a gift of love

When I was a child, my great grandmother taught me to knit. I hardly remember a time when she didn't have knitting needles in her hands (maybe at her 90th birthday party, but I'm not sure). I only remember her knitting one thing - socks. She knit hunting socks for the men and ski socks for the women, who were also lucky enough to get "all purpose" socks as well. My great grandmother died in the mid-1960's, and on Thanksgiving, as I sat knitting socks, my Mom reminisced about Grandma's socks. And then she went to her drawer and brought me a pair:

 These are the finest hand knit socks I have ever seen. The needles can't have been larger than size 0, maybe size 00. I love the pattern, with alternating plain and cabled ribs. But perhaps what makes these socks especially extraordinary - my great grandmother was blind when she made them. You can tell they were made by a human, not a machine - she missed the cable twist in one spot. I look forward to the day when these socks are mine. And I hope one day my knitting skill will rival hers.

Thank you, Grandma, for your gift of love.