Granny Slippers...My granny slippers
are cozy and warm,
They keep my soles
from getting old and worn.
I wear them all day
to put them to the test,
down to the shops
I do not jest.
There been in the wash
and the dryer too,
pulling them out
they look brand new.
How can this be
are they just well made,
Or something quite extraordinary
in a granny sort of way.
What ever it is
I'm one not to quiver,
For these granny slippers
more than deliver...
PDF out soon...The pattern will have a range of sizes...
From kids, women's, and men's...
and of course I will love to give away a free PDF to one my dears...
So leave a comment...
and I would love to hear about what
your favorite granny moment is...
It could be something that you did with your grandma...
Or maybe something that you did that reminded you
of begin a very granny moment...
I would love to hear your thoughts...
So thinking caps on
and this time instead of picking a winner
in one of my granny bowls...
I will be reading all your comments
trying really hard to not get too emotional...well maybe a little...
and let everyone know in a couple of days...
Till then...
Keep up the granny goodness...
Edit:
Entries have now closed...
I will be posting the winner...With hankie in hand...
Very soon...
Thank you my dears
for sharing some very special granny moments with me...
35 comments:
My Gram taught me to crochet when I was very young - don't think I was more than about 8 - and I remember all kinds of yarny goodness all over her house and in my grandparents RV. I have been cleaning house and just pulled out of a drawer a small granny square doll blanket she made for me when I was little. The colors are a bit outdated (just a bit garish now) but it is still going strong. In the same cedar chest was a granny square blanket made in fine yarn by my great(possibly two greats) grandmother and a chair cover in granny squares by my great aunt. I love this tie to so many generations of my family, and know that they are with me in the yarn and hook.
Wow, how glorious! I'll definitely speed up my crochet-learning now!
My favorite Granny-moment isn't one to tug at your heart strings, but it always makes me cackle. Before relating this I must assure you that my gran is lovely and kind, if a bit cheeky at times: "She's a scream!", as she might say.
A lovely male friend of mine was getting married, and I was telling my gran that I was off to his wedding the next day. She said, "Oh. I Rather hoped he might be the one for you." I said, "Well it's too late now, Gran, because he's getting married tomorrow!".
"Yes" she agreed sadly. But after a moment's thought she said,with a note of hope in her voice, "Well...she might die!"
(excuse me...I'm wiping away tears of laughter. Perhaps you have to know my gran to think this is funny, but I just can't help it!)
N.B. I should assure you that she didn't die, not that my gran has any influence over such matters ;)
When I was young, I was rich in grannies. I had three. So it is hard to think of just one granny moment.
All of them were fantastic bakers. Each had their own specialty.
My most granny moments are when I bake.
Cookies: I think of Harriet.
Pies: my granny Midge.
Bread: grandma Alta.
When I was 8, I was dying to have my ears pierced. I had begged my father for a year and he finally relented. There was no one to take me and I thought it was the end of the world. Then my grandma Midge volunteered, she took me to a fancy department store where I suddenly lost my nerve. She then sat herself on the stool and said, "I'm getting mine done." Mind you she was well in her 60s and had never pierced her ears. She smiled through the whole thing and said it was no big deal. Up I went and had it done. I was so inspired by my granny, that she would do this for me. She told me years later that she was terrified and had wanted to yell and cry because it hurt like the dickens but, she couldn't let me see.
In my late teens, I had gone for a visit to see my grandma Alta. I had gone outside to sneak a smoke and a beer and she caught me. I thought she would give me such a tongue lashing. Instead, she took a beer, asked for a smoke and said, "Don't tell grandpa." We then sat in the dark listening to the crickets. We talked a long time...about life I guess. It remains one of the most meaningful conversations I have ever had.
Near the end, my grandmother Harriet "lost her marbles", she forgot who we were, she didn't know where she was and didn't know what year it was. This was interrupted by occasional spells of lucidity. During one of these, I found myself in an incredibly profound conversation with her about dying. She told me she was ready and that she had been lucky in this life. She then asked me to sing to her, "Will you sing me to sleep? I'm going to see my mama soon." I wrapped my arms around her impossibly tiny body, I held her like a babe in my arms (like she once held me). I rocked her gently and sang old lullabies softly until she fell asleep. It was the last lucid moment she would have...a few days later she was gone and I can not tell you how grateful I was to have that moment with her.
