knitting after 30 years. Knitted it left-handed, without really a clue about what I was really doing. Turned out well but, unfortunately, living in Hawaii, a thick cable sweater out of non-superwash wool, and having an allergy to most wool, I left it in storage. I still look at it once in a while and still feel itchy. And I wonder how I managed to complete it - knowing what I know now. Kudos to a much younger me.
A sweater that I knitted in 1973. An Aran knit. I can’t wear it anymore - too small. I did try to stretch it- some success. Might try one more time. Can’t bear to part with it.
Mine is a crochet shawl I made in 2018 which I still pull out for winter now. It’s made in Rowan Cashsoft and it is exactly that…soft, soooooo soft. And squishy as it’s a DK. It was my first large make and following a written pattern.
Strictly speaking, it's not a hand-knit, it's a crochet shawl that I made during the summer/fall of 2001. I have a hard time wearing it, because I worked on it while watching the news after 9/11.
My husband still has a sweater I made him while we were dating…and we have been married for 48 years. I also still have a fisherman knit pattern afghan I made us in 1976.
I have the very first knit I ever made, when we were taught knitting in school in Ceylon in 1967. I was nine, and remember going to a department store in Colombo, to select my choice of colours - Royal Blue with pink for contrast stripes at each end. It's slightly moth-eaten, but I'll never throw it away.
You jogged my memory…I made a sweater when I was nine or ten and my granddaughter wore it a couple of years ago. That was 1965!
What a great question. When I was about 10 yrs old I went on a coach trip to Paton and Baldwins yarn factory in County Durham with my Grandma and the ladies of the local Towns Women's Guild. With my pocket money I bought a ball of Patons Kismet in white from an oddments bin. When I was a sixth former I knitted a small shawl with the yarn…no pattern, made it up as I went along (nothing’s changed much). I wore it so much for years. I found it recently in the loft in a box of goodies, gave it a good wash and it’s back in use. I’m 66 yrs old now and still knitting plus doing other creative textiles. I’ve also got a pair of knee length socks my Mum knit for my Dad to wear in his waders probably in the seventies. She knit them in Harris wool, aran weight. I’ve altered them to fit me and continue to wear them in my wellies. I’ve also got a cardigan my Mum knit for my Dad in aran Harris wool that I inherited years ago because it was too itchy. Again probably knitted in the seventies and still being worn. We used to go camping on the Isle of Harris and Lewis in the early 70’s for the summer.
What a joy to read other peoples lovely stories and memories of knitting.
An Icelandic style cardigan I knit for my mother in 1978. She wore it regularly for the rest of her life—and now it keeps me warm
During late 1984, I learned to knit in Luxembourg while participating in a semester abroad program with Miami University of Ohio. A local woman came to our school on Wednesday evenings for a knitting club. Those of us in the club brought our projects with us when traveling by train on weekends. I made a fair isle style sweater with 3 colors of Icelandic wool, which I still have and wear on rare occasions. It was an incredibly ambitious project and the sweater came out surprisingly nice. I didn’t keep up with my knitting skills and have only made a few scarves and hats since then. I’m starting a sock project this month!
My oldest, and still favorite type of project is a pair of socks. I knit them in 2006 shortly after opening a yarn shop in suburban Houston, Texas. The subtropical climate here means I don't wear my socks year round, but boy do they last. And when there is a hole...I mend them because I love them.
Nothing beats handknit socks 🧡 I've never really mastered the art of darning though .
I haven’t mastered it, but as long as my socks are wearable I am happy.
One of my oldest knits still in my possession is an entrelac hat I made about 13 years ago.
My oldest handknits (still in my possession) are the jumpers I knit at the end of high school - 35 years ago. The oldest hsndknit I still wear is a cardigan I knit in 2013…..
I knitted baby blankets for both of my kids before they were born 12 and 9 years ago, and they still drag them out to snuggle with even now. I remember having to learn so many new skills in those early days of beginning knitting, and yet those blankets are still going strong.
I have an Aran cardigan that I knitted about 46 years ago. I have a photo of me wearing with my oldest son when he was about two (he’s now 42) I re knitted the cuffs a couple of years ago but it’s still going strong. I think it will outlive me!
A cabled sweater that I knitted ~22 years ago when I was restarting knitting after 30 years. Knitted it left-handed, without really a clue about what I was really doing. Turned out well but, unfortunately, living in Hawaii, a thick cable sweater out of non-superwash wool, and having an allergy to most wool, I left it in storage. I still look at it once in a while and still feel itchy. And I wonder how I managed to complete it - knowing what I know now. Kudos to a much younger me.
A sweater that I knitted in 1973. An Aran knit. I can’t wear it anymore - too small. I did try to stretch it- some success. Might try one more time. Can’t bear to part with it.
Mine is a crochet shawl I made in 2018 which I still pull out for winter now. It’s made in Rowan Cashsoft and it is exactly that…soft, soooooo soft. And squishy as it’s a DK. It was my first large make and following a written pattern.
I knit a cardigan in about 2002 using Brown Sheep Lamb’s Pride. I wear it frequently every year and it is still in great shape.
Spouse, mother and son each
have socks I knit six years ago that are in heavy, year-round rotation. WYS, Cascade Heritage 150 and Viking of Norway Raggen.
Strictly speaking, it's not a hand-knit, it's a crochet shawl that I made during the summer/fall of 2001. I have a hard time wearing it, because I worked on it while watching the news after 9/11.