Way off topic

Carl Gustaf (Gösta) Asplund, 1904-1997
Originally uploaded by Asplund

but I love this photo of my dear grandfather in the 1920s. I wish I knew what the occasion was!

Signe Asplund (1875-1961)

A word of warning: this post isn’t about knitting. However, Asplund stitches too sometimes, so I thought I’d post it anyway. Always living on the edge!*

Gustaf & Signe Asplund with their four sons ca 1915. My grandfather to the far left.

A couple of days ago my aunt Lenore handed me a small collection of newspaper clippings dating from the 30s and 40s, which had been in one of her cupboards hiding among a lot of other family papers. They were all about shows and exhibitions that my great-grandmother Signe Asplund took part in. She passed away before I was born, but even though I never met her she has always been part of my life, especially her artistic legacy. In my grandparents’ house there were quite a few things that not only were hers but that she had made, for example silk embroidery and water-colour pictures and some relief-patterned rugs that she had designed. She wasn’t a famous artist, but she seems to have been admired and fairly well known in her field.

Some five years ago I came across some of Signe's original designs on graph paper – to me it was like discovering a chest on Treasure Island! – and used two of them for some cross-stitching, both of them “lion and dove” designs which you can see in this post. I have never seen the rugs, except some black and white photos and therefore had no idea what colours she had used. Imagine my surprise today reading that this rug actually was grey with a green background! I love the sense of humour she expresses in this design – just look at the lion's face! – and how the dove is placed.

A rug featuring the other lion, “Fredsduvan” (the peace dove), was part of the exhibition Nyttokonst 1937 at Nationalmuseum in Stockholm. My favourite thing about this design is the clever way it makes a rectangular shape. Both designs were made in a few copies, and a couple of those rugs were shipped to their new owner in America.

Another one, “Gryning” (dawn), was sent to a church in New York, but unfortunately it doesn’t say which one. Even if I go to New York some day (which I'd love to) I don’t think I could manage going rug hunting in all the churches there even though I would get to see a lot of interesting things… But what a road movie it could make!

*And I mean always. My mother says the most daring thing I would do as a toddler was to sit down on a threshold and go sliding from there.

Anna-Stina

Anna-Stina (ca 1940)
Originally uploaded by Asplund

Here is a photo of my grandmother Anna Maria Kristina (1920-1990) who taught me how to knit and crochet when I was around five years old. She was incredibly productive and creative. If we had lived closer to each other (and I hadn't become obsessed with knitting) I'm sure I would have learnt to sew and weave too, to name just a couple of her other skills. Needless to say, there's no reason to doubt she has knitted the sweater she's wearing in the picture.

I don't think I could ever knit anything without sending her some thoughts - it comes naturally. Of course, I think about her at other times too, but it's nice and somehow comforting to have this special bond with her still.

And today I have so many new knitter friends! Thank you all for kind & flattering words about my knitting and for encouraging comments on my new blog adventure! How could I not have my grandmother part of this new aspect of my knitting, which really is thanks to her?

I'd like to end this post with something she once pointed out to me (which her mother had told her) and that I keep in mind whenever I have to rip out a lot of work or think progress is too slow: No one can tell how long it took you to make something. People will only see how it turned out. Good advice from a good grandmother.

Edited to add: I later discovered it actually works the other way around too! You see, some projects look more complicated than they really are and didn't take nearly as long to make as it might seem.