Knit one, purl two (continued)

Editor's note: We inadvertently lost the end of Barbara Strate's column last week. It concludes here:

Our need to knit and not have idle hands in the long dark days of winter before television, radio playing constantly, and the home entertainment that we have today, knitting clothes was a matter of necessity for most families.

One might say it was a way of life. In fact, it was quite common for women to knit while on a bus or train and in the dark of a cinema. Once one had memorized the pattern of knit one, purl two and so forth it came easy to watch a film and knit.

Our mother encouraged us to have some item of handwork in the making, be it embroidery, sewing, watercolors, mending or knitting. She was always close at hand during the cold winter evenings to help us or to give us ideas.

With my knowledge of knitting, my ventures in the art increased to knitting three-piece suits consisting of skirt, jumper and jacket.

When the fashion magazine Vogue showed ribbed knit stockings, I made a pair on four steel needles with a fine blend of wool and silk. I didn't like them for myself so Mum wore them on her daily walks to the shops for food supplies.

I made a complete layette for our first baby, a son, and continued to make pullovers for David until I realized that the British mode of dress did not blend with American children's school apparel.

I continued with my productive hobby that brought me pleasure, that friends remarked I could do blindfolded, through the young years of our four children and through to the teenage years of our grandchildren, until manufactured knits in stores became reasonable and more to their liking.

I have no plans to knit anything as grand as a three-piece suit or garments in Fair Isle patterns, that are knitted with three to five colors of yarn in designs of squares, diamonds or flowers.

Instead of idle hands this winter I'll go the easy way and knit small wearable items for gifts, with an array of beautiful, rainbow colored yarns from the Witty Knitters Yarn Boutique.