My mom taught me to knit when I was seven years old. I loved it immediately.
Sometime later, she got out a crochet hook and some yarn, to teach me how to crochet. I was not interested.
The early 1970s rolled around, and Mom picked up a Woman’s Day magazine at the grocery store, as she often did. And there was this hat. This yellow and orange, floppy brimmed, granny square hat.
“Mom, I want to make this,” I said.
You wouldn’t believe it now, but in the early ’70s, Austin, Texas, had a limited selection of yarns. You could find worsted weight Sayelle at the supermarket and K-Mart. By some miracle, we found the yarn the pattern called for, Aunt Lydia’s Rug Yarn, in orange and yellow. Maybe it was at K-Mart or TG&Y. I don’t remember.
Mom showed me how to crochet, and I made the hat.
So why does this come up now?
The Center for Knit and Crochet is running a fundraiser this month of May, which someone has declared “Mystery Month.” When you order a mystery magazine, CKC will send you a 1940s to 1980s knitting or crochet magazine. You can specify knitting, crochet, baby items, or homeware items, and CKC will do their best to honor your choice. Other than that, you won’t know what you’re getting until you open the envelope. That’s the mystery!
I specified “crochet.” A few days later, this 1973 Granny Squares issue of Woman’s Day arrived in the mail. You can probably see where this is going.
The magazine opened into my past, revealing a pink vest I remember wanting to make (never did).
I flipped a few more pages, and there it was. The orange and yellow granny square hat that lured me into learning how to crochet. Thank you, Hat! Thank you, hat designer Susan Fairfield! You changed my life!