Wool in my soup

I am a 67 year-old grandmother living on Vancouver Island. I have crocheted, cross-stitched and rug hooked, but I always had yarn on needles. Recently knitting has become my primary hobby!

Name:
Location: Canada

Friday, February 02, 2007

Celebrate With Silk!




When I saw this Debbie Bliss Pure Silk for $8.00 (regularly $14.99) I took a little skein in a shade of cream and I had a project in mind. If I have lived for ten years, then I deserve pure silk 'tit bits'! They knit up so beautifully and are so soft. No one but me can see them, well my DH, but I know they are there and that makes me feel great. I know, you are probably thinking 10 years - why all this celebration. If you know of anyone who has had cancer, ask them what they feel about surviving 10 years! Celebrate every day with them. I will also add these to the Debbie Bliss KAL I joined! Probably I will be the only one who knit tit bits, but that is fine - no need to knit them if you don't need them, but if you do - pure silk - divine!

Oh yes, the little skein is resting on a 'flower' rock and it looks so different in colour than the actual picture of the knitted goods. If you look closely, you can see the 'flowers' that, on this rock, look like asters! I pick them up when I have been beach combing.

Cornflower, who is a faithful visitor to my blog, asked what my laundry room looked like after yesterday's showing of my little scrub board. Here are a few photos!


This is a photo of me at about age 2 sitting on the ground with my dog "Trix". My Mom would have made the hat, coat and leggings I am wearing. The laundry in the background is probably made up of my diapers and some sheets! One thing my Mom was very particular about was hanging things in order of length - first all the rectangular pieces and then the odd shaped pieces - you know shirts, pants, etc. She also prided herself in getting her laundry on the line before 9:00 am and all of it was done with a ringer washer and a rinsing tub - which had 'blueing' in the water to make sure the whites stayed white! You can see an image of me on the glass of the photo!



This rather faded photo is of me at about age six. I would be a knitter by now, although doll scarves were my limit. I am hanging out my doll clothes to dry. I would probably have 'washed' them in a little tub and scrub board I had and then pegged them on the line. I loved that little sunsuit I am wearing. I had a few of these and I can remember they were lovely and cool on a hot summer's day.

I was a little girl with lots of dolls, a doll carriage, high chair, cradle, and clothes for my dolls. I was the first little girl born after four boys, and my Mom was the best! I loved playing with dolls and I think she enjoyed making things for the dolls, both through sewing and knitting. I also remember getting an old cardboard box, drawing windows and doors on the side and Mom or Dad would cut out the windows and then partially cut the door, so it folded on a 'hinge' Mom would give me fabric, wall paper and buttons. I remember playing for hours - making curtains, pasting wall paper on the inside of the box, using heavy fabric for rugs, using buttons for door knobs, etc. I did not think I was building memories (or would be glad to have something to put in my blog) but I have such lovely memories of my early childhood! Now more photos of the laundry room!



This is the display over my sorting counter. I have collected sock stretchers for a bit, and the pair in the corner are for a child's pair of stockings! Sorry for the quality of the photo!


More Stretchers! The pair in the middle would most likely have been for the type of knee socks that my Mom made for my brothers to wear. All pure wool and all hand washed and then stretched over this type of stretcher to dry!


After I took the photos yesterday, I remembered the box of "Sunlight" Soap, so I put it on top of the scrub board!




Because it is too small to read, I will copy what it says on the bottom corners of the "Sunlight" box!

"$5,000 Reward will be paid to any person who can probe that this Soap, manufactured by Lever Brothers Limited, Toronto, contains any harmful adulterant whatsoever."

"This fine, all-pure soap gets the clothes naturally whiter, naturally brithers, and naturally sweeter smelling. Use pure, gentle SUNLIGHT for all washing and cleaning."

Perhaps another day I will take a photo of the back of the box, as it has children playing and a comment on cleaning those 'extra dirty parts'. I will also get a photo of the actual soap!

$5,000 would have been a princely sum in those times - I am think this box is at least 60 to 70 years old!!

Now for the finishing touch to the laundry room. My 'washday' mat. It was designed by a gal in Nova Scotia and she is getting famous for her work. Her name is Deanne Fitzpatrick and her website is here. I was lucky enough to take a rug hooking course from Deanne a few years ago. She is originally from Newfoundland and would give you the shirt off her back - especially if it was the exact colour you needed in your mat!

6 Comments:

Blogger Cornflower said...

Peg, this is fantastic! This is just how I thought it would be from the way you mentioned it yesterday. It's no workaday laundry room but a super place in which to do those chores with lovely decorations and reminders all around. You've inspired me to think differently about my laundry now - thankyou!

1:23 PM  
Blogger Cornflower said...

P.S. I'll raise a glass to you in your tenth anniversary celebrations, too, and look forward to the twentieth.

1:26 PM  
Blogger Jan said...

What a neat post! Congrats on your 10 years. That is a big deal I know. Neat pictures too. I bet it almost makes it worth doing laundry.

6:06 AM  
Blogger Marianne said...

I also meant to say.....that's a beautiful rock (You know how I love those rocks...)

12:51 PM  
Blogger Rositta said...

Congratulations on your 10th, many, many more...I had no idea what tit bit are but now I do. Absolutely love that silk, I wish I could get it at that price here...ciao

2:17 PM  
Blogger picperfic said...

hello there...I am loving your blog and may I congratulate you on your 10th anniversary and your silky boobs!
Marianne UK

11:21 AM  

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