Sorry, didn't mean it to be so long.
My Oma was grand, as they all say they are!
But mine was the best, the best ever by far.
She started my addiction, giving me paper for a letter,
Must write some & send some,
The more friends the better.
She did darn, she did sew,
She did hook to you know,
& I now have some samples of her work as a lass,
& must say it is a great treasure that must go behind glass.
An Oma is special but so are all Grandma's,
So some slippers I must make for my own little man's nans.
Great slippers. My Nan made me a pair if pink nylon knitted slippers with a tiny brown flower for decoration...I thought I was a princess in them...she died 40 yrs ago & sadly I grew out of them.
I love your slippers! They are so cute!!!!!!!
Giulia
I only had one Grandmother and she died when I was a little girl of 6. I´m 38 now and it seems so long ago. But I still have all these beautiful and heartwearming pictures of her in my mind...
In the kitchen in front of this old oven making fire with old newspapers and wood to make hot water for tea.
Her softness and the warm and safe feeling when I was sitting on her knees (in the afternoon we used to have a bonbon each and where sitting down cuddling and enjoying the sweetness).
An old wooden stair and both, my Granny and the stairs making funny noises when she climbed them :o)
I can still see the place where she had the box with my toys and that I couldn´t reach them. It was always exciting to stand behind her watching her taking my things down the shelf so I could play with them.
A mobile with ships. I used to try to blow as hard as I could to move it. She always laught about her “little Stormwitch”.
And the sadness when my mother told me one day that my Granny was gone and would never come back... I didn´t understand why she left and why she didn´t say goodbye to me...
Now after all there years I still miss her...
To write this down gives me a smile and an aching heart in one time. But I´m shure Granny, one day we will meet again....
DanielaH
Ohhh Dear I'm sad as I am the last born in my family, My Dad said I was the flaming star in the east... still don't quite know what he meant!!!... but the short of it all is... I had no Grandparents as they had all past by then... but I've made this up for you... not that I can hold a candle to your prose-ness...
Ohh... come on...
Be brave...
get the town talking...
Wear them to the shops...
you will sure be
the Granny slippers walking...
Why not be
your own add..Ver...tising....
I did not have any living grandmothers as I was growing up, but I did have an Aunt that taught me everything there was to know about crocheting. What was so funny was that she said she taught me so I could read the patterns and then tell her what they said. She's gone know but I have her crochet hoos and I have the memories and that's worth a million dollars to me. God Bless you Aunt Norma !!
My grandmother was what I call a "real" granny. She wore a pinny everyday except Sunday when she wore her best dress and beaded neckace. She was a great cook and baked her own bread and cakes. She always made her own jam. The table was always set to perfection every teatime with a lovely tablecloth and there was always a cake stand used. Never was there a thing out of place in her home, ever!! She had eight children.
Not that anyone had heard of it in her day but she was a "domestic goddess".
But one thing that stands out in my memory of her is this saying of hers, "a laugh is as good as a tonic". I always try to remember that!! :) She was great!
Vivienne x
Oh I think I just died and went to Granny Heaven!!! Those slippers are adorable and as they say 'To die for"!!!! Can't wait for the PDF pattern, I will have to be your first customer for them as I just won the pattern for the Granny Cushion :-) Don't count me in the draw.....My favorite Granny moment was having afternoon tea with my Grandma in her house in London every afternoon and both of us jumping up and running to the window to watch the Grand Old Lady herself 'Concorde' fly over on her decent into Heathrow. My Grandma took her dream trip on Concorde when she was 90! I was in Australia at the time so my lucky brother took her on the trip (he sent me souvenirs! Thanks Bro :-) ) My Grandma was over the moon, it was definitely one of the highlights of her life. I miss her with all my heart. Love you Gran xx
PS Good luck choosing the winner, these comments are going to be tough to read without a hankie...
