Thursday, April 20, 2023

 RHYS BOWEN: From time to time I see old advertisements posted on social media, and of course I save them in my treasure trove of research for my historical novels.  This one caught my eye. Knitted woolen underwear? First, can you imagine how itchy and uncomfortable that felt? And how hard it would be to wash? And second—who would have the time to knit themselves underwear? Can you imagine sitting on the train knitting away at a pair of long pink knickers? Talk about embarrassing.


But this advertisement made me think of two things.

1.         People had more time.  I don’t mean farmers’s wives, settlers on the Prairie. They worked from dawn until dusk. But the average person in England. My ancestors. They had long evenings with no TV. The light was probably too poor to read for long so they knitted or crocheted, their nimble fingers remembering the pattern in semi darkness.

2.         It also made me realize that ordinary people had skills we no longer possess. I learned to knit and crochet in home ec class at school (boys learned woodworking). I can do both, but slowly and cautiously, and not very well. My mother was an absolute whiz: there was never a time when she wasn’t knitting( and usually doing the crossword puzzle as well) as she watched TV, sat beside my father in the car. All of my kids grew up with Grandma’s hand knitted sweaters.

When I was expecting my first child my mother sent me a bag of white yarn and patterns for a baby layette. By the time the child was born I had finished one leg of a pair of leggings.  When I was expecting my third I decided to crochet a blanket. It started wide but I didn’t realize you needed to add a stitch at the end of every row, with the result that it got narrower and narrower until my child would have been wrapped in a triangle.

(of course one thing to consider these days is that it costs a lot more to knit your own sweater with quality yarn than it does to buy one ready made from China.)

 

A woman has to be handy with her needle or her children will run around in rags, my great aunt told me.  How many of us mend and repurpose clothing?  I wouldn’t call myself handy with my needle but I’ve made my share of Halloween costumes, costumes for the school play. When I was young and knew no fear I made myself a long evening gown for the college ball and my friends literally had to sew me into it. Luckily my boyfriend was not the type who would try to rip it off me!

Think of all the other things a housewife had to know how to do: can and bottle fruit and veg for the winter, make her own soap, shampoo and cosmetics as well as cook every meal from scratch. (first slaughter your ox, says the recipe for oxtail soup). I remember the early days of my marriage trying to cook lamb’s heart or sweetbreads. Yuck!

I’m thinking of all the other things we can’t do: shoot an arrow straight. Carve stone for cathedrals. Make exquisite pottery and jewelry using the simplest tools…

We are a generation of wimps, aren’t we?  We expect life to be easy. But now I think about it, we do have skills my grandmother would never have dreamed of. I can type as fast as I can think. I can change lanes doing seventy miles an hour on the freeway without worrying that I’ll hit another car. I can turn on my computer and give an interview with someone in Australia AND I can plan my trip around the world, knowing how to book hotels, hail taxis order meals in various countries. My granddaughter can write a program that makes a little man dance across her screen.  I can even use the remote for my TV—what an achievement!

So I guess we’re not so shabby after all.

57 comments:

  1. Definitely food for thought, Rhys.
    I can knit, crochet, embroider, and sew, but I do none of it with any sort of regularity. I know how to can fruits and vegetables [though I don’t do this regularly, either]; I can make soup, and cook, but I have no idea about making soap or shampoo. I can also type, use a computer, drive, use my smart phone to get driving directions . . . I guess that, somehow or other, it all balances out in the end but it does make you stop and consider how the things we do [and the expectations for things we should be able to do] have changed . . . .

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  2. Thanks for this article because it does make you think of life back there and now with our conveniences that they paved the way for.

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  3. I can't knit, but I can quilt. Or I could, back when my eyes were good enough to see those tiny hand-quilting stitches. I can build a fire and cook over it thanks to my husband's love of primitive camping (when we were younger and our backs could tolerate it). I have canned food from our garden. Again, in the past. Now I plant a smaller garden! I feel like I've proved myself and now am quite content being a modern-day wimp.

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  4. Sometimes I think about what life was like for our ancestors. I am so grateful for modern appliances. Indoor plumbing. Yes!
    Imagine life without a washer (or the laundromat down the street.) I look around and marvel.

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    1. It took all week. Monday wash Tuesday dry. Wednesday iron etc. Thank God for machines. Rhys

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  5. Right you are, Rhys. Like Annette, I know how to make a fire and cook over it outdoors, how to grow food and preserve it in various ways, and how to sew and quilt. I do mend and hem and patch clothing. I've never been very good at knitting, and these days my hands cramp up, so I gave away all the needles and yarn to my daughter-in-law. Making soap, plucking chickens? Nope.

