Pretty much every Sunday I grab Lil' Phoebe and head to my mom and dad's for some lunch and just plain hanging out. Phoebe loves it because she loves going in the car and has an added bonus of visiting my dad's dogs. Today while I was there working on some crochet while waiting for lunchtime, my mom asked, "Have you seen the tablecloth my aunt crocheted?" Have I seen what?!!! Hold up...why haven't I heard about this before! Well, she got it out, and oh boy, I went nuts! I absolutely love crochet, and to get my hands on something a family member made had me so excited!!!
It's condition is pretty close to perfect. I cannot even imagine the time put into this. And I do believe the crochet stitches are actually the smallest I have ever seen.
I asked mom if she had an old spoon or something I could put in the picture so you could get an idea of just how fine the stitches were. "Oh yeah, I have something right here." Then she pulled out this old silver that belonged to my great grandmother. Okay, so by now I am absolutely losing it! How neat is this? I didn't have my camera, so I did the best I could with my phone camera.
I will upload some more pictures to flickr if anyone is interested. I am so thrilled to have something like this in my family.
Here is a picture of the Anderson Family taken in South Dakota about 1910. My mother's Aunt Alma is the oldest daughter, born in 1900. My grandmother is one of the twins, we don't know for sure which is her and which is her sister.
I could go on and on with things I have learned about this family, but it would make this blog post so long...and there is crochet business at hand. I will say before I get to that, that I have a family history of women who crocheted. It is so rare to have a tablecloth handed down in such good condition is so rare and I am so fortunate to actually get a chance to run my fingers over this is a blessing! I imagine it is at least fifty years old. We are really not certain.
This week I have finished a granny square scarf which I am so happy with! I also finished up a Queen Anne's Lace Scarf which has been sitting on hold for a very long time. After relearning the pattern, I made two little cuffs and added some vintage buttons to them.
This one I added a vintage button just for looks. I think it turned out quite pretty.
And it slides onto the wrist. The yarn has just enough stretch that this works perfectly. You can see I just joined it through two of the loops.
Needless to say, I have some beautiful buttons that are just screaming at me to use in more of these. It's like a Lay's potato chip, "You can't just make one!"
Check it out!
I could go on and on with things I have learned about this family, but it would make this blog post so long...and there is crochet business at hand. I will say before I get to that, that I have a family history of women who crocheted. It is so rare to have a tablecloth handed down in such good condition is so rare and I am so fortunate to actually get a chance to run my fingers over this is a blessing! I imagine it is at least fifty years old. We are really not certain.
This week I have finished a granny square scarf which I am so happy with! I also finished up a Queen Anne's Lace Scarf which has been sitting on hold for a very long time. After relearning the pattern, I made two little cuffs and added some vintage buttons to them.
(I had to put my grandmother's cameo on this, because it just looks so Victorian to me!)
If I had to do this again I wouldn't use this yarn. The variance from very fine to bulky was a pain in working this pattern. I continually lost count.
I used some vintage buttons from my button box. Pretty!
I did modify the pattern just a tad on the first motif to get it to look symmetrical.
Needless to say, I have some beautiful buttons that are just screaming at me to use in more of these. It's like a Lay's potato chip, "You can't just make one!"
I hope everyone has a great week!
12 comments:
I've never seen anything like it - it must've taken her years to complete...at least it would take me that long! It's beautiful!
WOW! What a great tablecloth & such a great family heirloom. I have a crochet baby blanket that my Mum made for me which is starting to fall apart (well used) on some areas. So I was thinking of trying to restore/revive it somehow.
What a beautiful family treasure! How lucky all of you are to have it still to enjoy. Lovely!
Oh my! That tablecloth is absolutely amazing. What a treasure!
...and I thought it was an accomplishment to finish a doily... ;-)
The table cloth is gorgeous! It is wonderful it's been passed down through the years.
I also love your bracelets! I agree, more bracelets with vintage buttons are a must!
Wow, the work that went into that tablecloth is AMAZING! How special that it is still in your family and, as a crocheter, you can truly appreciate the workmanship put into it.
The table cloth is gorgeous! I'll have to show you the bedspread that a great aunt of mine made. You're bracelets are beautiful. We need to get together soon.
What a family connection the work of her hands brings even now. It's truly a beautiful work of art. I have pieces crocheted by my grandmother and my great aunt--such a blessing.
Your scarves are very pretty!
Unbelievably beautiful tablecloth! I actually started a round tablecloth a few years back, and got sidetracked. I keep thinking of going back to it, but something always seems to come up....knit a square, Australia flood relief, donations for school auctions, and now my Etsy shop. This has inspired me to pull it out of the WIP box and try to do a few rounds here and there so my mom can finally have it in her living room! Who knows, maybe I will make myself one when I am finished with hers. Thank you for sharing this with us!
WOW! The table cloth is a work of ART! Must have taken years and yearssss. It's definitely a keepsake.
I wanted to also tell you I made a little mention of you on my new post. I wanted to thank you for commenting on my post when I was sick and giving me the link to earthclinic.com <3
The tablecloth is wonderful and wow I love the family picture. It is awesome.
I have to say i have just discovered your blog and i absolutly love it, your crochet designs are truly inspiring, you really know your stuff. And my favourite is the six pointed star scarf on this post, may i ask what wool you used for it, it looks lovely and chunky.
Pixie :)
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