My Nonna is still going strong, shes 90 next year, and still picks up her hook each night, although its getting harder...She made my first born the most amazing Crochet blanket with pearls in it. But now its my turn to make gifts for her, she loves to see that Im making with my hands just like her.
Both of my Nana's were remarkable and talented women and I still miss them. A few years ago I made a granny rug for a family raffle and wrote this poem to go with it...
A Nana's Hug
Back and forth my hook did go
As I visited memories from long ago
With Nana Dans at her dining table
Thinking that I would never be able
To master this peculiar stitch
Or finish a row without a hitch
With patience and love Nana guided me through
Teaching me just what to do
With scraps of wool so bright and bold
The hook and yarn to correctly hold
And slowly but surely to my delight
My skills improved 'til I got it right
Now looking back over time
As I pen this little rhyme
I think of all that Nana taught
So much more than I had sought
'Don't be afraid to try something new'
'Persist at things and see them through'
And the lesson learned I like the best
More important than all the rest
Is that the gift of time is beyond compare
When spent with someone with love to share
And now when I snuggle into a crochet rug
I still feel the warmth of my Nana's hug.
Thank you for a truly lovely blog.
Kim
My grandmother taught me how to make potato soup. She was a nurse, lied about how old she was, and worked well into her 70's in an era when not all that many women chose to work if they did not have to do so.
She also is the one who provided the necessary $100 for my very first trip to New York in 1963. It was a school trip and my parents had told me I could not go because there was not enough money.
My grandmother loved New York and wanted me to have that experience. When I graduated from college in 1967, I moved to New York and have lived here since then. How I thank my grandmother every day!
May I also say how much I do like that granny slipper design of yours? Cheers!
Hello, Michelle!
My latest favorite "Grandma" moment happened just yesterday.
My grandmother passed away a couple of years ago, but my Aunt had made recordings of several conversations with her a few years before she died. She was talking about being pregnant with my mom and her twin brother and just funny memories of moments from long ago.
My sister is here visiting from San Diego, California, and my sisters and I and our mom were all sitting around the dining room table (we each had our matching Grandma's Garden cushions I had made for all of us) and we listened to the tape of our grandmother. It was sad and sweet at the same time. I'm glad we all got to listen to it together. It was one of those special magic moments.
I'd love to make each of them a pair of these Grandma Slippers too. Next time we all get together, we can all wear them and lay on our Grandma's Garden pillows. We'll be all decked out in our Grandma Goodies made with love by me!
Thank you for all of your lovely patterns.
Pam
www.Scottys-Place.blogspot.com
After my Mother's death when I was in first grade, my Grandmother became the most important woman in my life. When my Dad remarried a couple of years later I didn't get to see my Grandmother anymore until I was 17 and then she didn't recognize me right away.(she thought I was my older sister) But the times that I did have with her have been etched in my memory all my life. She always did such special things for me (and the other grandkids when they were at her house) She always made a blackberry cobbler for me when I was there 'cause that was my favorite. I got to spend a couple of Summers with her on the farm and it was a child's most wonderful place. We could go swimming everyday. She would make wonderful meals and can all sorts of vegetables which she would send home with the Aunts and Uncles &families when they came to visit. All done on a woodburning cook stove! She always wore a smock with a large apron over it and on Sunday her best dress when she went to church. She always took me with her when I was there and I got to sit next to her and use a fan( no airconditioning) I got to help my Aunt (who had Down's syndrome) gather eggs every day, go down to the creek and squish my toes in the mud and go fishing with whoever was there that was old enough to take me. I still love to fish to this day and go quite often. LOL I have three granddaughters now and I try to do as much with them as I possibly can. Right now I'm making the oldest a purse/tote. I would love to be able to make us all granny slippers that we would be able to wear together and have a pajama party.
