As I've mentioned before, he is the person who taught me how to knit. Specifically, it was cast on, knit, and bind off. I was on my own to learn anything else. Other than that, I have NEVER seen me Dad knit. I only know just a tiny bit about his knitting history, from what he told me.
He learned to knit from his father. His grandmother knitted too. He knitted when he was in the army. He talked about sitting in foxholes and knitting socks. He was in the army in the 1950's, between wars. So he never had to kill anyone or be in any real danger. He was stationed in Germany.
After his tour of duty was over, he married Mom and never knitted again until the day he taught me. Then he never knitted again after that. I've tried very hard to get him to go back to it. Even bought him needles and yarn once for Fathers Day. He's not interested, which I think is a real shame because he would be really good at it and he's got a lot of time to do it being retired and all.
Besides, how cool would it be to go visit him and the two of us sit and knit together?. A fantasy that probably will never come true. Oh well. I have told him, many times, thank you for teaching me. Of all the things he's done for me, I appreciate the knitting lessons most of all.
Dad when he was in the army. This pic was taken in 1957 in a Salt mine somewhere in Germany. Daddy is the second fellow from the left on the train.
Live long and prosper. \\//
12 down, 18 to go.
What a touching story. My grandfather taught me to cast on, knit, purl and bind off. I was quite surprised when my grandmother told me my grandfather could teach me to knit when I was 9. We knitted on the same scarves together for a couple years, then he never knit again.
ReplyDeleteHe learned how to knit during WWI as he was too young to enlist, so the army put him to work knitting socks for the soldiers.