3KCBWDAY3: Your Knitting or Crochet Hero

This blog post is part of the 3rd Annual Knitting and Crochet Blog Week:

Introduction to the topic:

Your Knitting or Crochet Hero: Blog about someone in the fibre crafts who truly inspires you. There are not too many guidelines for this, it's really about introducing your readers to someone who they might not know who is an inspiration to you. It might be a family member or friend, a specific designer or writer, indie dyer or another blogger.(...)

Another perfect topic. In fact, this topic is so important to me that in the past I have already blogged about my personal Crochet Hero twice to introduce you to my Grandma and her crochet (Part 1 - Part 2)

Cushions

If you go back to those posts, you'll find lots of pictures of her work and just a little bit about my Grandma as a person. Today let's do it like this: I tell you more about my Grandma's (non-crochet) life and show you her work once again in mosaic-form.

Toys

My grandma was born as Maria Winkler in Neu Ullersdorf in 1912. The region where she was born is part of the Czech Republic, but at that time (long before the two World Wars) it had been inhabited mainly by Germans. In the early 1930s she married my grandfather, Franz Langer. Together they lived in Spornhau (Ostruzná) on a farm that had belonged to my grandfather's family, they even had their own stone quarry on their property. In Spornhau my grandparents had five children: one daughter and four sons, one of them was my father (*1944), he was the youngest one until then.

My grandparents with their seven children. My father is the one standing in the 2nd row right in the middle behind his parents

My grandfather Franz didn't fight in World War II, because he was one of the farmers who stayed behind to take care of the farms of the men who went to war. After the end of the war (1945), the German families in that area were expropriated and driven away from their homes, and my grandparents had to leave everything they couldn't carry behind. The legend goes that my grandfather buried their dishes and crystal glasses in the garden and the barn, hoping they might come back home one day. They never did.

The family came to Northern Bavaria and lived in an old school building in Thailenhofen for a few years. There they had two more children, another son and another daughter. My grandfather worked for a demolition squad that defused bombs and ammunition of the war. The job was well paid, so in 1955, my grandparents were able to build a new house in Ellingen, a small town not far from Thailenhofen. In their new home, my grandma had another girl, but the baby died the same day. Her name was Barbara and I was named after her. Maybe I've also inherited the crochet genes that would have been hers, who knows?

my Grandma at home in Ellingen

Home Decor

When I asked my father what hobbies (other than crochet) my grandma had, he said gardening and picking hops. I've learned that my grandma loved to work at the neighbours' farm - not for free, though: she got manure for her garden and a sack of potatoes in return ;)

my grandma and my father

Over the years, "the children" moved out and started their own families. My father met my mother and moved to k-town, where she was born and where we still live today. My aunt Traudi (I've blogged about her crochet before as well) stayed with her parents and still lives in the house in Ellingen.

Blankets

In 1983, my grandfather died. I can't remember much about him, because I was only four years old back then. My grandma Maria died in her sleep in 1994, one day before Christmas Eve.

my grandparents, the way I remember them

Now that was a lot of family talk, wasn't it? I've enjoyed this little detour today, even though I think I've missed the topic a little bit. For more crochet talk about "my crochet hero", please visit my earlier posts here and here.

If you'd like to meet more knitting and crochet heroes, start a google search with today's unique code: 3KCBWDAY3

Thanks for visiting k-town today,

Special Feature # 2: More of Grandma's Crochet

I had so much fun writing yesterday's post and reading all your wonderful comments, so I couldn't wait to show you more of my Grandma's crochet. So, let's go back to my Aunt's house and see what we'll find today...

Here's a round cushion. My parents have still got the same one at home and I've known this cushion for as long as I can remember. Maybe one day I'll sit down and try to figure out how grandma made it:

This is the back:

The next cushion was completely new to me, I'm sure I've never seen it before:

 

aaaahh... no words necessary...

I really thought that forty years ago people mainly made the traditional granny square, so you can imagine my surprise, when I saw this little blankie:

It's the 1970s calling (or rather screaming) again :) But have a closer look at the pattern, isn't that just awesome??

In my mind I see this blanket with light pink circles and light green "leaves" on a white ground...

Here's another, bigger blanket:

I think my grandma made it with lots of front and back post dc's, similar to the basketweave pattern but with a different placement of the stitches:

Today's last blanket is a treasure we've still got at home:

This is a woven crochet baby blankie my grandma made for my brother (he was born in 1971). I remember using this blanket for my dolls, and my niece Hanna's still got it in her doll's pram - and that's where I found it today :) Such a gorgeous pattern...

And finally... do you remember when I told you that I had a crochet dress but couldn't find a picture of it? My Mom found one :) It's not a very good picture, though - but anyway: here's a picture of my Mom and me and my little crochet dress:

I hope you've enjoyed this little trip to the 1970s as much as I did! Next time it's my Aunt's turn - different style but beauuuuuutiful! :)

Special Feature # 1: My Grandma's Crochet

Those of you who have followed this blog for a while, might remember that I had planned to visit my Aunt, because she's kept lots of my Grandma's old crochet stuff. Last Saturday the day had come, and my Aunt showed me every handmade treasure she could find.

Everytime I thought I had taken the last picture, she brought something else she just remembered :) My Aunt's also a wonderful crocheter, she's mainly into doilies and other lacy things. My Grandma could make anything, I guess. Just look at those poodles! They're so old, the brown one's already blind :)

Most of the things I'm gonna show you are made in the 1970s, so they might look old-fashioned, mainly because of the color choices. But look at the patterns!! Everything she made was so creative, elaborate and unique! Okay, I have to admit that the next guy is quite an obscure fellow, but it's great crochet nevertheless.

Here's a little sheep and a ladybug, I bet they didn't call them amigurumis forty years ago :)

In my Grandma's old kitchen (now my Aunt's craft room) I've discovered these old potholders still hanging on the wall:

And downstairs, in my Aunt's bedroom, I've found this little treasure on the dresser:

This is just so lovely!! The next one is a decorated candy glass (quite dusty, my Aunt found it somewhere in the basement):

My Mom told me, that they didn't have many detailed patterns at that time, and my Grandma probably just looked at crochet stuff in magazines and tried to re-work them, or she just made up her own patterns. I really do admire the talent she had! My Grandma died in 1994, and as far as I know she didn't crochet that much anymore in her last years. I really don't want to sound too sentimental now, but somehow it's a wonderful feeling to know that my Grandma Maria's crochet - that probably would have been forgotten in the years to come -  will now be seen by people from all over the world and stay in the internet forever!

Those of you who have waited for my Granny's squares (*lol* forgive me the pun) should not be disappointed: I've also discovered some cushions and blankets, and I'll show you the pictures in one of my next posts. My Aunt's crochet and other crafts are also more than worth seeing, and of course I've made some progress on the Magic Blanket Ride, so I'd be really happy to see you back here soon!