Hugs XX
Barbara
Thanks for all the granny goodness! Sooo much inspiration! It makes me think of my grandmother, who always had a crochet hook and yarn in her hand. She crocheted huge bedspreads and other huge items. But, what I remember most is the neat granny purses and vests and tams she crocheted for all the girls in our family. Each season, there was a new outfit. We thought we really were neat. I still have some of these items. I found a purse she made recently. She crocheted it and then put the bottom of a bleach bottle into the bottom of the purse, in-between the crocheted piece and the lining. Cute and sturdy as well. It has to be at least 40-some-odd-years old. As she started getting older, my grandmother started losing her eyesight to glaucoma, but she still kept crocheting- now baby blankets for all of her grands and great-grands. It is amazing what she could create mostly by feeling where the hook was to go. She is the biggest inspiration I have for creating and for persevering. When I think I can't do something, I remember her and keep going. If she could do it, I can, too. Keep grannying!!!
Well I don't know if I have a granny story as lovely as some of these ones!!!!! Its funny when i consider granny-ness... the thing that pops to mind for me is my mum's mum who died a few years ago. She operated morse code in WWII so she was not one of those baking, apron-wearing, hair-in-a-bun grannys... more practical and would never ever talk about her experiences at war. It wasn't until she died that I RELLY started to "communicate" with her... I think of her and she just fills me up with this beautiful energy... apparently heaven is better than we can even imagine on earth! I have photos of her from when she was my age (29) and do you know what? In my mind now she IS that 29 year old, so when I think of her now I see a friend and contempory, not a granny with a bung hip. And its great!
Love the slippers!!! They're super super cute :)
Both of my grandmothers were wonderful - one taught me to knit, the other to sew and although I lost both of them when I was still a child, the impact they had on me was huge.
I don't have a single favourite memory - just a beautiful infused haze of snapshots - their petticoats made me a princess, pearl earrings and sugared violets, clothes horse tents, the blissful chocolate from the dressing table drawer before bed, newspaper chips on the beach, feather mattresses and crocheted covers cuddling me as I listened to The Famous Five being read, I-won't-tell-mummy-you-didn't-use-soap-to-wash-your-face, baking scones on Sundays, patent leather shoes and blue cigarette smoke, their gentle patience as they taught me new skills...
They were beautiful, wonderful women. (Unlike my son's grandmother who came over today and stole my February Lady Sweater for herself...!)
Beautiful slippers. Beautiful grannies :)
Oh Wowzer Michelle, look what you have started, I utterly truly loved reading all these granny moments as im sure you will too. I didnt have a granny I had a Nana (she said granny made her sound old...bless). I would spend hours tidying her sewing box and she taught me to sew, we spent lovely sunday afternoons sewing little loops on tea towels to hang them on hooks and although she didnt crochet she would always be "mending" with a needle and thread.
Writing this really took me back to sitting on her lap...such joy to remember!
I am determined to make these fabby granny slippers now! Love em!
Best regards
Deborah {Fondantkiss}
My granny taught me to crochet when I was quite young - it was probably the only needlecraft that my mother did not take up until much later.
These slippers remind me of the ones that she used to make for us in every size from new born to adult - though she had a stash of sheepskin and used to make the soles from that and just crochet the top.
I still have some much treasured items that my granny made including a crochet pin cushion that I use daily. Granny is no longer with us but was still crocheting blankets of all shapes and sizes well into her 90's.
Beautiful slippers and just what we need on these cold winter nights.
My grandma (or granny as I liked to call her despite her protests!) died a year ago later this month. My last visit with her was the night before. I just popped in to see her and have a chat. She was suffering from Alzheimer's so the conversation had become more difficult recently because this previously witty, intelligent and independent woman now repeated the same question over and over in an attempt to engage with those around her.
My strategy to make this easier was to take with me some crafts. This time I took my newly learnt skill of crocheting. I was making simple flowers which layered and with the addition of buttons became brooches or hair clips. As I quietly worked, she happily sat and watched me, telling me repeatedly that she had always had trouble learning to crochet, despite her mother's many lessons, instead she had learnt to knit.
Interestingly she pointed out to me the amazingly intricate crocheted piece (like a large doily) which was draped so beautifully over the back of the armchair I was sitting on. The detail was exquisite, it was made from something as fine as sewing cotton. We talked about this for a while, me remarking about the different features and she just nodding (having difficulty keeping up with the simple conversation). She couldn't remember whether her mother made it or someone else, nevertheless it was special to her.
