Woolen garments are among the most cherished items in our wardrobes. It is because they last. Wool’s fiber structure makes it elastic, strong, durable, and impervious to odors and stains. However, it’s also emotional as well: wool is a comfortable material because it helps keep us warm.
A woolen piece that has been passed down through the generations can be worth more, in particular, if it’s been made with care and treasured by many relatives as it’s passed through the ages.
In the final episode of a mini-series about fiber crafters’ most cherished projects, three artists discuss the stories of hand-made pieces that were loved and worn over the years by generations of people.
You don’t see knits like that anymore.’
“This is a ‘pineapple’ pattern knitted vest made by my maternal grandmother for my mum in the early 2000s,” says Rose Marie Pengelly. “I discovered it in my mum’s wardrobe when I went home to Malaysia to visit last year, and instantly needed to have it.”
Pengelly was born in Malaysia. However, her grandmother resided in Perth. When family members would visit her at the time of the holidays, her mother would celebrate the occasion by gifting them a present of something she made or crocheted.
The brand strategist from Sydney and marketer claims her grandmother had the amazing ability to duplicate every pattern. “She was illiterate, but she could read patterns like no one can,” she explains.
In between cooking and cleaning, her grandmother was knitting while she watched soap opera Days of Our Lives. “The series ran for 57 years, so you can only imagine how many incredible pieces she’s knitted and crocheted!”
“She never took her eyes off the TV while she knitted, the memory of it makes me giggle.”
Pengelly describes the vest as being”an “original vintage Teresa Ee creation” she wears only sparingly in order to keep it in good condition. “Every time I wear it, I receive comments. There aren’t many of the kind of knits I’m wearing anymore. They’re exclusive.” In the end, she’ll transfer the vest to her sons, whom she hopes will wear it as well.
“I am in love with the way clothes store memories. I love the fact that we can be able to tell the story of our family’s history by sharing treasured items … Recently, someone asked me if I had an interest in knitting, and I was shocked that I didn’t have a hobby. I’ve thought about knitting ever since.”
“My niece has taken over the closet of her mom’s
Anna Castles’ mum used to knit clothing for her and her children, which included knitted gorgeous jumpers and cardigans. In the last few years, Castles and her nieces, aged 18 and 21, have begun wearing their grandmother’s knitwear and often wearing it in conjunction with other clothing that she has in her wardrobe.
Castles, a Melbourne architect, reveals that her mother wore vibrantly colored jumpers every day. “I love that she had ‘fancy’ jumpers, in particular a mohair one [my niece] Alex wears that my mum wore with a full grey leather skirt when going out somewhere nice.”
“I do not feel like she passed them down to us, but Alex has raided her closet and wears them all.”
When Castles’s sister, Georgina, was about 14, she also tried her hand at knitting the jumper with the help of their mother. Alex is wearing it as well. “Mum helped select a pattern that was manageable and allowed [Georgina] to work through it and make mistakes, guiding rather than teaching,” she says.
Castles’ mother knit cardigans and jumpers for her daughters when they were little. “They were absolutely treasured,” she recalls. After the girls outgrew them, they were “passed to a different person we knew would love the same way. I think this could be the case with the gorgeous knits Alex is wearing now.
“Every winter, I think about how I adore the color.’
The purple sweater was created for Guardian Australia community team member Viv Smythe by her mother in the mid-80s. She doesn’t have the specifics; however, she thinks it was when she left home to go to university. It could be a birthday gift to match her sweater.
“Having had it in my life for decades, there’s a time every winter where I remember how comfortably warm and light it is and how much I love the colour,” she says.
The mother of Smythe’s knitted clothes for her as well as her kids “to measure” as presents for friends and family. Smythe says that it kept her mother engaged in the evenings or during social events even when she was not the hostess.
“She had different bags for different projects, and the smaller bag was for taking on visits to family and friends – often crochet projects or babywear, to keep it small.”
Smythe hopes she’ll be able to give the knits and precious souvenirs on to. “Sadly, certain members of my family members have sensitivities, which means that wool irritates the fabric, and the fashion for children seems to have shifted away from knitted jumpers made by hand. But I’m hoping they’ll eventually find a suitable home.”