Knitting Lines by marge. No. 15 in my series of poems on the theme of LINES.

When I was three years old, my Grandma said   (1941)

“You are three now, you must not be idle”.

First, she taught me how to knit, then sew,

read and write. She made sure I was not idle!

I learned to knit in plain knitting, making

square pot holders, she had the old fashioned

black leaded range that you cooked on,

at the side was an oven to cook dinners.

She was always cleaning it.

I soon was able to follow her, knitting

brightly coloured squares, two or three

were sewn together to make the thick pad

needed so you did not burn your hands

on the hot kettle or panhandles.

Soon after I learned how to do the

stitch called purl, I could knit one line

and pearl one line, I was making my

own bonnets, pixie bonnets with a

pom-pom on the top.

I graduated on to making scarves,

then mittens, she was right, I was never idle!

Before long I was knitting Socks for Soldiers,

very complicated, made on four needles.

                 And so, my life followed on with K1. P1 and counting the lines

….. Clothes for me, for Soldiers and everybody babies.