Cindy Heineman
"My Grandmothers Got Me
Started!"
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| (Photos by Patrick Fraser) |
I was lucky enough to have a mother and two grandmothers who were knitters. My grandmother Hawley knit me a new skating outfit every year. She was probably responsible for my love of wool, as she taught me how to use the spool knitter to make a rug for my doll of green variegated yarn. My Grandma Mac was an amazing knitter and embroiderer who taught me how to make a mink pocket for my hamster!
My mom cast on stitches for my best friend and me for the first sweaters we knit. We raced to see who would finish first. After that I went on to make a lace afghan of mohair for my mother. I had no idea I was tackling something difficult.
So, I guess my hat was destined to be made of wool. After several starts of knitting, lacemaking, metalworking, and wet felting, I settled on needlefelting for my hat. I really wanted to make a hat I could wear. Though not outrageous, or wild, I think my grandmothers would have liked it.