Delayed Gratification

I am looking forwards to yet another knitting related ebay purchase. I bought some stitch markers last night, and a row counter for chunkier needles. I also bought some coloured needles, but that person wants a cheque so I’ll have to wait a bit longer for that one. I wonder whether my wool-mix yarn or my big bag o’ yarn will have turned up yet. I’m already taking over the lounge with the knitting paraphernalia!
I was talking to my Mum on the phone last night and she was a little sad that she didn’t know where her Mum’s (my Nanna’s) knitting things had gone. Mum had bought her a lovely set of needles in a red leather case. It was really pretty – I remember liking to look at it!
My Nanna used to knit quite a lot. Mum used to knit too – I remember Mum knitting me a skirt and top set for my tiny tears doll, but I wasn’t much of a dolly person and so I dressed my favourite bear in them most of the time. They were blue. I seem to recall that I had a cardigan the same colour, so it was probably leftovers. I remember being taught to knit with plastic needles – I think that they were yellow. I always pulled it far too tight! I remember sitting with my Nanna, watching TV, and she would be knitting. She knitted mittens for herself because traditional bought mittens or gloves didn’t fit. She could knit and smoke at the same time too. Not something most knitters would condone now as we know both that smoking is bad for you and that it makes the yarn smell.
I feel that knitting is in some ways a tribute to my Nanna, but it is much more a tribute to my Mum’s patience teaching me all those years ago, and then again this January just gone. She’s even offered to let me knit something for her! I’m hoping that my next issue of Simply Knitting has some nice spring/summer patterns in that I can knit in cotton mixes for our holiday. That would be nice.