Another Link in The Chain

Wow. Its been a good long time since I have posted. I'm not going to beat myself up about that- though I'm sure there is a part of me that may try. I'm here now. I'm absolutely gushing about a comment left on my last post and feeling so very encouraged to keep at this blog for what its worth. :) I'm also back from a very refreshing visit to Arizona for a visit with my Grandparents and for the Tuscon Gem and Mineral Show. Clearly I have a lot to write about.
Since having a baby I have thought about tradition and ancestry so much more than I ever have in my life. Since wanting to change the way I live I have thought so much more about the way things used to be done. My Grandma is in the process of planning a family reunion this year so these subjects came up a lot during our visit. My Grandma is the youngest of her family and she has already lost siblings. Ours is the sort of family (like many these days) that is sprawled out all over the land. We are lucky to come together here and there for special occasions. Basically we do not have very many opportunities for passing down family traditions. And until recently I did not even realize that I cared about that. I now find myself wanting a way of life that looks more like the lives of these women who came before me.
So while we were visiting my Grandma and I made good use of our time together and she showed me my very first knitting pattern. A dish cloth, taught to her by her Mother. This is a precious thing to me that while I wash dishes everyday I will remember our visit. Stitched into this little cloth is the stories she told me, the encouragement she gave me, the homemade noodle soup she made us, the peanut butter cake, and the pitter patter of little Cora marching around the house telling Pepe the dog "No!" It's just a dish cloth. But what a precious dish cloth it is to me. And how wonderful is it that I will never again for as long as I live ever have to buy a dish cloth?! That is a gift that keeps on giving.

Dish Cloth

One skein of cotton yarn -worsted weight
#7 knitting needles

Cast on 4 stitches
Knit 2 rows
Knit 2, yarn over, knit to the end of the row
repeat to 40 stitches

Knit 1, knit 2 together yarn over knit to together knit to the end of the row
repeat to 6 stitches
decrease to 3 stitches
Bind off