Wool Cones

This row of jewel coloured cones of wool in the cafe of the Dovecot tapestry gallery, brings back happy memories of the old castle with my shelves of wool in all colours of the rainbow which I used for machine knitting Shetland jerseys of varied patterns and designs for my clan and any friends desirous of an ethnic jumper.

It did seem that especially with the children, the pleasure of wearing them was in inverse proportion to their scratchiness.

The art of machine knitting was learned the hard way by me, especially when late at night , with wrists aching, back breaking, the comfort of bed crying out and just a few more rows to do, the whole shebang would suddenly escape the needles and have to be put back on stitch by stitch, the tears of frustration blurring my sight.

Our move from the castle meant that the shelves of wool went to the charity shop and the knitting machine went to Glasgow daughter who has probably passed it on by now. I haven't enquired.

It's more relaxing and much slower in the bus pass years, to hand knit. With the clan dispersed, having long outgrown Mum's itchy jumpers, it's only grandchildren, too young to complain, that are the recipients of my woolly offerings.