    I think the modern conveniences, not to mention advances in medicine, are most important for the over-seventy crowd. All that hard physical work is a lot harder now. No wonder people died younger!

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  6. Fortunately, we do not have to do the basic chores that our pioneers had to do. But I do like to cook from scratch, grow veggies & herbs in my balcony garden. No knitting or crocheting or sewing. But I am a demon at the computer keyboard.

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    1. Grace, I can’t picture you as a demon! Rhys

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  7. Well, I have skills, but some of them are rusty as a creaky old fence. My least favorite, very mean aunt taught me to knit, and crochet, and I detested it with a passion. It's tedious to me, although I so admire friends who can not only knit beautifully, but they do it so fast they can provide whole wardrobes to babies while they can still wear them. A true marvel!

    The thing about knitted woolen underwear, Rhys, it was made on fine needles and with superfine yarn. (Really high quality wool is not nearly as itchy.) Which takes FOREVER to knit, and I'm afraid I'd be shivering blue all the time, if I had to provide my own.

    If ever there's an apocalypse, we have a deal with a younger couple that they can come live on the farm with us. She is Finnish, and knits like a demon, plus can do a lot of other crafty things, and her resourceful Canadian husband is a survivalist, and an excellent cook. Between us, we figure we have enough shared skills to stay alive. I hope we never have to test this out, by the way.

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    1. I know you have impressive skills, Karen ! That bag you made was fabulous. Rhys

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  8. I have plucked a chicken and vowed I would never do it again. And I know how to milk a cow, have grown and frozen my own veggies, made jams and jellies, sewn my own clothing (nowadays the cost of a pattern alone is enough to make me stop), quilt, knit and crochet (as long as it's a scarf I'm making). I also know how to keep a house clean (I've come across so many moms that do it all because kids have homework and way too many afterschool activities). I can also create and manipulate Excel spreadsheets and construct databases, tell you what kind of bone that was you found in the forest (hopefully not human), drive across country if I want (without a GPS), etc. Am so thankful for washers and dryers, fridges, indoor plumbing. Would like to add swimming and driving a stickshift to my skills' repertoire.

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    1. But clearly I've been outfoxed by blogger, you imp! Anonymous above = Flora.

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    2. Flora, my hubby and I were just talking about the ability to drive a stick shift last night and wondering if that was a lost skill. We both can, and I can even shift left-handed in UK.

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    3. I fight the same battle with Blogger. I can’t stop being anonymous on my phone! Rhys

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  9. Writing in and reading cursive is turning into a lost skill. Five or so years ago, I took a bourbon history course. The historian presenting the course mentioned how challenging it was, even then, to find history interns who could read cursive, especially older cursive, so they could transcribe old mash bills (bourbon recipes.)

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    1. One of my soapboxes, Rhonda. Everyone should be able to read AND write cursive. I started teaching my granddaughter when she was four. She's seven now and loves practicing her letters.

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  10. Your tale of your mom's knitting reminded me so much of my Auntie Mo in Leeds. She would sit on the settee with her knitting needles flashing rapidly, while at the same time working on the crossword puzzle (for US-ers, British crosswords are hard!), watching TV and smoking.

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    1. Totally agree that British crosswords are VERY tough! That’s probably why the government looked for women who did crossword puzzles to work at Bletchley...Emily Dame

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    2. That sounds just like my mum! Rhys

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  11. My grandmother could knit and crochet, and taught me to do both. I learned to sew clothing in a theatrical costume shop. Most of the nice clothing I wore in college (as opposed to jeans and t-shirts) I made for myself. That left me with lots of scraps, so I learned to quilt as well, and still love doing that when I have the time to plan a project. I can cook from recipes, and I'm getting better at making meals from a handful of random ingredients without the recipe, too.

    Are these skills valuable? Oh, probably. But in that imagined apocalypse we all assume we can survive by using them, do we ever think about taking those skills all the way back to the source? Sure, I can knit, but can I raise and shear sheep? Card and spin wool? Nope. I'd freeze to death naked. I can garden in a genteel way, but plowing acreage to plant a crop large enough to last the winter? Nope. And where would I get the seeds?

    I think, maybe, the hobbies of sewing, gardening, and cooking are marginally more useful than playing Pokemon Go, but maybe not. Maybe navigating my way around the city while chasing digitally ephemeral beasties is the survival skill of the future.

