It's okay to rip flowers outand to set fire to vines,to pluck petals off withoutcounting to love me ... [+]
Alex Grehy is a listener in a world of stories; her vivid prose and thought-provoking poetry engages the emotions and shines a compassionate light on untold tales. "Knitting for Leo" was originally published in Mum Life Stories, June 2020. It is now a part of Short Édition's series, The Current.
Originally published in Mum Life Stories, June 2020
My mother taught me to knit.Back then, knitting was a necessity, not some artisan craft like it is today. She would get patterns from women's magazines and cheap wool from the market. She knitted my clothes—sweaters, cardigans, even skirts. I was the eldest. As soon as I could hold a pair of needles, I was knitting bootees for my baby brother and sister.I got married in 1969, when you could buy wool in every colour that you could imagine. I was eighteen, but I already knew how to keep a house. Calum worked long hours, keen to get on in his career and be a good provider. I had a part-time job i