The next morning she did not wake from her sleep and I will be forever grateful that I listened to that little voice which suggested going and visiting with my special Grandma that night even though it was so hard to be with her because of how much it made her illness real.
In the last month I have moved on from my flowers and have finally learnt to crochet granny squares. 5 am almost halfway through my first 'granny' blanket. I have no idea where that crocheted piece is, but I found a pattern at a recent craft show for a modern equivalent (it's meant to be a scarf but mine will be a runner on a side table covered with family photos) which will adorn my home for many years to come and will always remind me of my granny.
(Sorry this is so waffley - it's made me feel quite sad typing it...)
Hi Michelle,
Greetins from Spain, I'm your follfower since I discovered your blog. All your works are beautiful, but I'd really falled in love with this cute slippers, which is one of my favourite itemstics. I'll be waiting for your PDF pattern.
Thanks in advance and kind regards
I commented previously, but I forgot to say that my grandmother was forever crocheting granny slippers for us. I don't know where her patterns got off to- her kids didn't place much value on things like that. My father did get his hands on one crochet hook to give to me. Anyway, thanks for the trip down memory lane!
I am very lucky to say that my Nan is still alive and fairly well,she is 94 and lives alone! Out of a lifetime of happy moments it's hard to pick one out. I would probably pick out sitting on the back doorstep podding peas and eating them raw from the shell, or being given a bit of raw pastry to roll out while she made the jam tarts- standing side by side at the kitchen table.
love Louise x
I really liked reading about the granny stories. I always like hearing about other people's loving grand-parents and family gatherings. My family was and still is way dysfunctional so I don't have any of those major moments from my past. For my son and husband (my son's family isn't one to draw from either). Anyway, I make "granny" moments of our own. I crochet afghans and slippers for anyone that will take them and crochet flowers and birds to hang everywhere in my sewing room. My son says I could have my own yarn and fabric shop, and they both ooh and ahh over all my creations to make me feel good. Sweet huh!
I just love your Granny Slippers!
As many of my friends now on SIBOL. My own Grandmother lived to the fine age of 103 years old. She was remarkable. Right up until the day she passed away she was in brilliant health, living on her own in a bungalow. Cooking her own meals, bathing herself, doing her own light laundry. Knowing everything about the world and politics, history etc., Who wouldn't living until that age.
She never once complained about anything, had her hair permed and set every fortnight right up until she passed away.
She was such a remarkable woman, I was totally devoted to her.
She had a bare brick wall in her lounge and I remember as kids throwing woolly gloves up to the wall in her room and the gloves sticking there. What fun.
She passed away around 15 years ago, but every day she is in my thoughts.
She never crocheted, but she knitted socks and gloves.
This is why I wanted to make Blankets for the Elderly. My Grandmother was a lucky lady to be able to live like she did and enjoy lots of visitors etc., But I realise there are many who aren't so lucky. Often sitting alone in Nursing homes and its to these people our Blankets are aimed at. With the wonderful help of my Friends in Blogland and on Flickr I have now made 11 Blankets and I'm finishing off the last three 'sun' themed ones this week. they are all in Memory of my own wonderful Grandmother.
Great Post and its been nice to share Grandmother memories with friends visiting your blog Michelle.
Hugs Suex
They look so much fun, I have just crochet a little blanket for my grand daughters doll and she loves it.
cheers
Christine
Love your blog
Would love to have your pattern! We are in desperate need of slippers in this household.
I am loving this crochet slippers, They look really comforable, and so very stylish, well done!
What a very nice crochet slippers!!!
I love it!!!!!!!!!! I also would love your pattern! Can you help me?
I like to make one of my own?
Dear Lindevrouw...
You will be able to purchase the pattern for the granny Slippers on my etsy shop.
The link to this is in my side bar...
Sometimes if the pattern is sold it will take a short while for me to re-list...so do hope back and check...
regards Michelle..
I remember cushions in my gradma's kitchen. I didn't understand what it was, just loving them. Then, few months ago I starded learning techniques and doing it by myself. What I really like is to start with all these small pieces, bright coloured and then put them together the way it inspire me... It fills my life (and my house) with colours and light. Just let me add that your slippers are wonderful!
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