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    1. My Finnish friend says she can card and spin wool. And both our husbands can fish and hunt, and clean and butcher their catches. I can sew anything that needs sewing. I've made hunting blind covers, log carriers, mens' suits, wedding gowns, underwear and swimsuits--you name it. And I probably have the fabric to make almost anything with.

      Come join us, Gigi. You can entertain us!

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    2. Karen and Gigi, I appreciate the community you are building. All you need is an author to tell stories by the firelight when your snuggling under your woolen blankets to keep warm when the gas and electricity are off and oil deliveries sound like science fiction.

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    3. Autocorrect! "you are snuggling"
      Gee!

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    4. Now we are making a plan to come to Ohio! My husband is not a hunter but is very handy at pretty much anything else!

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    5. The farm is in Northern Kentucky, Debs. How are his carpentry skills?

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    6. Great on wiring and plumbing and fixing, not so good on carpentry...

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    7. Perfect! You're in. We have a fireplace, too, and loads of woods around for firewood.

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    8. Oh, and Debs, you'd be great at driving the tractor!

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  12. I have quite a few of these "old fashioned" skills that I don't use anymore. And I can't say that I miss them. I'm very smug about learning to drive "stick" when I was pregnant years ago and all my vehicles have been manual transmission since. What would our ancestors think about women driving big machines around on our streets and highways? Horror and envy?

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    1. I drove a huge station wagon when I was pregnant— stick shift! Non power steering

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  13. I did learn archery in school and could hit that large target but an absolute bullseye was rare. I still crochet but not had often I used to and mostly flat items. I find cooking for one is boring but I can cook over a fire if necessary. I did learn many of the things my grandmothers would have done through out a day but thankfully, rarely have to do.

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  14. Anyone who knows what remote is used for which box and how to make them work is a technical genius in my book, Rhys!

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    1. Yeah. I can't watch a movie if Hugh isn't home...

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  15. I have three remotes to watch streaming services and I know how to work all of them. And I learned how to drive on a stick shift. I can paint walls and woodwork, refinish furniture, and bake a cake from scratch. I never learned how to wallpaper and have no intention of learning now.

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  16. Well, I can cook, and I’m learning to crochet. If necessary, I can grow tomatoes on my deck. I could probably figure out how to grow other items if I had to.

    Sometimes I like to imagine what my great-great-great-grandparents would think to see their descendants driving cars, and even doing it cross-country! What would they think about air travel?

    DebRo

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  17. Well, I can cook, though I am always learning. My maternal grandmother was born into a wealthy family, yet she knew how to knit. She knitted a beautiful baby blanket for me before I was born and I still have it.

    Though my Mom cannot sew clothes from a pattern, she still knows how to mend clothes. She has a sewing box and we would take out a needle and thread. I learned to mend holes in clothes when I was a kid. I still remember how to do that. I learned to crochet when I was seven years old because I wanted to.

    When I was at University, one of my housemates was a knitter and she patiently taught me how to knit. And I can knit the basic scarf. I think it takes practice. I have a knitting book from Norway.

    Wow, Rhys! Changing lanes at 70 mph! I am a very slow driver. I get car sick if I drive above the speed limit on streets.

    Computers and smartphones are my jam. I think my hearing loss prompted me to maximize my tech knowledge because the technology helps with my communication needs. And my Mom is adept at using smartphones because of me.

    We all have different skills. In the old days, I used to iron shirts. These days you can buy shirts that do not need to be ironed. I remember making preserves and jams from scratch. It was when we had a garden.

    Great post today!

    Diana

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    1. I drive between CA and AZ so it’s 70 all the way! And ironing is one skill I sadly lack, Diana. Rhys

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  18. What a fun post, Rhys. I can't knit or crochet. Or sew, other than mending and replacing buttons. My grandmother tried to teach me but I was a total failure. My mother, however, always had a mending box and something to work on. I can't ever remember her sitting down to watch TV without her sewing box.

    We need Sarah Stewart Taylor for our survivalist commune in Ohio--she knows how to raise and shear sheep!

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    1. Debs, I've never loved you more, now that I know you don't knit or crochet, and you only sew for mending. Oh, I'll volunteer to work with the goats in our survivalist commune. My typing skills may not be useful. I can bake and cook some good stuff though.

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  19. I can hem pants or a skirt, darn socks (not very elegantly but functionally), knit a scarf (but not socks), grow plants, and cook. I guess all of us can hammer a nail and put up a picture. And I once made raspberry jam that tasted good and managed to achieve a jamlike consistency. But I think that's about it for me. I would love to be able to make beautiful clothes the way so many of my Swiss women friends do, most of them younger than I am. One of my close friends even made herself a beautiful wool coat. I'd be terrified to cut into the wool, pattern or not pattern!

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    1. I can do basics like hemming, Kim, and when I lived in Germany I was impressed with everyone’s skills, including making clothes. Because it was expensive to buy them there! Rhys

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  20. I can do some of the same things listed by others above, but not all. What I think about is if, God forbid, there’s a situation where we had to start from scratch with no electricity, etc. I can operate three remotes to get my streaming services, but can I build a television? I can still remember how to drive a stick shift, but do I know how a car works, let alone how to make one? So let’s all get along in peace and harmony, reading our books with electricity, and do our best to avoid any mutual destruction situations, okay? 😊 —Pat S.

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  21. I always groan when the conversation turns to sewing or knitting or crocheting. I do not do these things and I refuse to feel bad about it anymore. I am happy for those who enjoy doing one or all of them, but I don't. I'd much rather talk about the old magazines with the fashions of the time. I have two or three magazines from the 1930s which are fascinating, with their fashions and ads. The format is a large sturdy cover one. And, I love seeing advertisements from when I was growing up, too.

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    1. I have magazines and self help books from that period, Kathy. They are fascinating. Also interesting that some fashions look so modern! Rhys

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  22. Rhys in Hawaii: I’m impressed with this group. Everyone has skills. When the apocalypse comes we’ll all retreat to the Jungle Reds commune and live happily!

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  23. I thought my mother was quite exceptional - she could play music by ear and read music, she was fluent in French, was a brilliant seamstress who could design her own clothing patterns, made beautiful formal drapes, reupholstered our furniture, was a great cook (as in pretty much everything from scratch), was a skilled artist, did beautiful floral arrangements, and on and on... Her generation had many of these same skills, which is why they were called the great generation (born in the late teens & early 20's). Of course none of us kids got any of her talents. Maybe it will skip to the grandkids. Fingers crossed!

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    1. I have one granddaughter who likes to cook and make things. And my grandson’s girlfriend makes clothes. So there is hope! Rhys

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  24. I am in awe of all the various talents onboard here... Chicken plucking! Cow milking! I did make my own maternity clothes and some rompers for my firstborn. But I wish I could arrange flowers and bake bread. Too late to learn a new language, I'm afraid. I'm looking forward to discovering what my grandchildren can do - right now they make fairly intricate 3D structures using construction paper and tape. Virtual cities. They didn't get that from me.

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    1. Hallie, I detest the whole idea of kneading, but I have two recipes for foolproof, no-knead bread. One is an artisan round loaf, very versatile, and the other makes four loaves of delicious and not rock-hard whole wheat bread. Let me know if you want recipes. Neither takes more than about six to eight hours.

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  25. Hallie, I'm learning to bake bread! I've done a tasty pizza crust, but my foccacia definitely needs more tries. I'm working my way up to a loaf of bread ;-)

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    1. Darn you, blogger! Flora again.

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  26. Yup, I cannot watch streaming TV unless Jonathan is home. WHY?? But I can arrange flowers, and love to, and cook from no recipe. I DO have a sewing basket, I think ti was my mom's, and I always feel so virtuous when I sew on a button or something. ANd I can fix Jonathan's computer problems, which always make me feel so au courant. (My own, not so much.) Plus, hey, we can write books! Left-handed stick, Debs, VERY impressive! (and yes I can drive a stick) And Rhys, you are endlessly hilarious.

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  27. So funny! Having spent time on my great-grandparents farm as a child, I've been cross-trained with some pretty throw-back skills - It's more the modern stuff that trips me up. Tech, not so much- when it doubt turn it off, count to 100 and hope for the best! Left-handed stick, yes, but at a price! I did fine as long as the traffic was light and I had lots of time to remember. The first quick stop I had to make, I opened the door and danged near fell out before I recovered.

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  28. I think every generation loses and gains skills. My mother was great for crocheting, although not knitting. I used to be able to crochet a granny square, but I doubt I could do that much these days. My mother could make clothes, me not so much. But I'm a better cook and I do know how to make jams and can, although we don't do it these days.

    My daughter loves shopping for second-hand clothing, though.

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  29. I've been really enjoying this post and the comments! For those of you who read the NYTimes, Charles Blow's column today seems like a perfect companion piece, about the importance of beauty and design in his life, which he learned from his family while growing up extremely poor in the South. His mother made their clothes, too. I can knit and crochet and generally have a sock project on the go, cook and bake, garden, and drive a stick shift. I tend to fall down on the housework and the only tv remote I can use is my own. -Melanie

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